Flares

[Mezhyp1]

From a distance look great, but it's only the battered w*nker sorts who go to the effort of bringing a load in. I've seen someones 'safe disposal' method being to just lob it in front of them into tHe crowd. That being said, they are better than flags

flags

Does anybody disagree about the opinion on the flags? Again pleasing on the eye in photographs or in video coverage, and sometimes comical

But fucking annoying as fuck when you are watching an act

[sedra]

Try standing behind some idiot who lets off a blue smoke flare in a crowd( Kasabian last year) - not nice when it's so packed you can't move any where and smoke billowing in your face! Anyone with asthma would probably be in big trouble.

[Smash Williams]

it depends on the type of flare. If its a distress flare that is meant for use on a boat and in date they are safe (as with all things only safe in the hands of someone who knows how to use them properly). These are very difficult to get hold of through legal means as i believe you have to have some sort of license. if its this kind of flare but out of date a lot of debris comes off and will make a hole in your clothes and/or leave you with a small burn on your skin (easier to get hold of but still not readily available). The third kind are rising in popularity and are homemade, available to anyone who can use the internet. These are the only ones i have witnessed close hand at glastonbury and can be very dangerous depending on who's made them. I think they look great but as others have mentioned on this thread, the main issue is the person at the other end of the flare tends to be drunk or a knobhead or both. It also amazes me at the way security deal with them, surely they should be trained to deal with them?! at reading last year a lad next to me set of a smoke flare, security piled in took it off him and attempted to put it out with their feet, thus meaning everyone was coughing and couldn't see. I tried to explain to the security that they wouldn't be able to put it out this way but got told to do one.

[glasto-worker]

one year I was in my crew Campsite chatting to Security guarding our camp { as we are old friends } anyway a red distress flare was fired up near the JP tent and up it went and then started drifting down and to our horror the bloody thing landed on our heavy Canvas marquee Crew tent - lucky enough we have a cherry picker parked beside it so I called out the operator who was sitting having a drink and one of the Security team was quickly elevated up there with a fire extinguisher so was able to put it out - if that cherry picker was not so close it would have done extensive damage - if that flare had landed on a nylon tent it would have gone straight though it.

so they may look good but ' what goes up has to come down ' and if one landed in general camping it could cause serious problems .

We were lucky as we had the right equipment and we spotted the bloody thing drifting down so we could deal with it quickly but how many of you will have a fire extinguisher ready to use in a emergency ?

Glastonbury was right to ban them.

[Waapster]

it depends on the type of flare. If its a distress flare that is meant for use on a boat and in date they are safe (as with all things only safe in the hands of someone who knows how to use them properly). These are very difficult to get hold of through legal means as i believe you have to have some sort of license.

You don't need a licence. Flares are easy to buy online from yacht chandlers. A red flare costs as little as 8 quid. I agree they look great but they burn at very high temperatures and are really dangerous in a packed crowd.

[jdizzle]

I have an Awesome video of the Pixies set last year and loads going off! Looks brilliant but all you need is one idiot to be pissed up and set one off.

Id personally not risk it at chance of being ejected!

How gutted would you be...

FYI.

Its acutely not illegal to set of pyrotechnics at a Music event, Its only illegal to set them off at a Sporting Event. We had some knob set one of at the ( indoor ) venue I work at and there was nothing the Police could do.

[Hugh Jass]

Speaking of banned items, I see Parklife have banned selfie-sticks... Can Glastonbury follow suit?

[Pinhead]

I like flares and what they add to the atmos. I like Sky Lanterns too, however like the flares, they have too many negative consequences and so rightly they are both officially banned.

On another note: does anyone remember what a battlezone the site used to be when everyone bought loads of fireworks with them and set them off all round the site? 2000 seemed to be the hight of this then they fell off quickly as they were banned and searched for on gates etc.

Edited March 11, 2015 by Pinhead

[Smash Williams]

You don't need a licence. Flares are easy to buy online from yacht chandlers.

Did not know this, thanks. You've just made my life a lot easier! (I help with a firework display every year and we always need a few flares)

[THEBOILERMAN]

Seen one set off and droped into a longdrop a few years ago, have to admit from the outside it was as funny as fuck as the peeps using them came running out of the traps pulling their keeks up. My ex was in one of them and I have to admit I was crying with laughter!!!!! She however could not see the funny side ( something to do with the smoke dyeing her clothes red) proberaly why she is my ex.

[tom22]

They really added to Kasabian last year. So much so I said at the time I'd buy a load for this year...may leave it for others to source them though after reading this for fear of being hugely unpopular.

Are the coloured smoke grenade type things used in lunatic Italian football crowds available anywhere?

Personally I love the smell and the look of them.

[willsnewman]

I seem to remember at one point during The Rolling Stones someone fired a flare up into the very low cloud/fog, and the whole sky seemed to light up red. It was pretty spectacular.

I don't mind the hand held ones, although I haven't had the experience of standing next to one.

[dan05delaney]

They are horrendous they are banned from places for a reason, I work for a large company doing festival security and flares are the worse thing someone could let off in the middle of a crowd, what most people don't realise is they are metal tubes so they are bloody heavy and they stay hot for about 30 mins after they have been fully burnt out, I've been hit by one at work after someone threw it over the pit barrier at an arena during a Kasabian set and it melted through my boot, (luckily I wasn't injured, but I've seen some horrific burns) anyone caught with these should be ejected, whilst they look good no one wants to stand next to an idiot waving a chunk of metal with a load of chemicals burning off them...

[Matt - Ed Banger Records]

The flares fired up into the sky came down near to the toilets to the right of the main stage, they were still lit and there was a fair bit of panic at first.

[Springsteen22]

I'm not a fan of them at all, someone set one off next to me and my pregnant friend at the Rolling stones.

There was hardly any room and they weren't very tall so the smoke and heat was just going everywhere.

The same guy also proceeded to attempt to pee in a bottle directly behind me and wasn't very successful. I could have murdered him haha

[mufcok]

I may be wrong but I get the impression that Glastonbury kind of turn a blind eye to them, for the later acts at Pyramid anyway.

That could be because getting to people with them in a crowd that size is near impossible and would probably cause trouble though in fairness

[Winslow Leach]

I imagine there'll be a lot of them at The Mothership.

I'll get my coat.

[Valka]

Was stood really close to a few last year, although they look awesome from a distance, and in close proximity light everything up in an attractive light, they kick out quite a bit of heat and you are really conscious that either the person holding it or the people surrounding that person are quite plastered at that point and are therefore on edge when you want to be just enjoying the show (emphasised by seeing one guy actually just throw a lit flare into the crowd to lose the security who were coming out for him - idiot)

[Jackmypie]

Aye, there's something about flares that make sets extra special. I'm all in favour of them aslong as the guy/girl who's holding the flare isn't off their nut then it's normally pretty safe.