£200 barrier breached

[jimmyk83]

no doubt you'll spend the whole weekend saying how much better the weather is back in austrayyyyyyliaeeeuurrrrgh in a loud obnoxious voice before getting ridiculously drunk on 5 pints of cider by 4 oclock, trying a start a fight with everyone then singing some rugby league songs, passing out and pissing your shorts by 8

[Paul ™]

It's a lot of money, when you add up the ticket cost, cost of transport/parking and what you spend at the festival once there.

Though the ticket cost is still in line with the other major UK festivals and is better value as you get more days/stages and can take own drink/food etc.

However this year I've decided to return to working it again (last one was 2005) purely as I can get 10-14 days work there and that will fund a couple of European festivals instead.

Last year I done Exit Festival in Serbia, and when you add up the ticket cost, flight cost etc and then the cheaper cost of food/drink to be honest there isn't a lot of difference in what the total spend would be. I got an apartment which bumped it up a little bit but you can camp if you want to save ££. Oh plus you get better weather

I think I will return to Glastonbury as a punter, but only every 2-3 years as I really want to get round more festivals abroad before am past it

[01seb]

no doubt you'll spend the whole weekend saying how much better the weather is back in austrayyyyyyliaeeeuurrrrgh in a loud obnoxious voice before getting ridiculously drunk on 5 pints of cider by 4 oclock, trying a start a fight with everyone then singing some rugby league songs, passing out and pissing your shorts by 8

[Jie Bie]

But I think the main point of this thread wasn't really so much about the £200 barrier or whether it's value for money, but the fact that a lot of people are getting priced out of glastonbury, and they are folk who believed in the ethos behind it, and it seems a bit like these people are being replaced by people who don't actually care about that kind of stuff, and will boo Caroline Lucas or anything left wing.

Edited October 8, 2012 by Jie Bie

[mrtourette]

hehehe, I love your posts Russy. Genuinely. The rest of you, lighten up.

Russy cares deeply about the festival, as many/all of us on here do. I can see sense in lots of what he posts (unless he's talking about music)

"because I always have a good time, and it's still the best festival around.

Many many MANY times worse than it used to be, but still miles ahead of the rest"

Is an absolutely valid opinion.

[mrtourette]

they come over here, stealing our festival places etc etc

[russycarps]

Who are these people who are being "priced out"? The way I see it is that it should be possible for most folk who want to go and have a job to spend a two or three months saving up the £50 required for the deposit and if they were successful yesterday they then have five or six months in which save up the balance.

Obviously I accept even this may not be possible for folk who've been unemployed for a while or also families who are on a low income to be able to do this, but I don't see how reducing the price to (say) £150 would suddenly make it affordable to such groups. Hope that doesn't come across as mean, but I grew up in a house where there was very little money to spare after essentials and it wouldn't have mattered if the ticket price was £50 or £150, we still wouldn't have been able to go.

Edited October 8, 2012 by russycarps

[mrtourette]

It's a realistic view in today's world. It's not offensive and shows some sympathy but ultimately understands the situation.

[russycarps]

It's a realistic view in today's world. It's not offensive and shows some sympathy but ultimately understands the situation.

[mrtourette]

so we just calmly accept that the festival is no longer available to the unemployed or those on a low income.

I see.

[eFestivals]

I bet you know loads of people who have stopped going because of the prices.

Yep. Just as I do people going to greece and spain and the USA, or Ikea, or to the corner shop for munchies, or out on a Saturday night.

All that aside it's cheaper in real terms next year than in 2011 (tho I recognise that the personal circumstances for many makes that different), it's still the best value festival of all the big festivals, and not all of the price rises over the years have been within the festival's control.

Glasto hasn't decided to have ever-more regulation imposed on it, or to be changed to monitor those things at its own cost now.

Glasto hasn't decided that as the years go by it's become necessary to more-professionalise its operations and pay 'going rate' wages when perhaps once they had volunteers.

