Official Offsite Pre Erected Tents etc - On sale now

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Oh messed up the original quote above so it doesn't make much sense! Oh we'll you' ll probably get the gist.

[mandolin]

What's with all the fuss about people you don't know staying somewhere you won't be? I just don't get it.

Also those who stay in the campervan fields are being slightly hypocritical aren't they? (and I know that some posting critical comments about WV on here do - or at least you've said you do on other threads) My first year in a campervan there it was at least a 30 minute walk from the van to Gate C, a large and difficult hill to climb on the way back and it wasn't exactly coming down with fun and frolicks around the campfire of an evening.

If people want to spend their money on off-site camping, let them. If people want to spend their money on stuff to get completely off their heads, let them. If people want to spend their money on fluffy pink rabbits - well fair play to them too.

I thought live and let live was a big part of the spirit of Glastonbury - do we have to wait till the gates open?

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

If people want to spend their money on off-site camping, let them. If people want to spend their money on stuff to get completely off their heads, let them. If people want to spend their money on fluffy pink rabbits - well fair play to them too.

I thought live and let live was a big part of the spirit of Glastonbury - do we have to wait till the gates open?

[Lizzie0682]

Why would anyone be going back to their tent 3 times a day?!

The past 4 gfests had lovely direct neighbours, whom I chatted to every morning but then didn't see till the next day, can't see this changing much being in wv! Also had complete posho, spoilt, rich kid, leave your tent behind and trash the place ARSES in the vicinity who banged on all night about what drugs they'd taken / how wasted they were. Can't see these in wv to be honest, but if they are so be it!

Don't really know why some people are so hung up about a tiny tiny portion of the festival doing it?! Think it's a bit of a stir it up thing, but here I am feeding away.... If you are in wv I can assure you I will be a v friendly neighbour anyway!

[r0cky]

In fact I suspect they'll be some tutting at those who deign to make noise at night there.

[al_coholic]

So if Worthy View is offsite, then so is the campervan fields, and yet no one is slagging the people off who are staying in there. Some of those people will be spending far more than the cost of a tent in Worthy View to hire some massive motorhomes.

[mrbossed]

Not really. Who was your post aimed at?

[MrHew]

Really? So £500 (or whatever it is) for a tent is accessible to all is it?

It's an exclusive little area for rich people. How can you deny it?

[Somersetsun]

Frak me.

I'm going to get up, drink coffee, get meself together, go to a festival that until this thread appeared I thought contained the most awesome people on earth, stay there til 2am, crawl up a hill, sleep in a tent no one will be pissing, vomiting, shitting or doing anything else on (hopefully, I'm still not convinced), rinse and repeat.

Have a thought for the fact that some people are old and sleep is important, that not all disabled people have physical mobilities, that some people have 'feeling safe' issues and poss wouldn't sleep a wink if in main camping, that some people might not get to experience anything at all if not conceding to this concession, that it's a choice not a necessity and that some of you are coming across as complete and utter <insert rude word here>.

What a welcome to a festival. You're posh, you're not welcome here. There's no way I'm going anywhere near any of the efestivals meet ups. I'd rather find some people who wont judge me before they've even met me. Heavens knows what half of you would do to me if you heard my accent. Which, by the way, doesn't fit with the life I've led in any way at all, but the chances of some of you even being able to think that far ahead is looking minimal.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Frak me.

I'm going to get up, drink coffee, get meself together, go to a festival that until this thread appeared I thought contained the most awesome people on earth, stay there til 2am, crawl up a hill, sleep in a tent no one will be pissing, vomiting, shitting or doing anything else on (hopefully, I'm still not convinced), rinse and repeat.

Have a thought for the fact that some people are old and sleep is important, that not all disabled people have physical mobilities, that some people have 'feeling safe' issues and poss wouldn't sleep a wink if in main camping, that some people might not get to experience anything at all if not conceding to this concession, that it's a choice not a necessity and that some of you are coming across as complete and utter <insert rude word here>.

What a welcome to a festival. You're posh, you're not welcome here. There's no way I'm going anywhere near any of the efestivals meet ups. I'd rather find some people who wont judge me before they've even met me. Heavens knows what half of you would do to me if you heard my accent. Which, by the way, doesn't fit with the life I've led in any way at all, but the chances of some of you even being able to think that far ahead is looking minimal.

[DeadAmos]

I think its time this topic was put to bed, and I don't care if the bed is in Worthy veiw, Pennards or the campervan fields

[worthyraver]

Frak me.

