2009 v 2019 - why are tickets so hard to get now?

[Calvin Klein]

Glastonbury is a lot of work just "to be seen". I'm sure there's plenty of people who go because of that, but surely other festivals are more suitable for this kind of crowd?

I went to Mad Cool this year and it sure looked like most people were there only to put shit up on social media. But that makes more sense as it is pretty much a Coachella wannabe.

[DeanoL]

12 hours ago, UEF said:

I'm not sure the people going to the festival are any more or less diverse than before, other than attracting a few more poppy/Instragram types

It's a lot less white than it used to be. It's still pretty damn white though.

[H.M.V]

What was noticeable this year were the amount of people offering financial incentives for obtaining a ticket. Some even just to turn up and be another body to help.

So it's going to skew the stats.  

 

[MrZigster]

Lots of people 'membering 2004 so here's my (possibly posted annually, possibly half forgotten) anecdote/recollection of buying a ticket for that year:

I'd been once before in '95 and had always wanted to go back... (long irrelevent story as to why I hadn't).

It may have been the first year it was possible to buy over the internet (or all sales done over phones and internet or something??? Anyone know?)

I was fortunately at work (no internet at home then) for a night shift which started at about 7pm iirc, and can remember constantly trying on the phone and getting engaged tone and redialling for about three hours (old school version of F5) and clicking on a link that didn't appear to do anything (I may have misremembered the internet bit).

After a few hours I noticed that there was a scroll bar on the page. How hadn't I noticed that? A prime example of not reading the whole question/instructions and just diving straight in.

Scrolled down to find a paragraph along the lines of "For International buyers this is the phone number". Dialled that. Got straight through. They seemed surprised that their phone had even rung (rang?)

Pretended to be in works French office,

"I know we possibly show as an English number, but I am genuinely abroad".

"OK. How many tickets would you like?"

"Oh. Just the one. Would you mind sending it to my English address?"

Couldn't believe my luck.

I later went around saying that I had got a ticket. Cue local people who had been legitimately buying tickets for years being really really pissed off. Literally screaming at me for not ordering more and how underserving, unthoughtful and selfish I was.

Whilst attending that year I randomly bumbed into ME and I felt compelled to mention that loyal, love the farm, previously regularly ticket buying, non fence jumping aquaintancies of mine, felt a bt peeved that they'd been loyal for years and suddenly couldn't get in.

But that's another anecdote.

Now. I now know that this is against the whole spirit of the festival type thing. But I so wish I'd ordered six tickets that year. I wish I'd been selfish. This was pre anti tout measures and they were honestly going for about two grand a pop on ebay that year. That's life changing money now, let alone then.

I have a similarly long anecdote about my '07 (the "You first have to register first" year (I think?)) ticket buying adventure if anyones interested?

 

[LowerMead]

For me it is the rise of social media, 100%.

We camp near the (old) John Peel stage in Lower Mead, hence my username.  I walk past The Beat Hotel a lot navigating between stages and often wonder how many people stood there on that bloody podium would be there if Instagram, Twitter and Facebook didn't exist. Not a lot, I would wager. "Look at me and my amazing fake Insta life at Glastonbury (not watching any actual bands)!!!!"   

 

[Wooderson]

23 hours ago, H.M.V said:

2016 had no influence on ticket sales for 2017. Was still a bun fight. 

Now back to Quark and his lentil soup...

None of the people I regularly go with "got lucky" this year.

[Greenelk]

With all the people messaging Emily on twitter about ballot being the only way to go, I had to smile when the London Marathon group I'm in on facebook exploded yesterday with 100s of angry people saying a ballot is unfair, that people that run it every year seem to be lucky every time, and the organisers have to find a better way of giving out places...

[H.M.V]

58 minutes ago, Wooderson said:

None of the people I regularly go with "got lucky" this year.

Did you get tickets Wooders? 

[Old_Johno]

57 minutes ago, Greenelk said:

With all the people messaging Emily on twitter about ballot being the only way to go, I had to smile when the London Marathon group I'm in on facebook exploded yesterday with 100s of angry people saying a ballot is unfair, that people that run it every year seem to be lucky every time, and the organisers have to find a better way of giving out places...

