Lower standards

[pedmills]

In my eyes:

Things that have improved since last year:

+ Litter was better.

+ Fewer people pissing in hedges.

+ The crowd atmosphere at certain acts was the best I've ever seen.

+ Less mud

+ I felt more than ever that everyone was there for a good time.

Things that have gotten worse:

- More people talking/using phones through acts.

- The whole site felt busier - especially the northwest areas, which were insane. It meant that in order to get places and have good experiences, I felt like I needed to 'outsmart' and do the opposite of what most people would do. This seems a bit silly.

Obviously everyone's opinions are going to be based on how they experienced the festival. Bad behaviour is a lot more noticeable than good behaviour. It is only because during the festival a few thoughts like "is the litter worse?" "are more people peeing in hedges?" popped into my head that I actually stopped to analyse the situation.

Anyway, even after reading the above comments, I think it was one of the best years of recent times.

One extra point: try not to stereotype people too much or extrapolate from one behaviour to another. Not all young people or newbies are antisocial or don't understand the Glastonbury spirit/ethos (and vice-versa). A couple of guys I didn't know very well camped with us, and early on they said they found the green fields boring, they were going to take showers every day, and they updated facebook and twitter throughout the festival. I thought 'oh god - completely the opposite of what glastonbury is about'. However they then showed little interest in the Pyramid stage, made lots of friends with strangers, and were the ones coming back at 6am with crazy stories every night.

People have different ideas of fun. If they aren't being antisocial then there's no need to judge them for it. If fewer people are doing the things you like then that should be better for you, as it means there will be fewer people there, more space, easier to spark up personal conversations with other people there, will be more special for you.

Edited July 2, 2013 by pedmills

[Bobs]

I noticed a change too - it felt like a very city based crowd compared to previous years - maaaaaaaaaaany more girls, many more Class A dance drugs and Ket

It's the image the festival gets now from the BBC coverage. After watching the screens a lot at the Pyramid and Other I noticed just how often the camera found the fashionable sunglassed girls wearing "cool festival gear" and waiting for the camera to find them so they could roar and show their chelsea-inspired buddies how amazing the festival was in their Hunters

It was pretty much a constant stream. The festival is now a cool/fashionable/hip place to be - those who have lived in London and experienced how those people actually are en-masse will know what that entails and that's just what Babylon felt like this year, and then the SE corner as they moved around

[geoffboycott]

My main bugbear is talking and general arsing about during sets....this isn't necessarily a Glastonbury issue happens everywhere.

We were talking about it at the weekend. My take on it is that generally much of the population do not buy albums anymore but maybe download a track or two or hear them on the radio. They go wild with excitement during the set when said track is played but then seem to lose interest for the rest of the performance and continue the talking whilst still whooping and hollering in between songs as if i was the best thing they had ever heard when in truth they were not even listening. I have no idea how you cure this though.

[frostypaw]

Sadly Agree with this.... Someone put up that Newspaper article about 'What to wear at Glastonbury' before we all went, and that is just what the Majority of younger people tended to look like! (Late Teen's-Mid 20's), drove me mad.

The BBC Advert really drove me mad... Rita Ora, Professor Green, Dizzee Rascal, Azaelia Banks, Jake Bugg, and then finally a cameo mention for one of the biggest names, seriously, may as well of been a V festival advert!

[elbongo]

Far too much... "It's not like it used to be" talk going on. I'm sure people who have only been 4 or 5 times are thinking its not how it used to be. Unfortunately we are getting old or older. Funnily enough my friends and family used to say it about the party people and ravers (me being one) who gatecrashed "their glastonbury" in the early 90's. Then I found myself saying the same ten years later

I thought it was cleaner than previous years, didn't see as much open drug doing like it used to be and arcadia was definitely in the wrong place...

[amfy]

I thought it was a brilliant Glastonbury. Loads better than 2011 for me. I actually think there was less litter, less pissing outside of toilets (better and more toilets I thought - this probably helped). Lots of problems from previous festivals have been alleviated in terms of pinch points and crowd control, some will always be a problem due to natural geography and need more management than others.

It was the talking through sets that was the thing that bothered me, and it did spoil some sets for me. I can perfectly well understand why people would want to get into position for a favourite band during the act before, and I can also understand why people who are away for the weekend with a bunch of mates will chat excitedly amongst themselves. I just wish they wouldn't. Having said that, I mostly dealt with this by moving, and ended up far further forward than I have for years as a result, which was a great experience - being right down the front with a load of teenagers for The vaccines was hilarious and really great fun!