I'm going to get up, drink coffee, get meself together, go to a festival that until this thread appeared I thought contained the most awesome people on earth, stay there til 2am, crawl up a hill, sleep in a tent no one will be pissing, vomiting, shitting or doing anything else on (hopefully, I'm still not convinced), rinse and repeat.

Have a thought for the fact that some people are old and sleep is important, that not all disabled people have physical mobilities, that some people have 'feeling safe' issues and poss wouldn't sleep a wink if in main camping, that some people might not get to experience anything at all if not conceding to this concession, that it's a choice not a necessity and that some of you are coming across as complete and utter <insert rude word here>.

What a welcome to a festival. You're posh, you're not welcome here. There's no way I'm going anywhere near any of the efestivals meet ups. I'd rather find some people who wont judge me before they've even met me. Heavens knows what half of you would do to me if you heard my accent. Which, by the way, doesn't fit with the life I've led in any way at all, but the chances of some of you even being able to think that far ahead is looking minimal.

[helen-8]

I think its time this topic was put to bed, and I don't care if the bed is in Worthy veiw, Pennards or the campervan fields

[Spindles]

The worst bit about tents is not being able to sleep in on hot days.

There's nothing else that's troubled me.

[1mills]

I love the fact that people are saying that people staying at WV will be missing out on the true festival experience.

Then saying you will spend 3 times a day back at your tent? We never go back to our tents during the day, we get up, get gone and enjoy the festival. Wouldn't want spend time continuously going back to our tents.

Ideally I would be camping in the normal sections as we always have, but as stated previously, can't arrive until Thursday and to us it's best way to land in and not be worrying about walking about for hours trying to find space and then spending another couple of hours Thursday and Friday and on other runs from the car.

The inconvenience of a slightly longer walk to bed (missing none of the festival on a walk to bed) and a slightly longer walk in in the morning, isn't exactly going to ruin Glastonbury.

And also for the Poor vs Rich argument massively falls down.

Surely the same applies to people who only drink from the bars on site and don't bother bringing their own alcohol?

They are spending more than they have to, but are doing it for convenience of bringing alcohol with them and carrying it about all day.

Edited January 20, 2013 by 1mills

[fatyeti24]

just as well Mr Eavis didn't have an aversion to the monied or else those circus and caberet fields may not be quite what they are.

[Somersetsun]

Just an idea, if Mr Eavis decided to Kickstarter some fields/tents, I wonder if people would have _quite_ the same objections to accepting money into 'their' festival that created super awesome stuff for them to enjoy.

Also, not posh. Just sound it to all Northerners until they get used to the swearing. And sorry for exploding. I could have expressed myself a little more er...gently.

[eFestivals]

Also those who stay in the campervan fields are being slightly hypocritical aren't they? (and I know that some posting critical comments about WV on here do - or at least you've said you do on other threads)

I'm one of those, but .... Nope!

Using a campervan there's no choice but being offsite. In a tent you have the option of being on-site. And a tent either on site or off site is still a tent, no different at all.

I'd far rather be on-site than off-site, but I'm now an old git, and as I tend to do eight or more festivals each year I do appreciate the comfort and cost-savings that the campervan I already own gives me - which is not the same thing as the just-once that is probably the case with most WV campers.

My first year in a campervan there it was at least a 30 minute walk from the van to Gate C

and alternatively.....

Last time mine was a ten minute walk out of gate C, and was actually a lot closer to where I spend most of my time than was my (onsite) tent at the previous festival.

The same 'closer' is (almost?) impossible if your tent is at Worthy View.

If people want to spend their money on off-site camping, let them.

I've no problem if they do, but the consideration is not the 'just win' that many of those who have opted for WV are trying to convince themselves that it is.

Edited January 21, 2013 by eFestivals

[eFestivals]

I'd rather find some people who wont judge me before they've even met me.

Good luck with that. It will take you a lifetime and you'll still fail, because everyone is judged to some extent on everything they do.

You know, like you're judging those who have a different view of WV to you.

Camp where you like. Just don't think you're getting the full experience when you're not - and it's worth remembering, Glasto's reputation is built on that full experience and not on less than the full experience.

Some of us are merely pointing out that people are paying extra to get something lesser. If you want a tame festival experience there's plenty of tame festivals that you could have done - and far cheaper - than Glastonbury.

