Things that Glasto could adopt from Download

[willutalk]

Having been to Download, despite a slightly weakened line-up (which didn't actually seem so whilst i was there), there were a number of things I thought Glasto could could do. Thinkgs that made the weekend just that little bit better to make Download 2014 one of the best festival I have ever been to:

1) BIGGER PORTRAIT SCREENS:

This photo (taken by me) above is of Avenged Sevenfold and displays for effective the portrait screen is. Viewers, who were very far back, could very see closely what Synyster Gates was doing at the time, and by doing this everyone feels involved. for the headliners it was like this but for the non-headliners it was a land scape screen integrated on the portrait screen.

although it was kind of done with The Stones, I think bringing this onto the Pyramid stage would be a smart move.

2) TOKENED BARS:

At Download the main arena bars only accept tokens. These tokens can be brought at the token points which were by the side of the bars. oNe token costed £4.50 so it was a token per pint, and for me who's under 18, half a token for a Red Bull or Coke!

This I thought at first was an annoying idea. But as I thought more long and hard I realised the benefits far out weighed the drawbacks. One you'd never be short changed. Two It's a hell of lot quicker, and because of this there was never a queue at the bar. Three all the money is only every dealt with at the points, so it's a lot more secure.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Token bars are an abomination designed solely to rip off the punters.

[Dixo]

1) I concur

2) Hell no!

[dan273]

"2) TOKENED BARS" No No No No Please No! they are everything that is wrong about modern music festivals!

[coma girl]

Re. tokens, they usually get slated as you have to queue twice, no queue at the bar doesn't mean no queue at the token stand. You have to estimate your consumption carefully, don't buy enough and you have to queue yet again for more, buy too many and you're screwed, might as well have thrown £4.50 down a long drop.

Screens look good though.

[DanielofGlastonbury]

When the Courteeners played at Haigh Hall in Wigan they had that system and it was absolute chaos. Best way not to get short changed is to work out the price of a drink and, you know, count your change.

[GlastoSimon]

Meh, screens are fine as they are I think. My experience at Pyramid/Other isn't ruined by their lack of portrait-ness, let's put it that way.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO to token bars.

Edited June 18, 2014 by GlastoSimon

[maninkilt]

I have been to fesrivals with token bars, ended up queing twice and going home with a pocket full (well not full) of tokens which are now worthless, no to tokens.

[dentalplan]

They ban flags. I'm down with that.

I just had to google what Synyster Gates was.

[dan273]

I ended up glugging 4 pints of flat warm strongbow whilst watching Steve Angelo at V last year, all to ensure i got my "Money's Worth". Robbing bastards! at least with cash exchanges you feel more comfortable sending a pint back when its shite, with these tokens you just get a shitty look when you complain!

[eFestivals]

2) TOKENED BARS:

it's a shit system for the punter.

There's no time benefit, because the punter spends the time they've saved at the bar queuing to get tokens.

And the punters have to queue every day to get tokens for that day - because otherwise some smart cookie prints of fake tokens overnight and cleans up the next day.

And the punter either gets left with spare tokens (= wasted money) at the end of each day, or the punter tries to account for that but then finds he runs out of tokens and has to go and get some more.

The bars love it tho - they have lower costs, which don't get passed on to you.

[russycarps]

when are there ever queues at the bars anyway?

[balti-pie]

The only thing I want Glastonbury to borrow directly from download this year is having Behemoth headline a stage

[willutalk]

My main point was the first one. I suppose the second point didn't go down as well.

[jeffie]

Mosh Pits!!!!

That is so not true

[matt2007]

1.could work

2. NO Ben there and it's shit

[matt2007]

1.could work

2. NO Ben there and it's shit

[elbongo]

And something glasto can give download... Metallica! Please

What an odd thread

[jonodillieono]

3) MORE METUL

[evilduck]

Had a good chuckle at Synyster Gates. What a ridiculous name.

[smogo]

What's with this "you have to queue twice" rubbish about token bars? You have to queue ONCE, when you buy your tokens. And then the rest of the festival, you just sail through the bars without queueing, because the turnaround is really fast.

[Rumblestripe]

I plan to simulate the "portrait" screens by lying down a lot.

Tokens FOUR POUNDS FIFTY A PINT??????????!!!!!!!!!

This is a good idea WHY?

Nay nay and thrice nay.

[johnmcga]

No issue with the screens as they are at the moment, but I'd be happy to see them made bigger.

However, a few times at Reading I've noticed they've had to lower the screens when it's been particularly windy. (Reading only has standard size screens, but the site can get quite windy, and I wonder if larger screens would be more susceptible to this.)

Token bars? No. No no no no no. For all the reasons stated. Bar queues don't tend to be an issue at Glastonbury anyway — and if they want to adopt some sort of cashless system, allowing people to pay by contactless cards would make most sense. (I do understand there would be significant technical challenges to ever introducing this, which were covered in another thread.)

Do they have a cup deposit scheme at Download? I still don't believe that it's beyond the bounds of possibility for Glastonbury to introduce this. It would make a big difference to the amount of litter.

Edited June 18, 2014 by johnmcga

[A Guy Called Matt]

£2.25 for a coke!!!!!

[Ruwise]

Token bar no way, though I do foresee a time when there will be a way to do a festival cash free and do think that would be a good thing as it would put a stop to a lot of thievery from tents. Maybe a way where you can set up a tab against your ticket which gets charged to a credit card.