I remember waiting for Morrisey in 2004 with my husband at his first Glastonbury and Christie Moore was the act before (I think - there may be some Glastonbury blurring). My husband hated Christie Moore & started to talk really loudly about what a load of cliched shite it was. I remember the phrase I used then to him was 'Respect the music'. If you have to stand or sit through something you wouldn't choose to, then just open your ears, give it a chance, it might surprise you, but if you still hate it, that's no excuse to spoil it for those who love it. My husband was 44 years old at the time so its not about age, its about consideration, or someone reminding you to have some.

Mostly though - Glastonbury has always been a place where I love to hear music I haven't heard before, and open my ears to a bigger musical world than the one I inhabit for the rest of the year. this is a joy which the chatterers are missing.

[pedmills]

Far too much... "It's not like it used to be" talk going on. I'm sure people who have only been 4 or 5 times are thinking its not how it used to be. Unfortunately we are getting old or older.

[scmusic]

I think we were stood near the same group,one of them even pissed in a bottle and poured it on his mate,while the others stood and guffawed.

[eFestivals]

I was chatting to a youngish lad on Saturday and he said Bestival didn't have the same litter problem nor the same 'annoying crowd'....he felt that Bestival wasn't far off becoming a viable alternative to Glastonbury. Having never been to Bestival, how does it compare... is it a 'smaller Glastonbury' but without some of the issues Glasto has?

Bestival might not have the same issues with its clientèle, but it defo has issues just as annoying with its clientèle.

[Sabcully]

_{I thought the crowd was older this year and I saw less people piss in hedges than in 2010. Litter was awful in some places but generally I thought they kept up with clearing the bins better, which helped.}

_{I have to say though that Green Fields and West Holts were my favourite places and we spent a lot of time there. The Pyramid to me is a shit gig now, unless you push your way past all the flags and knobs who seem to gather there. It is a much nicer festival away from the overcrowded places.}

_{I really enjoyed it. More than 2010.}

[marcwilson87]

Not for me. I've now been 6 times and I think it gets better every year. But then I am in my twenties.

Anyone young people out there think it is getting worse?

[elbongo]

Not for me. I've now been 6 times and I think it gets better every year. But then I am in my twenties.

Anyone young people out there think it is getting worse?

[mrpman]

I must be an idiot or something, what are you saying? I'm intrigued! What exactly happened?

[elbongo]

Sorry, wanted to keep it brief and concise but ended up long and vague!

We pitched up in an area with a random single portaloo (presumably) on the wrong side of harris fencing from the area it was meant to be in.

After using it we realised it was just the open type, no lid to keep everything in etc. Spoke to a security guy on our way out who said that they might have an issue emptying it.

Off we went to have a bimble. Come back later and the guys next to us had turned it so the door wasn't facing them. Someone in our group chatted with them and they decided between them to tape the door shut.

I talked to a few people around us and people seemed ok. About an hour later a guy comes round to use the toilet and it nearly turned into a fight. Luckily it didn't but not exactly what you want to see at Glasto.

We're sat outside the tent and a couple of people try to use the toilet. My group are a bit annoyed by now and are quite happy just to say no you can't, and leave it at that. I try to explain to both people that it won't be emptied (I'd spoke to security who said it was unlikely based on where it was etc) and therefore when it spills over and leaks onto the grass a whole area of grass will be polluted and we'll all have to be moved, and there are some toilets nearby.

At this point I go to speak to the security again, passing some more people near the main path and chatting to some groups who a) didn't know the toilet was there or are fine with it.

Speaking to a member of security who was lovely (girl called Tanya) she wanted to have a look. During this conversation one of the people who came earlier to use it starts to discuss is, realises I'm not there to get it open and was one of the people who (in her eyes) closed it.

She then said I'd intimidated her and said I was now doing the same again. I wasn't, and the thought I had will upset me for weeks and weeks.

Tanya then looked, agreed with us and came back at the end of her shift with some "official" tape to further close it off.

It's just a snapshot of such a little thing that can antagonise a large amount of people, cause people to not mix with other people at the festival, nearly caused a fight, and made me so down after the girl was upset it really spoiled the whole festival.

Sorry for the lack of brevity again!

[mrpman]

Aww man don't fret about such a thing. If you knew you were doing the right thing and then things are misinterpreted there's not much you can do about it. seriously its all good, all done. Hope you enjoyed glasto you sound top man to me

[ninetyeightytwo]

It's not nice to think that you may have upset someone. I still haven't got over the time my actions came across as rude at Liverpool coach station in 2010. That was three years ago, and the woman in question probably forgot about it later that night. I just hope you're better at moving on than I am.

[Mikeydread]

The first years I went in late 70's and early 80's the place was full of tents with people advertising Acid for sale or hot knives - completely openly and blatantly. Also I remember (81/82?)someone threw a rock at Ginger Baker on the then main stage resulting in blood poring down his head - he just played on. He was camped a few tents away from us and the police came on site to try to interview him about it - he just told them to fuck off. So in the days when the vibe was supposed to be more laid back - it was a lot more on the edge than now. The anti-establishment festival has become the establishment - which is why such behaviour described elsewhere here shocks some people. I am in no way condoning it - just suggesting that it is a Glasto fact of life. May be people power is the only way to stop it.

