Would you take a reduced capacity?

[DeanoL]

Moving Arcadia has gone some way to resolving the issues of course, but it would be good to see a bit more done on the campfires front...

I do think moving Strummerville to the Park as originally intended would have really helped with that. Not going to queue in a one-way system for 45 minutes just to chill at a campfire though.

[UEF]

I think a reduction down to 100,000 would be reasonable.

[UEF]

I do think moving Strummerville to the Park as originally intended would have really helped with that. Not going to queue in a one-way system for 45 minutes just to chill at a campfire though.

Passed Strummerville once this year... didn't quite get it this time round. Just looked like any other open-air stall.

Bit of a shame, as it was the one 'hidden' bit of Glasto that wasn't overrun by queues of hipsters.

[**claire**]

To those who think the locals shouldn't get sunday tickets, then shame on you.

Getting the local community involved is hugely important to the success of glastonbury. It is very much a local festival with huge numbers of the stewards/helpers/setter uppers coming from the surrounding local villages. Further to this, the local communities have to put up with quite a lot disruption so you can have your weekend. While it is the biggest festival in the UK, it still strives to stay as connected to the local people and communities as it possibly can. Its the only way it can exist.

Having some people sat in chairs in a small part of the festival and being a little bewildered by your munted face is the small price to pay for maintaining some of the harmony with the locals. If that's a price too far for you then you're a twat.

I agree with this.

As far as overcrowding at the Pyramid goes, for Dolly as an example, a couple of stewards along the back path could have helped to relieve the gridlock there once she had finished, to try & talk some common sense into the people sitting down on the path behind the viewing platform refusing to move, and perhaps to have a polite word with those people who think it's sensible to put their camping chairs up in between the rear benches, making an impassable barrier, and making it impossible for anyone to exit the field on to the track. It was exactly the same the other year after Paul Simon.

[xcnuck]

Cutting 70k tickets would cause a price increase of £150 per ticket to make up for the £15M revenue drop... a simple microeconomics supply/demand curve could demonstrate the scenario pretty well - still ok with that? Cool, I hope you don't mind cutting back on the festival features as well - due to the impending income reduction of the cash machine that is concessions revenue. It would be great if we all had more space, but the world runs on money, so economics will trump once again.

[progue]

Cutting 70k tickets would cause a price increase of £150 per ticket to make up for the £15M revenue drop... a simple microeconomics supply/demand curve could demonstrate the scenario pretty well - still ok with that? Cool, I hope you don't mind cutting back on the festival features as well - due to the impending income reduction of the cash machine that is concessions revenue. It would be great if we all had more space, but the world runs on money, so economics will trump once again.

I don't personally think that a reduction in 'entertainment areas' and allowing people space to enjoy their own entertainment would necessarily be a retrograde step. It certainly wouldn't suit everyone though and it would reduce demand, which would serve to (at least partially) resolve any issue with those that still wanted to go managing to get tickets.

I suppose there might be an impact on the cash available to charities, but I'm not entirely sure that ought to necessarily dictate the capacity.

Maybe just flattening Arcadia and the entire South East Corner would be a decent solution? Just stick a couple of people playing banjo's knocking about..That would suit me fine

[insertwittynamehere]

I've never been to Glastonbury but I think chairs should be banned from the arena of festivals with the exception of those with disabilities and any pensioners.

[haznutuk]

I've never been to Glastonbury but I think chairs should be banned from the arena of festivals with the exception of those with disabilities and any pensioners.

Chairs are something of a necessity for those of us with mobility issues that fall below the requirement to qualify as disabled. Though I'd be happy to see 'No Chair' zones anywhere except the back of the viewing arenas. Also it is easier to 'police' a 'No Chair' zone than to ask anyone sitting in a chair to prove their eligibilty to do so.

[frostypaw]

Cutting 70k tickets would cause a price increase of £150 per ticket to make up for the £15M revenue drop... a simple microeconomics supply/demand curve could demonstrate the scenario pretty well - still ok with that? Cool, I hope you don't mind cutting back on the festival features as well - due to the impending income reduction of the cash machine that is concessions revenue. It would be great if we all had more space, but the world runs on money, so economics will trump once again.

Yes, I think people have been pretty damn clear that they're happy with that. Nasty capitalist tone to that....

The world runs on PEOPLE. They choose where on any such curve they want to be - that's why there are smaller festivals that have stayed that way and survived very well. That flavour of economics is no better than animals breeding themselves into starvation - we have a choice to be better than that

That is kinda one of the big messages of that thing we did last week

So many other options now though! Go to Stone Circle, Park Hill or Flagtopia, or the fire at the Theatre fields, or around Arcadia.

True, but not that I can keep bumping into the same people at. The campsite campfire bit was particularly nice for the repeat visits and neighbourhood feel

[denwyn]

I would like to see it cut by a quarter, no Sunday only tickets, and ticket price upped to cover the cost. It has got to big, I enjoyed it this year but not all the queue's for toilets and the constant pushing and shoving, bloody seats seem to increase on Sundays, maybe a bit controversial, but to many children there as well.

[PlasticFox]

I think they should reduce the capacity to just me and my mates- no crowds or queues, front row for every act, and I never have to bump into anyone who annoys me. And see coaches should have one departure location outside my house. Screw everyone else.

