Ticket Sale Date

[Mr.Tease]

On 8/12/2019 at 9:06 AM, Gnomicide said:

No there hasn't. 

2009
5 October 2008 (Sun): Tickets on sale - Sold out in February
 
2010
4 October 2009 (Sun): Tickets on sale - Sold out in 12 hours
 
2011
3 October 2010 (Sun): Tickets on sale - Sold out in 4 hours
 
2013
7 October 2012 (Sun): Tickets on sale - Sold out in 1 hour 40 minutes
 
2014
3 October 2013 (Thu): Coach packages on sale - Sold out in 28 minutes
6 October (Sun): General tickets on sale - Sold out in 1 hour 27 minutes
 
2015
1 October 2014 (Wed): Coach packages on sale - Sold out in 15 minutes
5 October (Sun): General tickets on sale - Sold out in 26 minutes
 
2016
1 October 2015 (Thu): Coach packages on sale - Sold out in 23 minutes
4 October (Sun): General tickets on sale - Sold out in 33 minutes
 
2017
6 October 2016 (Thu): Coach packages on sale - Sold out in 22 minutes
9 October (Sun): General tickets on sale - Sold out in 50 minutes
 
2019
4 October 2018 (Thu): Coach packages on sale - Sold out in 29 minutes
7 October 2018 (Sun): General tickets on sale - Sold out in 36 minutes

4 hours, 12 hours--I feel we never appreciated it at the time! I got my ticket this year at the 35th minute - if I'd realised at the time how close I was to the sell out I would have collapsed and been unable to complete the form! 

[thrillhouse188]

Is it true that the coach sale is generally 'easier'? Ticket sale day anxiety hitting hard at the prospect of missing out next year ?

[Hugh Jass]

5 minutes ago, thrillhouse188 said:

Is it true that the coach sale is generally 'easier'? Ticket sale day anxiety hitting hard at the prospect of missing out next year ?

They’re both an utter ball ache.

[incident]

I'd call the coach sale an extra chance, rather than an easier option.

[Zoo Music Girl]

There are a lot less tickets in the coach sale so it usually goes quicker. Also you have the added stress of having to select first your day and then your location (and for London and Bristol the time as well), which is a whole extra step. And often locations will show as sold out temporarily and then come back on. It's pretty grim. Last year was the first time I got through in the main sale for a long while and forgot how much easier it was to just put in your regs and bank details!

That said I would never skip the coach sale. It's a whole extra chance, and I need to travel by public transport anyway. 

[thrillhouse188]

Cheers! Already trying to recruit people in my office for the main sale to help, with promise of a pint for all if successful

[Quark]

Given how the coach sale is effectively a second bite of the cherry, it amazes me that more people don't try for them.  OK it can be a bit of a ballache to get the coach, but worth it for a ticket!

[thrillhouse188]

1 minute ago, Quark said:

Given how the coach sale is effectively a second bite of the cherry, it amazes me that more people don't try for them.  OK it can be a bit of a ballache to get the coach, but worth it for a ticket!

Not sure why I didn't bother last year but I realised yesterday it's be stupid not to

[Hugh Jass]

I’m definitely in for the coach. I live near the O2 and usually stay in WV so my journey is pretty easy.

[Gnomicide]

Aren't there an extra 7k coach this year? I seem to remember talk of the extra capacity and them all being coach options. 

[incident]

6 minutes ago, Quark said:

Given how the coach sale is effectively a second bite of the cherry, it amazes me that more people don't try for them.  OK it can be a bit of a ballache to get the coach, but worth it for a ticket!

My main issue with it, and why I've not tried in the past, is that unless you're going from Bristol or London, there's just too much uncertainty over times. On one extreme, I've heard of people being allocated 5:30am coaches (which for me would require spending ~20 quid on a taxi to get to the Nottingham departure point), and at the other end there's coaches that don't arrive at the festival until 7pm or later. If I had confidence I'd get to the festival coach station by say noon, I'd see it as a much more reasonable option.

And don't even get me started on the fact that people feel they need to compromise to the extent that they end up on a Thursday coach. Nobody should even be put in that position.

Personally I do think that a much higher percentage of tickets should be allocated to the coach sale - however that also needs to be combined with an overhaul to provide more options with times specified at the point of booking.

[Zoo Music Girl]

Just now, incident said:

My main issue with it, and why I've not tried in the past, is that unless you're going from Bristol or London, there's just too much uncertainty over times. On one extreme, I've heard of people being allocated 5:30am coaches (which for me would require spending ~20 quid on a taxi to get to the Nottingham departure point), and at the other end there's coaches that don't arrive at the festival until 7pm or later. If I had confidence I'd get to the festival coach station by say noon, I'd see it as a much more reasonable option.

And don't even get me started on the fact that people feel they need to compromise to the extent that they end up on a Thursday coach. Nobody should even be put in that position.

Personally I do think that a much higher percentage of tickets should be allocated to the coach sale - however that also needs to be combined with an overhaul to provide more options with times specified at the point of booking.

I do get where you're coming from (and living in London I am lucky enough not to have to worry about this) but I would definitely pay an extra £20 to guarantee going, given that I'm already forking out quite a lot for the ticket and the coach as it is. And I'd be happy to get there at any point on the Wednesday.

I do think there is some scope to make Thursday tickets cheaper, though. 

[incident]

Just now, Zoo Music Girl said:

I do get where you're coming from (and living in London I am lucky enough not to have to worry about this) but I would definitely pay an extra £20 to guarantee going, given that I'm already forking out quite a lot for the ticket and the coach as it is.

So would I - but I should at least know this up front. However the problem is the risk of the other extreme..

