New security measures in place

[hfuhruhurr]

OK, back from Download, so here's my take:
First, on leaving the car park they had a sniffer dog for explosives and made it very clear that they were not looking for drugs - they went out of their way to say that they weren't interested in drugs. Stand by your trolley/bags and dog had a sniff. All security staff/police really, really friendly - making you feel very welcome. Next, getting into the campsite, I'm assuming they are assessing people and deciding on the kind of search - but ours was "what's in that?" (cider in homemade coolbox - polystyrene box covered in a space blanket, yeah, I guess I should have thought that through!!) Followed by "ok, boys have a fab time". Again lovely people, but there were a lot of conspicuous and I have to assume inconspicuous security people assessing everyone as they walked through.

First day (Friday) into the arena was a bit chaotic - we joined the queue at 1, got in at 2. I can imagine people further back were in it for 2hrs or more. Crowd all good humoured, singing, joking but it was cramped and I'd feel sorry for anyone shorter than, say 5'5" having to stare at someone's back for hours... The search was again assessed - we had a quick bag poke around and everyone got patted down in the bag queue (strangely, first day they weren't patting down all the non-bags, but that changed on the second day). They were deffo not looking for drink/food or drugs - much less than usual years when they ban all that. Must have been a goodwill gesture.

Second & third day - either they'd figured it out, or we had - no queues. Much more good humoured too. Best one was one bloke with a massive dildo hanging out of his trousers and the male security staff guiding him to an unsuspecting female body pat-down.

For everything Download did right on fixing the weather this year (bit breezy though), they totally balls-up the bars and loos. Dunno if it was deliberate (I've been told by the Reading licencing officer that warm festivals are a nightmare due to people getting utterly pissed); but the queues to the bars on day 1 were 30-45mins; day 2 &3 improved but still 15mins. They also ran out of beer at some. The queues for the loos were totally unacceptable - day 1 girls having the pee in the urinals. A lot of peeing on the land.

[payneruk]

Those bar queues would seriously piss me off. I hate queuing for more than 5 mins. Always seems like you've been queuing for longer.

[Mardy]

4 minutes ago, payneruk said:

Those bar queues would seriously piss me off. I hate queuing for more than 5 mins. Always seems like you've been queuing for longer.

Queuing is a pain in the arse, but so much better when it's organised. Nothing worse than standing at a bar and people arriving after you getting served first. At least the set up they have at hyde park etc feels fairer, even with poxy waiting times.

[Funkyfairy!]

7 hours ago, waterfalls212434 said:

Had to have a bit of a laugh at people panicking about the fact they may not be able to take mirrors or makeup..........my god my `selfies` might show the real me! underneath all the slap!.......lol this is a sodding festival not a fashion show im sure youll cope

Mirror to help put contact lenses in ! 

[micropizza]

 

8 minutes ago, Funkyfairy! said:

Mirror to help put contact lenses in ! 

That's why i take one, still can't put them in without a mirror after all these years!

[frostypaw]

1 hour ago, micropizza said:

That's why i take one, still can't put them in without a mirror after all these years!

Do you look at the mirror or your finger as you put the contact in?

I spent ages thinking I needed one then realised I wasn't even looking at it

[Hugh Jass]

2 hours ago, Mardy said:

Queuing is a pain in the arse, but so much better when it's organised. Nothing worse than standing at a bar and people arriving after you getting served first. At least the set up they have at hyde park etc feels fairer, even with poxy waiting times.

The good thing about GF is that due to people bringing their own and the sheer number of bars about you almost never have to queue for a drink. Unless it's a cocktail.

[Mardy]

2 minutes ago, Hugh Jass said:

The good thing about GF is that due to people bringing their own and the sheer number of bars about you almost never have to queue for a drink. Unless it's a cocktail.

Yeah, I'm always amazed how quickly you get served at most bars

[Hugh Jass]

Just now, Mardy said:

Yeah, I'm always amazed how quickly you get served at most bars

They have shitloads of staff so most times you just walk straight up and get served.

[amyleecupoftea]

 

11 hours ago, MetaKate said:

I agree this would suck. My foundation is a very thick glass bottle and my eyeshadow pallet has a mirror. If they take either I'll cry. 

 

I always just put some of my foundation in a little plastic pot, means less bulky stuff to carry around and no risk of it being taken off of you As for eyeshadows, you can buy empty pallets that don't have mirror, you just need to take the eyeshadow pan out of the palette https://www.amazon.co.uk/Switchali-Magnetic-Palette-Makeup-Pattern/dp/B071ZYYLCW/ref=sr_1_11_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1497260173&sr=8-11&keywords=magnetic+palette 

[cazzatron]

12 hours ago, shoptildrop said:

I've never really thought about it much before as its in plastic compact which is fine, might not be even glass I don't know tbh

Let up they don't empty out my makeup bag and take it off me

I didn't even think about this! I honestly just took my makeup in last year as totally forgot the rule with glass! Nobody searched me, but I might think about plastic containers actually. Trip to boots at lunch

[Sasperella]

@Milky Joe is bang on..... I'm not going to waste time worrying about whether they might take my nail scissors off me when I could be spending all that energy worrying about the weather, which I can do even less about 

4 hours ago, hfuhruhurr said:

OK, back from Download, so here's my take:
First, on leaving the car park they had a sniffer dog for explosives and made it very clear that they were not looking for drugs - they went out of their way to say that they weren't interested in drugs. Stand by your trolley/bags and dog had a sniff. All security staff/police really, really friendly - making you feel very welcome.