[fur_q]

I think most of this thread can summed up that lots are happy to see a reduction in capacity providing it doesn't lead to them not being able to get a ticket and the only stuff that is cut is the stuff they don't like.

Would people still be happy if it meant them getting a ticket less frequently or some of the aspects of the festival they really enjoy where no longer there?

FWIW I think it's about right and most of the problems with crowding have been fixed over time. But I agree there where far to few toilets this time.

[PlasticFox]

I think most of this thread can summed up that lots are happy to see a reduction in capacity providing it doesn't lead to them not being able to get a ticket and the only stuff that is cut is the stuff they don't like.

Would people still be happy if it meant them getting a ticket less frequently or some of the aspects of the festival they really enjoy where no longer there?

FWIW I think it's about right and most of the problems with crowding have been fixed over time. But I agree there where far to few toilets this time.

Exactly- a reduced capacity of 30k is 30k people missing out on the time of their lives, just so the lucky few can enjoy slightly shorter queues and less crowds at the occasional bottleneck?

[UEF]

I seem to recall reading over the weekend (can't remember where - programme possibly) that the most amount of paid tickets sold (and made available) was in 2005. So either there's more people working there now, more blaggers/hangers-on or both.

[haznutuk]

no Sunday only tickets

Would you also like to see the few thousand tickets reserved for those with a local postcode taken out of the mix?

The Sunday & local postcode tix for locals are one of the ways that the Festy keeps the locals on board. I'm really sorry if people who have their lives disrupted for a week or more spoil your festival experience by turning up with chairs to watch Dolly but, trust me, that is nothing compared to what will happen if you get your wish. Because if the local concession is taken away I will personally organise a blockade of every road leading to Pilton for the duration of the festival.

Hazel - a veteran of Greenham Common

[haznutuk]

So either there's more people working there now, more blaggers/hangers-on or both.

Both. And another 60,000(?) staff approved for next time.

[fur_q]

I seem to recall reading over the weekend (can't remember where - programme possibly) that the most amount of paid tickets sold (and made available) was in 2005. So either there's more people working there now, more blaggers/hangers-on or both.

The big capacity increase was 2007 when the park and dairy ground was incorporated into the site, IIRC the reason for this was that they found there weren't enough staff to cope with things (especially the big storm) in 2005 but to bring in more staff meant they had to sell more tickets to pay for it.

I think the capacity hasn't reduced since then but not sure if it has got any bigger either (although the site has enlarged).

Edited July 2, 2014 by fur_q

[Swine_Glasto2014]

The thing that annoys me the most is the walk way to the left of the stage, John peel side. Right up the fence was people three deep on chairs and blankets totally blocking it.

Making get from top to bottom a absolute nightmare.

I think a simple solution would be to put barriers the entire length of the hill top to bottom, one way up one way down with stewards at the top and bottom and a few dotted along to keep ppl moving. It woukd work a treat.

[frostypaw]

I think a simple solution would be to put barriers the entire length of the hill top to bottom, one way up one way down with stewards at the top and bottom and a few dotted along to keep ppl moving. It woukd work a treat.

I've got a better and simpler one - ban chair sales on site. Don't ban them, but force them to be a carry in and I bet you'd see vastly fewer and fewer left behind. So so many crap ones bought on sat/sun when people have worn themselves out already Edited July 2, 2014 by frostypaw

[verrymerry]

I seem to recall reading over the weekend (can't remember where - programme possibly) that the most amount of paid tickets sold (and made available) was in 2005. So either there's more people working there now, more blaggers/hangers-on or both.

I read a freedom of info request (search for the Bruce Forsyth driving down the railway thread!) and I think GFL applied for a larger capacity in their licence but to increase the number of staff, not ticket holders, so that they didn't have to reduce the number of ticket holders

[Jman2]

I'd rather eliminate tickets for the locals on Sunday. The crowds just swelled that day and made getting anywhere a pretty joyless task. A lot of them were chair-sitting misery guts as well, as far as I can tell. I know they're trying to give preference to the surrounding areas but it isn't necessary and made Sunday worse, for me anyway.

To be honest I'm a local and I agree with you. We get almost guaranteed tickets through the local sales anyway, don't need Sunday tickets too.

[DTichborne]

There's way more room on the site than there used to be, since the fence. I think it works OK now. Pre-fence, whatever people think about that, it was getting seriously edgy. The only time I really experience crowds is after a big band has finished and everyone's funnelling away, and that's going to happen even if you chop 50000 off the capacity, just for a slightly shorter period of time.

[haznutuk]

To be honest I'm a local and I agree with you. We get almost guaranteed tickets through the local sales anyway, don't need Sunday tickets too.

It is true that locals get almost guaranteed weekend tickets if they stump up the full £210. But a fair few locals don't want the full weekend experience.

[haznutuk]

I think GFL applied for a larger capacity in their licence but to increase the number of staff, not ticket holders

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Glastonbury-Festival-organisers-apply-increase/story-20773129-detail/story.html

[amfy]

I'd go for a 20,000 drop and take getting tickets less often on the basis that I'd enjoy it more when I was there.

That'd still be 15,000 more than the pre-increase level, & the festival was doing OK at putting on a massive variety of entertainment & great headline acts up to 2007, so I'm sure they'd can do it again.