1 minute ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

And I'd be happy to get there at any point on the Wednesday.

This I can't agree with.

[thrillhouse188]

6 minutes ago, incident said:

My main issue with it, and why I've not tried in the past, is that unless you're going from Bristol or London, there's just too much uncertainty over times. On one extreme, I've heard of people being allocated 5:30am coaches (which for me would require spending ~20 quid on a taxi to get to the Nottingham departure point), and at the other end there's coaches that don't arrive at the festival until 7pm or later. If I had confidence I'd get to the festival coach station by say noon, I'd see it as a much more reasonable option.

And don't even get me started on the fact that people feel they need to compromise to the extent that they end up on a Thursday coach. Nobody should even be put in that position.

Personally I do think that a much higher percentage of tickets should be allocated to the coach sale - however that also needs to be combined with an overhaul to provide more options with times specified at the point of booking.

How does it work in practise then? I'm in Southampton, getting to the coach station is thankfully easy, although I hadn't considered timing. To be honest I'd also consider just going for a London coach and getting a train there, the extra £30 would be well worth the extra chance of a ticket/getting there at a good time.

[Zoo Music Girl]

1 minute ago, thrillhouse188 said:

How does it work in practise then? I'm in Southampton, getting to the coach station is thankfully easy, although I hadn't considered timing. To be honest I'd also consider just going for a London coach and getting a train there, the extra £30 would be well worth the extra chance of a ticket/getting there at a good time.

How it works is you pick a day and a location and pay for it. Then months later (I think like April maybe?) you get sent the coach tickets with the time on them. So if not going from London or Bristol it's total pot luck. You can specify the day, though.

If I were you and getting in at a certain time is important to you then yeah I'd pay the coach to London maybe. For me, I've no desire to get there at the crack of dawn and be in an endless queue so I usually choose coaches that get me in mid-afternoon. Means I don't start the festival knackered from getting up insanely early too.

[thrillhouse188]

11 minutes ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

How it works is you pick a day and a location and pay for it. Then months later (I think like April maybe?) you get sent the coach tickets with the time on them. So if not going from London or Bristol it's total pot luck. You can specify the day, though.

If I were you and getting in at a certain time is important to you then yeah I'd pay the coach to London maybe. For me, I've no desire to get there at the crack of dawn and be in an endless queue so I usually choose coaches that get me in mid-afternoon. Means I don't start the festival knackered from getting up insanely early too.

Is there a ballpark time or is it essentially random? For me it's more just earlier the better, get there at a good time to get a decent camping spot!

[Zoo Music Girl]

4 minutes ago, thrillhouse188 said:

Is there a ballpark time or is it essentially random? For me it's more just earlier the better, get there at a good time to get a decent camping spot!

I think it depends a bit on the location but I think the times are usually on the hour any time between about 5 in the morning (possibly earlier) until like midnight. So a big range!

I only ever go from London, though, so other people will be better placed to answer on their experiences. I had some friends go from Taunton and they were annoyed to end up with 6am as the whole point of staying overnight in Somerset the night before was to not have to get up early...

[Madyaker]

37 minutes ago, incident said:

So would I - but I should at least know this up front. However the problem is the risk of the other extreme..

This I can't agree with.

So you’d rather sit at home and watch on the couch than have to put up with an awkward coach time?

[thrillhouse188]

8 minutes ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

I think it depends a bit on the location but I think the times are usually on the hour any time between about 5 in the morning (possibly earlier) until like midnight. So a big range!

I only ever go from London, though, so other people will be better placed to answer on their experiences. I had some friends go from Taunton and they were annoyed to end up with 6am as the whole point of staying overnight in Somerset the night before was to not have to get up early...

ah okay, so they run coaches all day essentially and you're put on a random one? I'd assume if you buy more than one ticket you all travel together on the same coach as well? 

[Zoo Music Girl]

Just now, thrillhouse188 said:

ah okay, so they run coaches all day essentially and you're put on a random one? I'd assume if you buy more than one ticket you all travel together on the same coach as well? 

Yep - if you all buy on the same order then you will be together.

[thrillhouse188]

Awesome cheers! 

[incident]

4 minutes ago, Madyaker said:

So you’d rather sit at home and watch on the couch than have to put up with an awkward coach time?

Nope, there'd be no danger of that happening. I don't expect to miss out in the general sale but if that does happen I can just work the festival, so that's my "worst case scenario". While it's not my first choice, I'd rather do that and get on site early than late.

[Gnomicide]

40 minutes ago, thrillhouse188 said:

ah okay, so they run coaches all day essentially and you're put on a random one?

I've got the coach from Liverpool 3 times. Been allocated 8am, 9am and 12:30pm. 

You also get allocated your return trip time, this seems to tie in with the departure time (or at least it has for me), so if you are on an early one there, you'll be on an early one back. Some of these are nuts times, really early hours of Monday morning stuff.

[thrillhouse188]

1 minute ago, Gnomicide said:

I've got the coach from Liverpool 3 times. Been allocated 8am, 9am and 12:30pm. 

You also get allocated your return trip time, this seems to tie in with the departure time (or at least it has for me), so if you are on an early one there, you'll be on an early one back. Some of these are nuts times, really early hours of Monday morning stuff.

Good point as well, although to be completely honest if hypothetically I ended up getting a coach ticket from London, I'd probably just get the train direct to Soton back home, only £15 or so for a single I think. Ditto if I coached from Soton and got a horrific return time haha

[Zoo Music Girl]

Worth pointing out as well that you can just buy a single if you want. I had a crazy return time in 2017 so I sold it on and bought a national express ticket home. I think if I got coach again I would just get a single as national express goes to a much more sensible place for me.