The difference is you can ‘qualify’ for London marathon automatically by running another event in under a certain time. 

Unless you’re just talking about the free for all entries.

Im in two minds about a ballot, it would feel fairer, and stop people using multiple devices and groups to gain an advantage, but in reality it would lower my chances, as more people would enter the ballot.

smaller max group sizes perhaps? 

[pahqman]

Have they ever released details of how many transactions are for 6 tickets?

Seems everyone assumes they all are but I'd bet its at lot less, maybe 40-60%?

[waynewdk]

6 minutes ago, Old_Johno said:

The difference is you can ‘qualify’ for London marathon automatically by running another event in under a certain time. 

Unless you’re just talking about the free for all entries.

Im in two minds about a ballot, it would feel fairer, and stop people using multiple devices and groups to gain an advantage, but in reality it would lower my chances, as more people would enter the ballot.

smaller max group sizes perhaps? 

I can drink 10 pints of cider in 2 hours,  I can home in on my tent when hammered in the dark, i slip down but i can get up again, and can make it to the pyramid stage from the JPT in 4 mins 5 seconds, do you think i would qaulify for free entry into Glasto if there was one 

[Madyaker]

On 10/8/2019 at 3:57 AM, CaledonianGonzo said:

It's all Foals fans, desperate to be there on the glorious day when every actual headliner on the planet is unavailable.

Hahaha I have to ask why you hate them so much? It honestly seems a bit odd, totally unrelated thread and your having a pop, why are they on your mind all the time??

[Wooderson]

1 hour ago, H.M.V said:

Did you get tickets Wooders? 

Negative. Nor did Nal, Mardy etc. Very unusual for none of us to get a schniff.

[CaledonianGonzo]

We truly hate to see it ?

[Wooderson]

disappointment

/dɪsəˈpɔɪntm(ə)nt/

[H.M.V]

12 minutes ago, Wooderson said:

Negative. Nor did Nal, Mardy etc. Very unusual for none of us to get a schniff.

Well I'm sure the efests collective can rally to get you there. Happy to report for resale duty. 

[jfaragher]

3 hours ago, LowerMead said:

"Look at me and my amazing fake Insta life at Glastonbury (not watching any actual bands)!!!!"   

If they're actually there, then it's not fake surely?  And I'm not sure of what the real is difference between sitting on the stepped thingy at Beat Hotel and watching the world go by with your mates, and sitting up at the stones or at a bar or wherever and watching the world go by with your mates.

However, I think we are missing one important thing in all of this.  Even though it's got much more difficult to get tickets, Glastonbury has never been, and will never again be, as good as it used to be.

[Wooderson]

Likelihood is limited. My hope is that "my season ticket" ? went to a person in need of a real lift in their life.

I will imagine them next June in a field in Somerset with the sun and a smile on their face, a coldie in their hand and glint of happiness in their eye.

[Zoo Music Girl]

4 minutes ago, Wooderson said:

Likelihood is limited. My hope is that "my season ticket" ? went to a person in need of a real lift in their life.

I will imagine them next June in a field in Somerset with the sun and a smile on their face, a coldie in their hand and glint of happiness in their eye.

Genuinely lovely post that. Nice to see.

[Quark]

17 minutes ago, Wooderson said:

Likelihood is limited. My hope is that "my season ticket" ? went to a person in need of a real lift in their life.

I will imagine them next June in a field in Somerset with the sun and a smile on their face, a coldie in their hand and glint of happiness in their eye.

I'd love to be that magnanimous in defeat. Kudos. I suspect mine would be more along the lines of

I'd be imagining them next June in a field in Somerset with the rain lashing down and mud on their face, just dropped their coldie down a longdrop and a tear in their eye 

[Wooderson]

1 minute ago, Quark said:

I'd love to be that magnanimous in defeat. Kudos. I suspect mine would be more along the lines of

I'd be imagining them next June in a field in Somerset with the rain lashing down and mud on their face, just dropped their coldie down a longdrop and a tear in their eye 

My initial reaction to Mardy was that I hoped it rains next summer like WW1.

