Should the permit be increased to allow more people?

[Swine_Glasto2014]

I noticed the difference Friday early doors. Rammed by mid aftew,never see it like that before

[stuartbert two hats]

Ha. I can see how it comes across. My logic is if they can sell a few thousand more of these overpriced tents and tipis they could lower the capacity without it affecting the revenue. Means you get the same festival with less crowding. Just an idea.

You might. Those with less money won't. And it certainly won't be the same festival, it's already a bad thing how it's going off in that direction.

[grandadcollective]

There are traders and then there are traders and then there are stall holders and campaigners. Green Futures and the Green Fields are great areas to sit and chill out, learn something or get a bee in your bonnet about. The big stuff is the draw for punters but I have grown to believe that the festival want people to engage with this stuff too. For me it's still about changing minds, raising awareness and the more I go the more important those aspects become. They need new blood because they become the new regulars. That we care enough to want to protect what we have and see it continues is a testament to the organisers. Nothing stays the same...including us! Our perception changes, things we would have been blasé about begin to erk.

More punters means more money for charity and more minds to change. Nobody is personally entitled to have a great festival because they paid for the privilege, to leave their shit or piss wherever they like. I feel like I leave a better person and that the vast majority get on and leave with renewed faith. It still feels like a beautiful thing...if you don't enjoy what you used to in quite the same way then make it anew for yourself.

I know none of this rambling deals directly with the topic in hand but...well I trust the festival to find a way to keep people happy engaged and inspired whatever the level of festival experience points they have earned.

You're not 19 forever pull yourself together!

[eFestivals]

What were the extra 20k needed for? Everything seemed pretty much the same as last year

 

my own suspicion is that a large chunk of those extra numbers isn't for 'staff' but are in fact used for non-public-sale 'tickets' - hospitality, etc.

[Douzeper]

 

This time did we 5 days and never got to see as much as I previously have.  I think there is a lot of stuff that doesnt necesssarily need to be there and in my mind takes something from the festival rather than gives  to it.  - SE corner - now would like to have known what that's all about but way too overcrowded and seemed dangerous to get in there.

 

I think they should scale back on some of the headline acts now- chasing highs like The Stones is never going to work, needs to get back to its roots.

 

Less stuff to do overnight might be a good thing - means people trot back to their tent - more camp fires and neighbourly chats also give the cleaners time to do their brilliant jobs - I remember waking up to see the pyramid field totally void of any rubbish the next morning - not now.

 

I'd say that Glasto has totally outgrown its self in recent years almost a victim of it's own success. I was really pleased to get tickets for this year but doubt very much if I'll try for tickets in future assuming it will keep on what with the talk of moving it and the fact that Michael Eavis is not getting any younger.

 

Glastonbury as was is dead .  So long live 21st Century Glastonbury which I'm really sad to say it not for me

 

Totally this.

 

 We will not return in the foreseeable future and probably never again.  We enjoyed 2015 but we enjoy smaller festivals much more.  Glastonbury for us has just got to big and lost a lot of it's magic.  We expected after a break in attending that we would come back rejuvenated and experience the festival again as we had done on previous years, but for us it has lost a lot of it's appeal.   It doesn't feel like arriving HOME any more the way it used too and I wasn't sad to leave it on the Monday.  Glad we had all those wonderful years and hope you all continue to enjoy it, but for us it's time to call it a day.

 

 The crowds we experienced, Glastonbury is a disaster waiting to happen.

[Peroni]

I think common sense has to prevail with some crowds and the acceptance you might not always be able get where you want ar times.

I took a badly timed wee break between motor head and the Libertines exacerbated by me stopping for churros and by the time I got back it was going to be impossible to get back to where I was. I tried feebly once or twice but ended up on the edge eating sharing said churros with my new neighbours!

I'll also say that the pyramid it self towards the back is easy enough to cross for most people except say the headliner etc. We managed to get from the top path by Mandela bar over to the cider bus side toilets 5 mins before Lionel. It's about being stelthy like a ninja rather than following the lemmings into a dead end...

[frostypaw]

As memories are returning I am realising something kinda sad

I think, asides from nice efests folk at the meet, I only had one random conversation this year. There weren't many last year but still a good smattering. Got some blank stares which is new.

It still feels like home, but rather like someone else has moved in to the room in the corner and is having a massive party with their cool mates from london a lot of whom seem to have just come to watch.

Won't stop me next year, has changed my plans though.