Back in 1986 - my mate seriously let me down last minute - so I came down by myself with more time to spend than normal. I took a load of photos - and some before and after pics - the rubbish in those days at the pyramid was worse than today - probably as there was less of a regime around tidying it all up.

[pedmills]

The first years I went in late 70's and early 80's the place was full of tents with people advertising Acid for sale or hot knives - completely openly and blatantly. Also I remember (81/82?)someone threw a rock at Ginger Baker on the then main stage resulting in blood poring down his head - he just played on. He was camped a few tents away from us and the police came on site to try to interview him about it - he just told them to fuck off. So in the days when the vibe was supposed to be more laid back - it was a lot more on the edge than now. The anti-establishment festival has become the establishment - which is why such behaviour described elsewhere here shocks some people. I am in no way condoning it - just suggesting that it is a Glasto fact of life. May be people power is the only way to stop it.

Back in 1986 - my mate seriously let me down last minute - so I came down by myself with more time to spend than normal. I took a load of photos - and some before and after pics - the rubbish in those days at the pyramid was worse than today - probably as there was less of a regime around tidying it all up.

[autoinflate]

I've been to 18 Glastonbury festivals in a row, and most of my mates a similar number. We all agreed that this was just about the best we'd ever been to, certainly can't remember a better one.

We just go round the site in an endless meandering loop having a great time, being nice to people, looking after each other, soaking it all up.

On the rare occasions we find ourselves near something or someone we don't like, we move on.

I thought the litter, hedge-pissing, junk-leaving etc was improved other previous years, didn't see any violence and met really top notch folks all through the day, every day.

I feel that Glastonbury today has the safest, friendliest vibe it's ever had, plus the most creative/diverse entertainment you could wish for. I don't see how they could possibly organise it any better, and if that's not good enough for anyone, then it's simple...just don't go.

[jimbo85]

I thought the atmosphere was great! Considering the amount of people, crowds and consumption I did not see any trouble what so ever! It was different to my first experience in 2011, It felt to me like there was a lot more people. On the Friday night at the top of pyramid when I looked down it looked immense with the sheer number of people!

[pedmills]

I've been to 18 Glastonbury festivals in a row, and most of my mates a similar number. We all agreed that this was just about the best we'd ever been to, certainly can't remember a better one.

We just go round the site in an endless meandering loop having a great time, being nice to people, looking after each other, soaking it all up.

On the rare occasions we find ourselves near something or someone we don't like, we move on.

I thought the litter, hedge-pissing, junk-leaving etc was improved other previous years, didn't see any violence and met really top notch folks all through the day, every day.

I feel that Glastonbury today has the safest, friendliest vibe it's ever had, plus the most creative/diverse entertainment you could wish for. I don't see how they could possibly organise it any better, and if that's not good enough for anyone, then it's simple...just don't go.

[mrpman]

We can all agree that wearing Beatz Headphones at a festival should result in being kicked out though can't we?

I thought the Ipad filming thing was annoying as it could get, but this is far worse!

[Mikeydread]

I've been to 18 Glastonbury festivals in a row, and most of my mates a similar number. We all agreed that this was just about the best we'd ever been to, certainly can't remember a better one.

We just go round the site in an endless meandering loop having a great time, being nice to people, looking after each other, soaking it all up.

On the rare occasions we find ourselves near something or someone we don't like, we move on.

I thought the litter, hedge-pissing, junk-leaving etc was improved other previous years, didn't see any violence and met really top notch folks all through the day, every day.

I feel that Glastonbury today has the safest, friendliest vibe it's ever had, plus the most creative/diverse entertainment you could wish for. I don't see how they could possibly organise it any better, and if that's not good enough for anyone, then it's simple...just don't go.

[fingers_mark]

Haha. I saw one girl wearing those big headphones wandering through the Pyramid on the Sunday. Couldn't beleive it.

[Morse Code]

I'm not quite sure what people expect. 170,000 people getting high, trying to find loos, wanting to get through crowds to find friends.

Overall though, I saw no nastiness. Fine, there are a lot of mobiles etc but, you know what, people pay for those mobiles so they can capture some moments. It's not the end of the world, although pretty annoying if people record a whole film.

Likewise, pissing against bushes. It's bad, and should be avoided but, let's be honest, it's not the end of the world.

The one thing I do think needs some action on is litter. It gets pretty gross around main stages. But then the bins are all full etc. Litter around tents wasn't too bad though. If they can sort out the Other Stage/Pyramid litter issue then all will be sweet.