Bestival 2017

[Tr234]

What time do things end at the new site? Liked how they used to have the port open till about 3 am at the old site

[the wonderwhy]

2 minutes ago, Tr234 said:

What time do things end at the new site? Liked how they used to have the port open till about 3 am at the old site

Still got stuff going til 3/4 in the arena. 

Got mates who are saying it seems less busy than previous years, although better than last year. Appreciate its difficult to tell on a new site though 

[Matt42]

I just got back

Good fun but an awfully organised festival. Acts pulling out and set times constantly changing.

Also nowhere near enough entertainment during the day - really only worth going out and about when it's dark

I had fun but I don't think i'd go again

[rseamer]

Just got back will post more later, but I had a very different experience....

Thought it was very well organised overall (especially considering the weather) and there was loads to do. The main stage opened at 11am 2 days and 12.45 on the 3rd and there were so many other small stages to discover new things.

Reminded me of the Bestival's of old with all the smaller venues like Stacey's (my favourite), Club Dada, Reggae area etc 

 

 

[Homer]

Hope everyone had a great time! Like the previous poster said, hope it survives as I love the festival and would love to go again next year!

[Matt42]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4872462/Man-arrested-death-woman-Bestival.html?ito=social-twitter_dailymailUK

murder at the festival

[FloorFiller]

25 minutes ago, Nobody Interesting said:

Sadly this does not surprise me.

Why so? This years clientele really that bad or other reasons? 

A terrible thing to have happened, and I can't help but feel it may damage Bestivals already ropey future. 

[Ed209]

27 minutes ago, Nobody Interesting said:

Sadly this does not surprise me.

Really?

The festival crowd seem especially murderous this year?

[rseamer]

I actually thought the crowd was more pleasant than the last couple of years. A higher % of older people.

The reports of the murder are very sad. 

[Baggins7]

Really sad news about the murder, wasn't sure if it meant the ambient forest or another wooded area where the body was found but either way horrible news to hear.

In terms of the festival I really enjoyed it. Amazing site with so much to see and do. Theres such a wide variety of musical styles on offer so something for everyone and the range of food and drink is one of the widest at any festival I have been to. Personal highlights were Yonaka, Jamie T, the XX, Dizzee Rascal and Eton Girls Choir. 

By Sunday it was getting difficult to get around on site but the hay went down which did ease things however I was gutted that Loyle Carner got cancelled! I was down by main stage and the stewards were getting people to leave but i was told 'it's been cancelled'. When asking if he meant the whole festival or just Loyle Carner, he just repeated himself which wasn't helpful.

After returning to campsite, I decided to leave to get out of the car park before it got too messy and there wasn't much else on that I was bothered about Sunday evening/night.

i think some of the negative comments I have read about the festival are harsh as the weather can't be helped, and contingencies were in place and they did react to it. I think people forget how much work must go into running a festival and following Rob da banks social media he does seem very hard working and hands on so hats off to him. Would definitely return again next year! 

 

[Homer]

That's really weird. I've been to Besti five times since 2007 and never really seen any trouble at all! 

[Matt42]

It's not the drugs that get on my nerves it's how people act on the drugs that does

[Matt42]

1 hour ago, Nobody Interesting said:

I agree, if I came across differently sorry. Each to their own but the in your face ones taking and dealing were well out of order here. So much worse than anywhere else I have been.

I saw a fair few plain clothed security guards about - they stuck out obviously but I guess they weren't trying hard to be undercover

[DJ Cull]

I thought it was pretty good - you can't really blame them for the weather and they coped pretty well with the mud and wind I reckon. 2 main gripes:

- the campsites are really hilly, there's barely any flat ground in there at all, plus  have to go down he hills to go in and out which wasn't great in the mud

- the camp toilets were pretty atrocious- not enough,  not emptied, not enough compost ones

Overall though I reckon this year can be classed as a success (murder notwithstanding). And I now know I can pitch a tent well enough for it to withstand a gale force battering!

[micropizza]

doesn't suprise me bestival did that, upon checking for new reviews on their facebook today (ordered by newest first), i noticed in the weeks before the festival had even started there's a load of mysterious 5-star text-less ratings were posted on the page before it had even started

[kerplunk]

47 minutes ago, Nobody Interesting said:

I waited til I got a reply before posting this re the Eco Bond.