[Migraine]

I only really came across two big crowds this year they were by the cider bus on the way into the Pyramid to see Patti Smith and then after The Chemical Brothers on the way up to Arcadia. The cider bus crowd wasn't helped by a bin lorry and a security 4x4 trying to move through the crowd, they should really avoiding moving in some places during act changes. I'm reasonably tall so I can see over the crowd and like Spindles said look for where the crowd is moving in the direction I want to go and join in.

I went down to the late night areas between Thursday and Sunday and I didn't get into a queue once, Thursday I went down the railway track I'm not sure if they even implemented the one way system. Friday, Saturday and Sunday I went down through Bella's field but just left it till about 2-3 o'clock. There is so much to do at the Festival that if you think that a crowd somewhere is too big go elsewhere, if a crowd is ruining your enjoyment then your are going to have more fun seeing or doing something else.

[Zoo Music Girl]

I've only been going since 2008 but wouldn't say it was noticeably busier this year. That said I definitely don't think it should be increased as there are always hairy moments. Getting into pyramid for Patti Wass horrible and the Lionel crowd was quite unpleasant but the worst was trying to cross silver Hayes to get back to our tent just before fat boy came on. That was scary given the amount of wasted people and the stewards looked out of their depth.

Pyramid in the day didn't seem that bad at all though generally. Always easy to get near the front I thought. After the Patti pinch point it was fine in the actual field.

It's a shame that the overcrowding makes the SE corner basically undoable for me. I just can't face the crowds when it's like that. We wandered down early evening on the Thursday and it was lovely until about 10. That's the only time we ventured there I think. A real shame.

[Migraine]

Have you tried going into Glasto Latino for a bit then heading further in to The Common/Block 9/Shangri La etc. later on. I was really impressed with Glasto Latino this year I'm not sure if it's always been like this and I have just walked through it on a mission to get further into the SE Corner.

[**claire**]

I only really came across two big crowds this year they were by the cider bus on the way into the Pyramid to see Patti Smith and then after The Chemical Brothers on the way up to Arcadia. The cider bus crowd wasn't helped by a bin lorry and a security 4x4 trying to move through the crowd, they should really avoiding moving in some places during act changes. I'm reasonably tall so I can see over the crowd and like Spindles said look for where the crowd is moving in the direction I want to go and join in.

I went down to the late night areas between Thursday and Sunday and I didn't get into a queue once, Thursday I went down the railway track I'm not sure if they even implemented the one way system. Friday, Saturday and Sunday I went down through Bella's field but just left it till about 2-3 o'clock. There is so much to do at the Festival that if you think that a crowd somewhere is too big go elsewhere, if a crowd is ruining your enjoyment then your are going to have more fun seeing or doing something else.

 

This was the worst of the weekend for me - we were trying to get from The Park / Arcadia after the 11pm show & the waves of people coming the other way from Other etc was horrendous - no stewards to be found anywhere & people just relentlessly pushing in the other direction.  We stepped aside for 10 minutes to try & let it all calm down a bit, but it was pretty scary.

[Thearg]

Scale it back a little if anything and start afresh on the SE corner,it's lost it's way and become too much of a clubbers paradise,more smaller venues in there with lesser known djs,get it back to basics and less like an amusement park with queues.

[port]

Rant time

less people more like....  been going for years and my wife has decided this was her last.....I'm ashamed to say that the most ignorant people we found this year were at arcadia and Block 9   ....

 

been to hundreds of techno events and found it really surprising that the people here were generally more rude than anywhere else.

 

Its a lot easier to just give me two taps and ill move aside and let you through?  much harder to get past me when your trying to push me out of the way..    in my experience of techno crowds.... they are usually loved up friendly and chatty??

 

The overcrowding has become uncomfortable and scary at times.....went to see Robert Hood 1;30am on sunday .....was a bit early.. and when I got there.. there was police everywhere.....as i had a bit of gear on me decided to walk round go up the railway track to walk back along the track and back in again ?????

 

big fkin mistake   the bottleneck up the slope to get on the track was being herded like sheep ....took me about an hour for a walk that would normally be under 10 mins ....by the time i got to the entrance I was so fkin annoyed i just went back to camp.............Plus

 

1 campfire I seen all weekend??     the wood stall across from the Other stage wrote on their gazebo   "its ok to have a fire"  which wasnt there on the Wed' and Thu'     think its my last one as well    the "super cool yuppies" can have it.. as they've fucking spoiled it........think the "ok to have a fire"  is the defining moment where i thought " why the fuck... would you need to tell people that... here" ?????

