Why has Glastonbury got so popular?

[Ruwise]

The main thing is probably that with Glastonbury older people (like myself) keep coming back year after year and young people still want to go for the first time every year! I have a new policy. I will no longer rave about Glastonbury to people I meet. Instead I'll say it's shit and I only go because my husband loves it. He will say the same but just say he only goes because of me. I'm hoping everybody will follow suit and then soon it's popularity will wane!

Only kidding but it is an idea!!

My other thought is for those that go in large groups make sure that every member of your group is as committed to getting tickets as you are. I know a lot of people who say they wouldn't go through ticket day and they are only going because somebody else got their tickets for them. I think you should experience the trauma of ticket day as a pre-requisite for entering the festival after all how can you really appreciate the highs if you haven't felt the lows.

[Bobs]

I think it's because Festivals have become so Glamourised!

I remember watching 2009 Glastonbury, and watching Nick Cave and Tom Jones and thinking, wow, this is a place i want to be at, if i remember correctly, the sun was shining and everyone was having a great time, so we tried in October of that year, and we had an amazing amazing time in 2010!

Up til then, i hadn't heard of anyone going to Glastonbury that i knew of, and subsequently, after the sun of 2010, everyone wanted a piece of the action in 2011.

But i find that BBC has glamoursed it to the high horse, and to be honest, they never give Glastonbury the coverage it truly deserves, they jump on the bandwagon, and go to Shangri-La, and then they bring in the pretentious Poppy Twats into the studio like Rita Ora, Jake Bugg etc... But that being said, it was enough to entice me to do a festival, and i assume it must be the same for people all over the country.

It won't last forever, i'll give it 3-5 more years of festivals being the 'In' thing, and whilst Glastonbury will still be hugely popular, it certainly won't be as hard to get tickets. You'll see the likes of V Festival reverting to being more rocky, as the demographic of festival will change too imo!

[Ed209]

2009 tickets went on sale Oct 2008 and sold out feb 2009

[mrtourette]

Very good marketing/promotion

[Wooderson]

A run of huge global stars year after year.

[John_P]

It's a number of factors really. I know from my own experience that my interest in going was reports from other friends who'd been alongside the coverage from the BBC and NME. Had wanted to go for years before I actually went.

[Spindles]

How many of us go with ever increasing groups of friends and family, who are dragged along enthusiastically after giving into our never ending glastobating? I think that that is a major factor, people go, fall in love and go back with their friends and so the circle continues to swell.

This year only my son has got a ticket, but again he is going with new friends. I'll be working with old friends (I hope!).

I also think that the growth of other festivals is a factor. V in particular in the 90s helped popularise festivals with the middle classes and with a more suburban demographic and many of these people graduated to Glastonbury having dipped their toe in the festival waters.

[Matt42]

As the music becomes more aimed to modern music fans, the more people will want to go...

there is a massive difference in lineup changes ever year, it's that reason why...

plus it's not just glastonbury, festivals have become alot more popular in general, due to word of mouth and recommendation! The Youth these days can't get enough of them...

[eoinca]

How many of us go with ever increasing groups of friends and family, who are dragged along enthusiastically after giving into our never ending glastobating? I think that that is a major factor, people go, fall in love and go back with their friends and so the circle continues to swell.

[guypjfreak]

festivals on the whole are more popular but with glasto its the bands and the wether if you have a real bad year weather wise then the following year is a lot quieter ...thats my thinking any way lol

[Ohinever]

I personally know several people who have never been before who are going, and from suprising demographics for first timers i.e in mid-sixties and going as a family. Basically Glastonbury is now part of the "season", just as much as Henley, Ascot and Wimbledon. The game was up when Harry stopped by last year. Now demand will outstrip supply just like it does for the Mens Final.

[Alcatraz]

You only need to look at TV adverts, for cider for example, in the summer to understand what big business festivals have become.

You could say they've replaced the summer holiday by the seaside.

For Glastonbury in particular, the good weather and the fence have probably sanitised its reputation among the wider population. I remember when I was in early years at primary school, one kid brought in pictures of him at Glastonbury, covered in mud (it was a really wet year, I guess it must have been '97) and I as a wee man was pretty terrified of it and the kid!

About 5 years later I was there!

Edited October 13, 2013 by Alcatraz

[rachbon]

A lot of people probably go to tick it off the list as the OP said, then they love it and keep going back.

Because of things like posh camping, showers, being able to get your hair done etc, festivals now appeal to people who might not have been interested previously. They no longer have the image of being full of old hippies, going to festivals has become a trend.

[SKYY]

My first was 2007 ... still going )

Yeah, from what I've read, if I'd gone for the first time in 2007, I'd never have gone back.

[mrtourette]

You only need to look at TV adverts, for cider for example, in the summer to understand what big business festivals have become.

You could say they've replaced the summer holiday by the seaside.

[gmb1992]

I can't think of another festival that caters for all types of people even my nan wants to go... we just need to face it the more people who test it out, the more people fall in love with it.

[ThomThomDrum]

Glastonbury 2009 sold out on t-day didn't it? Its only 2008 where its struggled. I think that's down to one thing... 2007

Edited October 14, 2013 by ThomThomDrum

[UEF]

Jay-Z was briliant too. A lot of it boiled down to racism masquerading as musical choice.

Edited October 14, 2013 by UEF

[ThomThomDrum]

Jay-Z was briliant too. A lot of it boiled down to racism masquerading as musical choice.

[The Nal]

Jay-Z was briliant too. A lot of it boiled down to racism masquerading as musical choice.

[jonny2mad]

ticket touting a few years ago. Basically they created a hype say you have toy or pair of trainers its a ok toy or a nice shoe but you want it to be mega you publish storys of it becoming scarce and people paying inflated prices for them .

This sort of feeds off itself, the internet speeded things up lots of people who didnt want tickets bought them to sell on because tickets were seen as a great investment .

you basically have perceived value of any product and touting massively added to glastonburys perceived value .

[Wooly Mammoth]

(I’m still bitter about missing out this year) I’m blaming the October deposit scheme.. most people can afford to take the £50 gamble and decide later in the year whether they want/can afford to go or not. I would much prefer they went back to April (I think it was April?) sales.. if we had to pay the full amount straight away, that would put the hesitant people off.. full amount with no refund.. it would still sell out, but tickets would sell slower giving everyone a fairer chance.

[ThomThomDrum]

Really? You think? Stevie Wonder didn't get the same reaction did he?

[russycarps]

giving everyone a fairer chance.

[zero000]

Everyone has been predicting the bursting of this festival bubble for years and it seems to have happened to a certain extent to other festivals but Glastonbury has still been resilient. I'm kind of selfishly hoping it doesn't stay that way.