This is all very good info, so thanks! I guess they tell you they're not drug dogs so people aren't actively trying to keep out of their way, which apparently gives them legal grounds to strip search you... And if they had to do that to everyone taking drugs into Glastonbury that would be an absolute nightmare.

[Mattty]

10 minutes ago, Sasperella said:

This is all very good info, so thanks! I guess they tell you they're not drug dogs so people aren't actively trying to keep out of their way, which apparently gives them legal grounds to strip search you... And if they had to do that to everyone taking drugs into Glastonbury that would be an absolute nightmare.

Your nightmare is my big old naked Glasto party

[Sasperella]

4 minutes ago, Mattty said:

Your nightmare is my big old naked Glasto party

[Laurenkfj]

1 hour ago, cazzatron said:

I didn't even think about this! I honestly just took my makeup in last year as totally forgot the rule with glass! Nobody searched me, but I might think about plastic containers actually. Trip to boots at lunch

Just looked on the website; and it specifically says glass bottle - it doesn't say glass generally:-

• Please don’t bring anything in a glass bottle (even perfume) it will be confiscated if found

So I would assume make up would be OK - I have bought a non glass mirror just in case; and have also emailed them to check

Mine is for contacts so have to have one; plus Glasto is an excuse to go WILD on makeup/glitter - not because I want to look good on a selfie!

[cazzatron]

12 minutes ago, Laurenkfj said:

Just looked on the website; and it specifically says glass bottle - it doesn't say glass generally:-

• Please don’t bring anything in a glass bottle (even perfume) it will be confiscated if found

So I would assume make up would be OK - I have bought a non glass mirror just in case; and have also emailed them to check

Mine is for contacts so have to have one; plus Glasto is an excuse to go WILD on makeup/glitter - not because I want to look good on a selfie!

Awh thanks for this Yep, I usually go for some glitter at some point and I burn easily on my face hence the foundation as it has SPF and lasts the day! Suncream I tend to forget to top up. Couldn't give a rats arse about selfies 

I am assuming its going to be sunny, of course.

[Laurenkfj]

23 minutes ago, cazzatron said:

Awh thanks for this Yep, I usually go for some glitter at some point and I burn easily on my face hence the foundation as it has SPF and lasts the day! Suncream I tend to forget to top up. Couldn't give a rats arse about selfies 

I am assuming its going to be sunny, of course.

Exactly - don't want to burn!!!  

[the beadle]

and I quote:  6) Don’t bring anything in a glass bottle (even perfume). It will be confiscated if found.

[not worthy]

1 hour ago, Laurenkfj said:

Just looked on the website; and it specifically says glass bottle - it doesn't say glass generally:-

• Please don’t bring anything in a glass bottle (even perfume) it will be confiscated if found

So I would assume make up would be OK - I have bought a non glass mirror just in case; and have also emailed them to check

Mine is for contacts so have to have one; plus Glasto is an excuse to go WILD on makeup/glitter - not because I want to look good on a selfie!

As long as any glass you bring is easily identifiable as not being bottle related then I'm sure any broken shards wouldn't possibly hurt any livestock treading on it.....so, that's bound to be perfectly ok then !!!!

The question the will ask you as the gate for this reason is 'do you have any glass', not 'any glass bottles'

[jonodillieono]

Parklife wasn't any worse than it had been the previous years security wise.

My friend got sniffed by a dog (even though he didn't have anything) and he was taken off for a 'thorough search' which wasn't even a strip search. He could have had anything in his underwear and walked in

[not worthy]

5 minutes ago, jonodillieono said:

My friend got sniffed by a dog (even though he didn't have anything) and he was taken off for a 'thorough search' which wasn't even a strip search.

oh the memories of teenage years

Edited June 12, 2017 by not worthy

[not worthy]

3 minutes ago, not worthy said:

 

oops

Edited June 12, 2017 by not worthy

[Abensie]

I've never really understood why people try to bring everything in on the first trip.  Unless using public transport obviously.  Just bring your tent and a few cans and then go back when it is all died down.  Always best to bring naughty things on the first trip i would have thought given that it is harder to search everyone at that point.  Ball Taping recommended.  If only i had a vagina!

[Jung]

18 hours ago, Danpollard2012 said:

 

I was there forthat on mushrooms, it was like a war zone! We sat and watched tents on fire, and gangs throwing anything (anything!) they could find at each other. We were scared to go to sleep! 

Last year I went, we all said we were never going back after that, had definitely outgrown it by then. Went to Glasto 2010 and never looked back

Wish I had done it sooner, but all my mates were more into the Reading line ups

[Laurenkfj]

2 hours ago, not worthy said:

As long as any glass you bring is easily identifiable as not being bottle related then I'm sure any broken shards wouldn't possibly hurt any livestock treading on it.....so, that's bound to be perfectly ok then !!!!

The question the will ask you as the gate for this reason is 'do you have any glass', not 'any glass bottles'

Did I say that? Or did I just quote the website. No need to be so rude.

Anyway, they've replied and said no glass anywhere on site.