Glasto hasn't decided to crash the market for purchased music, and cause the music industry to look for other ways to sustain itself.

While Glasto hasn't decided these things it's not been able to avoid the costs that come because of these things and things like it.

If Glasto wanted to stay cheap it would need to remove huge swathes of the entertainment that it has. And while you would probably say "good, bye-bye crap Pyramid acts" or something, many more would say "bye-bye low level acts on small stages after midnight" or something ... and why should your word be the one that counts above the others?

These all consequences of the choice that Michael made after not getting a licence for 2001; to keep being the leading festival, and to play within the rules. Michael decided that he'd rather keep the festival going, and that means that you have to play the man's game by the man's rules.

While I miss a lot of how the festival used to be, I'm not so daft as to think that it could have stayed in the same place, and I'd rather have it how it is than not have it at all.

[russycarps]

are you saying it was available to anyone because anyone could get in (pre-fence) whether they could afford it or not?

£50 to secure a ticket, with another 6 months or so to make up the balance doesn't seem particularly exclusive to me

[eFestivals]

so we just calmly accept that the festival is no longer available to the unemployed or those on a low income.

I see.

There's plenty of volunteer work there for anyone who can't afford the ticket price.

The only thing which might stop someone going is they feel working is too menial for them.

[The Nal]

£50 to secure a ticket, with another 6 months or so to make up the balance doesn't seem particularly exclusive to me

[russycarps]

There's plenty of volunteer work there for anyone who can't afford the ticket price.

The only thing which might stop someone going is they feel working is too menial for them.

[Verbal]

All this about the fence, unless I am wrong (I may be) the fence was a neccesity to keep the licence (and therefore the festival) due to the high number of scrotes coming in and swelling the numbers

Also with regard to the cost, work out how many bands you will be seeing and divide by the ticket cost, I think last year I worked out it had cost me in the region of £12 per band I saw, so £12 to see Elbow or Coldplay, try achieving that price anywhere else

Thats without all the additional benefits that come with the Glasto experience

[russycarps]

All this about the fence, unless I am wrong (I may be) the fence was a neccesity to keep the licence (and therefore the festival) due to the high number of scrotes coming in and swelling the numbers

Also with regard to the cost, work out how many bands you will be seeing and divide by the ticket cost, I think last year I worked out it had cost me in the region of £12 per band I saw, so £12 to see Elbow or Coldplay, try achieving that price anywhere else

Thats without all the additional benefits that come with the Glasto experience

[leon3574]

WTF

Everyone knows the price either pay it and have the time of your life or dont pay it and listen to Fearne cotton etc drivvling on BBC3 simples

[Vanderlyle]

How come Russy keeps on going on about the Tories freezing council tax rates? One thing I'm pretty sure is that that group of you-know-whats haven't done too much in the past 3 years to help the cash-strapped...

Oh, and this price rise is absolutely in line with inflation. 2.6%? What a joke. It was over 5% in 2011 alone - and won't be much lower this year.

[Verbal]

so? it's always been like that.

[artl]

We have been to festivals in Europe and USA. I can tell you with utter certainty that this is the best value for money you are going to get anywhere - ever. Consider the amount and diversity of entertainment provided. The diversity of food. The sheer volume of waste that has to be dealt with. The concept of organizing and constructing a town the size of Halifax .... The mind boggles. Frankly i dont know how they do it for the money.

[sortzcov]

The Electric Picnic in Ireland that's compared to Glastonbury (it's not), tickets to it cost £230 last year and it's for 3 days! As far as large festivals go it's a lot cheaper compared to others and whilst the price has gone up in 10 years I think you will find that the price of everything has shot in the same time.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

There's plenty of volunteer work there for anyone who can't afford the ticket price.

The only thing which might stop someone going is they feel working is too menial for them.

[Mardy]

I'd be in favour of some sort of discount for unwaged etc. Think it would be a good thing.

[mrtourette]

I'd be in favour of some sort of discount for unwaged etc. Think it would be a good thing.