We took all the rubbish we made to the refund place on Sunday but were told we did not have enough rubbish. We put every bit we created in our bags (even taking some food plates back to our tent too)....... and every bit was recyclable so the black bag was empty. For those who did not go it was two bags each, one for recycling and one for other waste and both were full sized refuse bags.

If we put every thing we had, clothes, boots, the lots even the tent in them we could not have filled the four bags.

So I wrote to Bestival to ask why creation of waste was rewarded by refunds of eco bonds but those who try and be as 'eco' as possible are penalised (other festivals like Shambala even have  a green camping area for those who create no waste and even so, their bags are small and easy to fill).

Their reply was that we should have gone around the camp sites and picked up rubbish to fill the bags.

I cannot express fully how disgusting that is of them to expect someone to walk around picking up other peoples litter (buried in several inches of mud to boot) just to get the Eco Bond refunded. How do we know what we might be picking up and where it has been?

I see this eco bond as simply a way of charging an extra £10 per ticket with every effort made to not have to refund it.

 

Anyway, some might find Bestival's stance fine but they can now forget our custom ever again - and they can reply on us to suggest to our friends to give this festival a miss.

You seem to give Shambala a pass but it was no different to Bestival and your experience this weekend pretty much mirrors our experience at Shambala (didn't generate enough waste to fill bag so walked around the site on sunday morning picking up other people's litter, told bag still not full enough so had to do a stint in the recycling/sorting to get eco-bond back). 

[Ed209]

6 hours ago, Nobody Interesting said:

I agree, if I came across differently sorry. Each to their own but the in your face ones taking and dealing were well out of order here. So much worse than anywhere else I have been.

Clearly this is tragic but it could have happened anywhere. of all the festivals I've been to, fortunately I've never been close to being unsurprised that there might be a murder. I think your over egging this 

Edited September 11, 2017 by Ed209

[jackarmy]

Overall I think Bestival was just about a success. As has been mentioned there was definitely a bit of an older crowd than the last few years, I think that's down to it being on the main land.

Camped backstage so can't really comment on the campsites, but when I went to get booze from the car park on Friday I did notice some tents camped at ridiculous angles uphill.

They need to give Chris Tofu and Caravanserai more of a budget to program things, that area was bouncing all weekend with proper good vibes.

I hope Bestival will be back next year, I think they would need a big lineup to get me to go as a punter, but it's definitely still a fun one to work...

 

 

 

[rseamer]

Some of my thoughts on this year - compare and contrast with your own. 

First and foremost - really sad to hear of the death / murder (?) on site. When I was having such fun to think that something like this was happening near me is horrible. Thoughts to all the girls friends and family. I do wonder if there will be implications for the festivals licence? Will the police object next year? Or will there be much tougher security? 

I've been to all but 1 of the 14 Bestivals (I missed 2011) and for me this was one of the more enjoyable....I've also been to a few Camp Bestivals

Traffic - Drove there with no jams at all, traffic management seemed to be working well (arrived about 11am). On leaving site (Sunday about midnight) drove straight out. Got slightly caught by mud, but 1 small push and I was off again.

Queuing on entry - They opened the gates before advertised which was great as it meant there was no real queue to get in. I counted 5 people ahead of me in my security lane. Each of us was given a brief pat down / examination of our bags, but nothing major - I spent less than 10 mins getting through queuing and collecting the wristband. All seemed simple and straightforward.

Camping - I knew the site was hilly from previous Camp Bestival experience although when I'd been to Camp Bestival there seemed more space and not that many people had to camp on the hills. I camped in the quiet camping (Golden Years) which was very pleasant. Mainly older people although there were some younger people as well. Everyone in my area was very friendly and made instant campsite friends. It was also quiet at night time - as it should be when it's quiet camping. The only problem  was that the campervan field was next door and there were a couple of people in vans partying in the night, slightly spoiling the full quiet atmosphere - but to be honest it wasn't that bad and I slept through it no problem.

The toilets were fine most of the weekend in Golden Years and never a queue when I used them - there was one morning when they hadn't been emptied and Bestival put out something on their Twitter (and I guess other social channels?) apologising that there had been a delay. However I found ones that were useable in Golden Years.

I do think the site could benefit with 1 additional (flatter) field for camping - those who ended up on the slope must have struggled.

