Crew Bars

[marathonsteve]

Will some be open Tuesday and Do we know how many there are ?

[Chipbarm]

I hope so! I've heard that the Bread & Roses is open along with all the crew bars.

[Mark E. Spliff]

So far, I've not found any crew bars closed on Tuesday, although I don't often get much further than Wally's.  As the public festival site is not that busy, Tuesday is a good day to wander round looking at the site changes, so you do get a lot of people congregating in the Bread and Roses.

[pie_and_a_pint]

Yes, you'll find a lot open on Monday and Tuesday. Maceos will be rammed on Tuesday.

[Tommy101]

What the consensus on punters blagging their way into crew bars? Just because it's on the bucket list of, you know, a friend...

Edit: I understand why they are restricted and who they are for but like many on this forum I love to hear about the behind the scenes stuff and this would feel a bit like looking behind the curtain. Certainly wouldn't want to put anyone's nose out of joint for the sake of a quid cheaper beer...

Edited May 14, 2017 by Tommy101

[Mardy]

Wally's is not going to be there this year. I wrote to the fella who runs it the other week

[Mark E. Spliff]

30 minutes ago, Mardy said:

Wally's is not going to be there this year. I wrote to the fella who runs it the other week

 

That's a real downer for me - that was my go-to place for an unbelievably wide range of unusual and ridiculously-strong real ales and ciders.  I haven't made much of an effort trying out other places as I knew they could never match it.  Thanks for the heads-up: I'll now start paying attention to what people are saying about the other bars.

 

Re. the general public trying to get into crew bars: we tried this last year - going through 'casually' in a big group, all holding up our wristbands, including the interloper in the middle.  The lone steward on the gate spotted him and gave us all a bollocking about this sort of thing put the idea of crew bars at risk.  I felt genuinely guilty.  But like any blagging at festivals, it's a game of chance - if you try it often enough, you'll eventually get through.

[fewcloudy]

I was there the Fri before it opened last year, and went to a number of crew bars over the weekend and Mon and Tues. The one I liked best I've forgotten the name, but they made us buy these plastic Glastonbury pint pots to serve beer in, which was cool, a little momento also if you like.

However, on Wednesday some guy on the gate wouldn't let me in, said Oxfam wasn't crew, so that was that, my money was no good.

I can't remember the name of it but the staff bus/tractor thingy dropped me off very near it, and picked me up again to take me all the way back to Gate b, it was brilliant. Here's hoping for the same this year.

fc

 

Edited May 13, 2017 by fewcloudy

[Bubblecup]

Sad Wally's isn't going to be there had a few fab nights there pre-fest, is there going to be another bar in it's place? I'm also a fan of the Arcadia crew bar amazingly comfy seats and burners to keep you toasty warm!

[Sawdusty surfer]

35 minutes ago, Bubblecup said:

Sad Wally's isn't going to be there had a few fab nights there pre-fest, is there going to be another bar in it's place? 

Damn shame there is no Wally's.

There will be an even bigger crew bar on the other side of the main drag thro' SL and Guerilla (crew) Bar will be in SL again in the same place as last year.

[Sawdusty surfer]

My take on crew bars....

Essential before the festival but when the best party on the planet is happening with world class entertainment which is available to every crew member and ticket holder, why go to crew bars when the festival is actually on?

I actually know crew who spend almost the entire festival hanging around crew bars. OK, you get to see all your mates, but why not posse up with those mates and go and enjoy some entertainment?

[incident]

1 minute ago, Sawdusty Surfer said:

My take on crew bars....

Essential before the festival but when the best party on the planet is happening with world class entertainment which is available to every crew member and ticket holder, why go to crew bars when the festival is actually on?

Because they (or at least some of them) are about a quid a pint cheaper.

Aside from that I agree with you though.. Get in.. Get beer.. Move on.

[Bubblecup]

3 minutes ago, incident said:

Because they (or at least some of them) are about a quid a pint cheaper.

Aside from that I agree with you though.. Get in.. Get beer.. Move on.

Plus usually somewhere to sit for a bit (made a difference last year, not so much on dry years), different/better choice of booze and clean compost toilets with loo roll and often no queue!  Perfect for a pitstop!

[Sawdusty surfer]

12 minutes ago, incident said:

Because they (or at least some of them) are about a quid a pint cheaper.

Aside from that I agree with you though.. Get in.. Get beer.. Move on.

True.

7 minutes ago, Bubblecup said:

Plus usually somewhere to sit for a bit (made a difference last year, not so much on dry years), different/better choice of booze and clean compost toilets with loo roll and often no queue!  Perfect for a pitstop!

True.

[pie_and_a_pint]

2 hours ago, Bubblecup said:

Plus usually somewhere to sit for a bit (made a difference last year, not so much on dry years), different/better choice of booze and clean compost toilets with loo roll and often no queue!  Perfect for a pitstop!

I do like a quick wee in the Acoustic backstage bar. Lovely clean loos (much better than the always-slightly-grimy longdrops at the bottom of the field)

[Evilmonkeydan]

From Wally's FB page

There will be a bar on our pitch run by Shangri-La production and they have ordered our house cider from Handmade Cider Co but I doubt there will be such a range of quality booze on site.