[oneeye]

And breathe........ Blimey, some heated discussions on here over fields ,tents and 'posh' people lol. Couldn't give a flying fig who camps where, in what and for how much, it's Glastonbury ffs Somersetsun; understand your reservations on ever meeting up with fellow efestivalers, but don't be put off. My impression is that everyone's really quite nice and friendly, although there is a certain amount of 'oneupmanship' that goes on, and occasionally emotions can run a little high But, if we all agreed on everything on here then there would be no heated discussions and this site would fast become boring / obsolete. Enjoy your Yurts / bell tents/ wigwams / campervans / popups pop pickers; I'll probably treat myself to a camping upgrade in couple of years time to celebrate my 50th, but until then I'll be one of the many thousands clambering for 'my pitch' come 0800 Wed 26th June 2013

[James Bolivar]

Some of us are merely pointing out that people are paying extra to get something lesser. If you want a tame festival experience there's plenty of tame festivals that you could have done - and far cheaper - than Glastonbury.

[eFestivals]

But if your festival experience is lessened - as in made less enjoyable - by the sheer squalor of the main fields in a wet year then surely it makes sense to do something about it.

From a personal point of view, I guess it does. But there's more to it all than just that.

Ultimately, the privileged camping areas are changing Glastonbury into a gentrified version of itself, which lessens what the festival is to everyone, and ultimately seals its demise.

So it could be quite reasonably said that while that individual view is fine on an individual basis, it's also a selfish view that is essentially saying "I don't care that i'm fucking over the Glastonbury experience for everyone".

Of course, it's not just those off-site campers who are guilty of doing that - others are succeeding in doing the same thing by other means too. But the liking for offsite camping is very definitely one of the stronger aspects of that.

The simple fact is that if Glastonbury were invented today with everyone doing what they want to do on their individual basis, very few of us would want to go.

But hey, what do I know? Give in to your own desires and who cares about what effect it has on anything else. It's no different to the central basis of today's society, so go selfish as that's what the 21st century is all about.

[James Bolivar]

Letting the police on site in the 80s changed the experience, selling broadcast rights to the BBC changed the experience, the super-fence, the piss-police, mobile phones, they changed the experience. Even Tesco selling what amounts to a circus marquee for fifty quid changed the experience. When I first went there were 30,000 people, in small tents, and two stages, believe me the experience has changed. Change may not be good, but it is inevitable.

After giving up on the festival in the 90s, I went again with my wife in 2003 - it was great and there was reasonable room between the tents. In 2011 the tents were on top of one-another - Mrs B was horrified. The increase in the number of tickets, along with the ready availability of cheap, large tents has certainly changed our views on camping at Glastonbury.

Even if external influences were removed there would still be the changing demands of the festival goers. When the festival first started the whole idea was novel, the festival goers were pioneering - rock music was only 15 years old! Some of those first festival goers are still going, but now they are middle-aged. I'm really quite fit, but I still take 5 different kinds of medication every morning just to stay alive and I'm not even 50 yet. What do you want? Keep the festival for the under-25s? Exclude the people who've been going for decades just because we aren't fit or hip enough?

Edited January 21, 2013 by James Bolivar

[eFestivals]

Change may not be good, but it is inevitable.

You've nailed it.

Which gets to mean that people who are able to see offsite camping as that bad thing are perfectly entitled to give their opinion that it's a bad thing, no different to those who lap it up think it's a good thing.

It doesn't make us unduely critical, or judgemental, or having a non-Glastonbury Festival spirit. It makes us humans that are merely calling it as we see it - on both side of the opinions.

As you say, not every change is a good thing. There's a reason why this website has barely mentioned the existence of any offsite camping at any festival for all of the 13 years this website has been running.

People are poerfectly able to make their individual choice based on their individual opinion, and other individuals are perfectly able to have their opinions too.

It's only the narrow minded imbeciles who think that only one of those opinions can be rightfully expressed.

[eFestivals]

But if your festival experience is lessened - as in made less enjoyable - by the sheer squalor of the main fields in a wet year then surely it makes sense to do something about it.

.... and while I'm banging on about the state of today's society....

The non-selfish "do something about it" would be the Glastonbury of old, where the do something about it was to try to ensure that no one had squalor, rather than to get yourself out of that squalor and fuck anyone else.

At one time that used to work. It doesn't now. And that's not because those who might try have been doing it worse.

There's a point where most give up, and that point is now long passed. Which only gets to say that we're fucked as a society, as well as the festival also being fucked.

Which gets to mean that people will only get even more selfish, because there's now no shame in being selfish.