Program and entertainment - I don't really understand people saying there was nothing to do in the day. There was loads to see and do. OK, maybe not big names, but that doesn't necessarily mean poor quality. I was on site from 6pm Thursday, 11am Fri and Saturday and 12.30 Sunday and never went back to my tent until bed time (except for the evacuation)

Personal highlights: Sunday evening with Soulwax and The Pet Shop Boys. I've seen Soulwax before and was a bit meh about them, but they were great - really liked their lab technician / in a studio aesthetic and their treble drummers. Lucy Rose - a moment of quiet introspection that I thought was absolutely beautiful and she seemed really genuine when she talked about how much it meant to her people singing the words as she was a big self-doubter. Stacey's - my new favourite venue. Loved all the soul they played in their and I sacked off seeing a few bands I had intended to see to dance there. The vibe in Stacey's really reminded me of the very early (2004-2007) Bestivals. The Magic Gang - big singalongs in The Invaders of The Future stage. The 2 marriage proposals on the Box stage. I particularly liked Dizney Rascal's marriage proposal - it got a huge cheer. Not sure as a band they were really up to playing such a big stage - as they admitted themselves they normally play pubs and their billing as a ska / punk band doing Disney covers sounded better on paper than it did in practice, but it was worth seeing them just for the marriage proposal and his girlfriends reaction - as a lovely thing.

The 'not so goods': I felt the programming in the Invaders of the Future Stage was relatively week. On Thursday they put a quiet post-folk band (Laucan) on just as all the dance stuff nearby was getting going. The soundclash from the beats was terrible. They would have been better putting them on earlier in a quieter part of the site. Also there were quite a few local and Isle of Wight bands in Invaders of the Future, many of whom were very average. If you're going to call a stage Invaders of the Future I think you need to put on more acts that really have a chance of becoming bigger and are of quality.

Organisation: Generally I felt things were well organised. When the winds were getting up it was the right call to evacuate the site. The organisers would have had the data from the anemometer on the main stage plus the weather forecasts and if the data indicated there was a risk that the speeds would exceed the design wind loadings, they were right to put a temporary halt to things. I know some people were upset that Loyle Carner etc was cancelled, but better this than a major catastrophe. I also thought they dealt well with the mud, putting down lots of hay in the most dangerous areas. Other festivals that have been affected by mud this year have done far less. My only minor quibble was that on exiting the car park at night the exit signs were often positioned away from lighting so you couldn't see them from a distance in the dark. All the stages seemed to run to time, and any line up changes were communicated via the app - unfortunately for a festival of this size you'll always get the odd drop out.

Food and drink: All sorts and good. Standard festival prices.Feast collective was delicious. The WI tent charged a lot more for tea and cake than the old Isle of Wight ladies, but you did get it in a pot, which was great. Personally I'd have liked another coffee stall somewhere near the main stage, but otherwise, a good selection. Good to see the use of the plastic Ecocups like Latitude use.

The crowd: Generally fine. You'll always get a few idiots on alcohol or illegal drugs, and Bestival has always had an element of this, but I felt there were a lot less idiots this year than the previous few years. A better mix of ages as well - last year seemed very young. From my perspective it does seem the more Grime is booked, the nastier / more mainstream crowd it attracts. 

The site: The main arena worked well I think. No bottlenecks, reasonably compact. I really liked all the smaller venues (Stacey's being a particular fave) which made it seem like the Bestivals of old. It was quite nice seeing them wheel out all the past Bestival installations like the robot, astronaut, Bestival sign, glitterball and then add to it with Kanye (which was freakishly brilliant). The site was similar to Camp Bestival in terms of main stage and Big Top locations but with more stages on site than Camp B.

Internet: OK, probably not essential, but when the festival is using the app and social media as its main communication channels, it is more important. I had decent coverage (o2) all weekend - for Camp Bestival in the past there has been virtually no signal when I went, but there was a booster mast on site. I had decent coverage in most areas, although it was weaker at the campsite.

Overall, I had a great time and would be back again next year (hoping for better weather) assuming it goes ahead.

Edited September 11, 2017 by rseamer

[kerplunk]

3 hours ago, Nobody Interesting said:

Shambala, for us, was very different. a small bag (not full size refuse bag) of recycling and not a full size bag of non recycling either. We had a few bits of paper and half a dozen cans at Shambala and that was fine.