[Quark]

5 minutes ago, Wooderson said:

My initial reaction to Mardy was that I hoped it rains next summer like WW1.

Seems reasonable.

Ballot, resales and all the rest of it for you chaps I take it?

[WFD]

3 hours ago, Greenelk said:

With all the people messaging Emily on twitter about ballot being the only way to go, I had to smile when the London Marathon group I'm in on facebook exploded yesterday with 100s of angry people saying a ballot is unfair, that people that run it every year seem to be lucky every time, and the organisers have to find a better way of giving out places...

I was going to mention the London Marathon here - similar phenomenon where something reaches a critical mass and its popularity seems to be self-feeding.  Think the ratio in the public ballot for the London Marathon is 20 applicants to every public spot.  The public ballot is only one aspect of it (but the biggest) - as mentioned above you can qualify for it by running a certain time determined by your age (though in turn because of its popularity they've had to reduce the qualifying times which pissed a lot of people off) and there are charity places and tour operator places.  But overall it's a similar phenomenon to Glastonbury of something being massively over-subscribed because it appeals to a far larger number than it can accommodate.

[aj6658]

Frankly no festival in England comes close to what Glastonbury is. Reading is the only that i say could compete on line up (And in reality its so far behind still)  but reading is just a field with stages while Glastonbury is such a world in its own. Now days no other festival can do that. 

I think what's the biggest driver is that there is an absolute dearth of quality festivals in the UK.

Reading/ Leeds is full of teens and people who want to have a mosh pit. I went in 2012 and would never go again even.

Bestival was this potential alternative to glastonbury that had the friendly fun vibe and quality lineups but then it got commercial with a poorly balanced line up. I remember going and it having poor poor day fillers to keep you going till the night events. The magic definitely went. I love forest areas at festivals because they are so magical and Bestival eventually felt like a suit put it together.  Its the case of poor management

 

I agree social media has became i factor but i don't an sort of significant % of people are going to spend £400+ to just say they went for it and to instagram about it. I don't think glastonbury has that cochella image. 

[Deaf Nobby Burton]

16 minutes ago, aj6658 said:

Frankly no festival in England comes close to what Glastonbury is. Reading is the only that i say could compete on line up (And in reality its so far behind still)  but reading is just a field with stages while Glastonbury is such a world in its own. Now days no other festival can do that. 

I think what's the biggest driver is that there is an absolute dearth of quality festivals in the UK.

Reading/ Leeds is full of teens and people who want to have a mosh pit. I went in 2012 and would never go again even.

Bestival was this potential alternative to glastonbury that had the friendly fun vibe and quality lineups but then it got commercial with a poorly balanced line up. I remember going and it having poor poor day fillers to keep you going till the night events. The magic definitely went. I love forest areas at festivals because they are so magical and Bestival eventually felt like a suit put it together.  Its the case of poor management

 

I agree social media has became i factor but i don't an sort of significant % of people are going to spend £400+ to just say they went for it and to instagram about it. I don't think glastonbury has that cochella image. 

The location combined with the explosion of the popularity of festivals killed Bestival. Loads of festivals popped up that did what Bestival did just as well but, without the need to be ripped off by the ferry companies to get to IOW. It’s a shame because I went to Bestival in 2010 and 2012 before my first Glastonbury and it definitely felt like a mini Glastonbury and it also seemed like it was on an upward trajectory.

What we desperately need is a decent rival to Glastonbury, but it just doesn’t exist and is very unlikely to. Boomtown is probably the likeliest to rival it but obviously that’s a lot more niche and doesn’t cater for a lot of what Glastonbury does.

The fact that Glastonbury is seen as effectively the olympics of festivals by the acts who are then willing to play for much less than they would elsewhere, gives G a constant ‘unfair’ advantage.

Perversely I reckon a ballot would be the answer to the popularity issue, but for all the wrong reasons. I reckon a ballot could actually kill it long term, your odds of going would be so shit that people would become disillusioned and have no choice but to look at alternatives.