 

So all is not lost

Edited May 13, 2017 by Evilmonkeydan

[glasto-worker]

7 hours ago, Tommy101 said:

What the consensus on punters blagging their way into crew bars? Just because it's on the bucket list of, you know, a friend...

Well it all depends which day 

Before the public are allowed in its easy to visit certain crew sites and bars 
some may issue a pass { for a specific crew bar }

After the public are allowed in things get a lot more complicated as a crew wrist band will only get you part of the way .

There is loads of crew areas - most are general crew areas and some are divided into specific crew areas.

Just to reach a general crew area you need a GFL crew wrist band.

some  specific crew sites you need a specific crew photo I.D pass to enter and even if a person had a AAA wrist band they still would not be allowed into my Crew area.

I work in the WBC Crew Bar and as the drinks are subsidies by the WBC that bar is only open to WBC Crew so anyone who was not displaying a WBC photo I.D pass just would not get served.

Edited May 14, 2017 by glasto-worker

[garc1a]

I hear what yer saying about be in the festival, but some back stage bars like the green bar (you need a theatre and circus pass) have some great gigs in them.. Plus big sofas, cheaper drink etc and are very much as part of the fest feeling. 

Maceos was a great bar too and in a very handy location!

[M_Il]

What's the bar next to the Sonic stage in Silver Hayes? I had an EPO Wristband as I worked for Oxfam last year and I was over the moon getting into there for a drink and a posh toilet 

[matt2007]

8 hours ago, pie_and_a_pint said:

I do like a quick wee in the Acoustic backstage bar. Lovely clean loos (much better than the always-slightly-grimy longdrops at the bottom of the field)

Not to mention the sofas under sails, so good for a post shift pint

[stuartbert two hats]

Are crew bars a common thing at other festivals?  I'm a little surprised there are so many at Glastonbury! I'd have thought a lot of employers wouldn't want crew drinking at all, let alone providing them with special places to get pissed!

Is there a productivity rationale for them beyond a thank you to the hard workers for making the festival happen?

[glasto-worker]

2 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

Are crew bars a common thing at other festivals?  I'm a little surprised there are so many at Glastonbury! I'd have thought a lot of employers wouldn't want crew drinking at all, let alone providing them with special places to get pissed!

Is there a productivity rationale for them beyond a thank you to the hard workers for making the festival happen?

They are at other events but there is far less of them - they are not like Public bars

They may be open 24 hours per day ' but many only serve alcohol at certain times.

yes for sure in the past { early 90's } bar times was a lot more flexible but they are now very strict on this .

it may sound that there is lots of people getting pissed but if they end up drunk they will get a knock back from the bar + if they cant make the next shift then they are in big trouble.

In 28 years with the WBC I have only ever seen one fight within a crew bar and No wbc crew was involved - at that time Security was allowed to drink in the bar and they started fighting with each other { over what I don't have a clue } - that was the end of that and they are not allowed to enter anymore.

By the way crew bar prices vary a lot so they are not all subsidies.

Volunteers are not daft so if they have a early shift the next day they will be taking it easy.

My crew bar also has free soft drinks + tea and coffee - you would not believe how many soft drinks we hand out in a day - not all crew bars do this and they may have certain restrictions and some may even charge.

The two really busy nights are Tuesday and Sunday where we are packed out but for the rest of the time people tend to take it easy.

its more a good place to sit with friends and have a chat.

these days the one area that is always busy is the phone charging area { which is within the crew bar } 

[giantkatestacks]

Our crew bar is more of a canteen really. There is a good bar at one end of the tent but the hot food and cafe at the other, most people are in there queueing up for their meals, charging their phones, getting a free tea or coffee. The stage crew bars arent like that obviously.

[alisonbison]

I'm working with Festaff. It would be good to know which bars we can go to, I don't want to turn up where I'm not allowed.

Any way of finding out this information in advance?

[shoptildrop]

10 hours ago, glasto-worker said:

Well it all depends which day 

Before the public are allowed in its easy to visit certain crew sites and bars 
some may issue a pass { for a specific crew bar }

After the public are allowed in things get a lot more complicated as a crew wrist band will only get you part of the way .

There is loads of crew areas - most are general crew areas and some are divided into specific crew areas.

Just to reach a general crew area you need a GFL crew wrist band.

some  specific crew sites you need a specific crew photo I.D pass to enter and even if a person had a AAA wrist band they still would not be allowed into my Crew area.

I work in the WBC Crew Bar and as the drinks are subsidies by the WBC that bar is only open to WBC Crew so anyone who was not displaying a WBC photo I.D pass just would not get served.

I only miss Wally's as it had great selection and in 2013 i am assuming it wasn't a crew only bar as I went there a few times on Wednesday and Thursday - it was a shame we couldn't get in the following year

I won't dream of trying to gate crash a crew bar but really wish Wally's (or whatever it will be this year) would allow folks in again...