Shambala also has the green camping field.

Very different to Bestival.

I thought your main gripe was the expectation to handle other people's litter and that expectation is clearly the same at shambala for those who don't create much waste of their own and still want to get their tenner back. Shambala acknowledge that the system is unfair for those who don't generate much waste but don't go as far as explicitly stating you need go pick up other people's litter to get your tenner back - but it's there all the same. The amount you need to collect may be different (I note bestival required an eco-bond deposit on every adult ticket but shambala was just one per order) but it's the same in principle.

I don't know about the green camping field at shambala and can't find anything about it on their website - how was it different to the non-green camping areas?

Edited September 12, 2017 by kerplunk

[kerplunk]

15 minutes ago, Nobody Interesting said:

You did not need to return any waste but were checked to see that you did not create any - or something like that.

The bags at Shambala were small too - not full sized waste bags like Bestival gave out......... and how can you fill a non recycleable bag when pretty much all the waste is plastic, cans, paper and wood - and can all be recycled? I did ask Bestival that but they chose to avoid trying to answer.

Any festival that makes an Eco Bond almost impossible to get a refund is using it as a simple way to increase the ticket price. I have not yet found anyone who got their Eco Bind back at Bestival......... maybe you did?

So how did you get to camp in the green camping - was there different ticket you ordered that didn't require an eco-bond deposit and different wristband/controls on the green campsite entry? Strange I can't find anything about it on their website. I suspect green camping was no different to yellow/red/pink etc.

The eco-bond was probably more challenging to complete at Bestival (I didn't have to do it as I was on a guest ticket), however if you don't generate enough rubbish of your own at either festival then you have to pick up other people's 'disgusting' litter to get your deposit back (even if Shambala are less candid about saying so).

[kerplunk]

2 minutes ago, Nobody Interesting said:

It was widely advertised on Shambalas social media, it is on their website somewhere but I always find that hard t find stuff on.

Regardless of candidness to ask anyone to pick up other peoples litter without providing any safety equipment is wrong and in my opinion the Eco Bind or whatever name is used is simply a way of inflating ticket prices - imagine if every single person decided to fill their bags, there is not enough litter to do that.

regardless of this though given Notthebestivals replies and lack of replies they have lost my business forever, and that of others I know.

You would have thought given the bad publicity they had last year that this year they would do their utmost to be a shining example of all that is good. Seems to me they are not that bothered.

So did you buy a special eco-bond-free ticket for green camping? There was only one public entrance to the site - how did they stop you camping in the other areas and leaving a mess?

[ConorC]

Had a brilliant weekend!

Thought they did as best they could with the organisation considering the weather. Did well to get the arena back open as quickly as they did on Sunday.

Thought there was loads to do all day and night, loved the ambient forest and the Caravanserai areas in particular.

Also I thought the crowd was chilled and friendly for the most part, didn't feel on edge at any point personally.

Only gripe would be how hilly the campsite was, we had to sleep on a slope which was a bit of a nightmare when you wake up crumpled up at the bottom of your tent.

Was at boomtown last month and think I preferred bestival tbh, will definitely be heading back next year if there's a bit for me on the lineup again.

[ConorC]

1 hour ago, Nobody Interesting said:

I have not yet found anyone who got their Eco Bind back at Bestival......... maybe you did?

I did, as did several of our group. Walk around for 5 mins picking up empty cans, not that difficult and it cleans up the site.

I've never read before that the idea of an eco bond is just to clean up your own rubbish and that's it. Maybe I haven't been paying enough attention. Where did bestival say that?

[kerplunk]

8 minutes ago, Nobody Interesting said:

Pass - cos I was in normal camping but friends were in the green bit and told me about it - I will guess that it is don with peoples honesty. Personally I would never dream of making and leaving a mess anywhere.

So a kind of selective trust for just a few - everyone else is untrustworthy and must pay the eco-bond deposit. I don't think they'd set things up along those kind of lines myself. My guess is green camping was no different to pink/yellow/red etc I'd also guess your friends probably thought the campsite crew peeps going around the campsites encouraging tidyness and giving out little trinkets for having a clean campsite etc was a green camping thing only,  but they did that all over.