 

and before any smart arse replies that newbies might not know that?  they would know in previous years as there was fires everywhere...

[frostypaw]

I saw a woman on glasto chat who was pretty damn forceful about all fires being banned

No one thinks or reads and finds stuff out for themselves any more I swear - the number of stupid questions was spectacular. I don't mean newbie mistakes I mean proper how do I wipe my arse stuff. It's not seen as a rough ride anymore

[russycarps]

Rant time

less people more like.... been going for years and my wife has decided this was her last.....I'm ashamed to say that the most ignorant people we found this year were at arcadia and Block 9 ....

been to hundreds of techno events and found it really surprising that the people here were generally more rude than anywhere else.

Its a lot easier to just give me two taps and ill move aside and let you through? much harder to get past me when your trying to push me out of the way.. in my experience of techno crowds.... they are usually loved up friendly and chatty??

The overcrowding has become uncomfortable and scary at times.....went to see Robert Hood 1;30am on sunday .....was a bit early.. and when I got there.. there was police everywhere.....as i had a bit of gear on me decided to walk round go up the railway track to walk back along the track and back in again ?????

big fkin mistake the bottleneck up the slope to get on the track was being herded like sheep ....took me about an hour for a walk that would normally be under 10 mins ....by the time i got to the entrance I was so fkin annoyed i just went back to camp.............Plus

1 campfire I seen all weekend?? the wood stall across from the Other stage wrote on their gazebo "its ok to have a fire" which wasnt there on the Wed' and Thu' think its my last one as well the "super cool yuppies" can have it.. as they've fucking spoiled it........think the "ok to have a fire" is the defining moment where i thought " why the fuck... would you need to tell people that... here" ?????

and before any smart arse replies that newbies might not know that? they would know in previous years as there was fires everywhere...

Just been saying the same thing in the glamping thread lower down the page.

Glastonbury was always about the people. And unfortunately we're getting to the stage where the majority of the people just want to be spoon fed entertainment 24/7.

Making fires, striking up conversations with strangers. These are alien concepts.

[blackred]

I saw a woman on glasto chat who was pretty damn forceful about all fires being banned

No one thinks or reads and finds stuff out for themselves any more I swear - the number of stupid questions was spectacular. I don't mean newbie mistakes I mean proper how do I wipe my arse stuff. It's not seen as a rough ride anymore

 

TBF in some fields fires would be pretty dangerous (pennards, most of oxlyers etc). If I do go back I'm definitely going for an outer field and having a goddam huge fire with free drink, smokes, tribal drumming, dancing and DMT for all, no fucking fire poi though.

[frostypaw]

Conscious effort from me this year, assuming there's still firewood. Wanna change my nighttime rhythm

[Crystal Waters]

Just been saying the same thing in the glamping thread lower down the page.

Glastonbury was always about the people. And unfortunately we're getting to the stage where the majority of the people just want to be spoon fed entertainment 24/7.

Making fires, striking up conversations with strangers. These are alien concepts.

No you didn't say that - you said I'd made the festival shitter because we had rented a campervan.

[russycarps]

No you didn't say that - you said I'd made the festival shitter because we had rented a campervan.

It's all part of the same problem.

[Crystal Waters]

I think you are conflating things but I'm up for a chat about it.

[jeffie]

We were in Dairy. Had a fire, not massive, but big enough, every night. Everyone was welcome but hardly anyone came.

[eFestivals]

It's all part of the same problem.

 

Not sure that it is. Vehicles as homes as an alternative to tents has always been a part of Glastonbury.

 

I still can't really make up my mind what I feel about 'glamping'. I end up concluding that it's probably not the glamping itself that's a problem, but more likely to be the attitudes of some the people that it makes Glastonbury attract.

 

But it's also probably the case that neither of these things are any meaningful part of what had matey ranting. That's probably to do with people not in campervans or glamping.

Edited July 8, 2015 by eFestivals

[russycarps]

Not sure that it is. Vehicles as homes as an alternative to tents has always been a part of Glastonbury.

 

 

 

 

 

Yep, people who own campervans year round is one thing. But people hiring these expensive luxury winnegao things just for glastonbury weekend? that's the same as glamping in my eye.

[Peaceman]

Would agree that its not glamping per se, but the attitude of some of those doing it. Some of those in offsite camps were outraged that they had to queue at the gates with everyone else. Thought they could walk straight in and out just because they had paid more money.

[Bisque]

I wouldn't mind trying glamping one year to see how much I hated it.