The popularity of the festival

[Ohinever]

The popularity of the festival is now unprecedented. People who have never shown an interest in it, in all the years I have been going, have tried and failed or succeeded in getting tickets for next year. My cousin, who is about the least festivalling type you could imagine, has contacted me today to say he is going next year. Several others of similar ilk have contacted me about getting tickets. 

 

Glastonbury is no longer a festival. It is a cultural behomoth, its own meme, and can not be contained. 

 

Will it ever return to 2008 levels of relatively disinterest? All talk of ticketing systems are entirely redundant when faced with the above. What could return it to a festival for festival people? 

[morph100]

3 minutes ago, Ohinever said:

The popularity of the festival is now unprecedented. People who have never shown an interest in it, in all the years I have been going, have tried and failed or succeeded in getting tickets for next year. My cousin, who is about the least festivalling type you could imagine, has contacted me today to say he is going next year. Several others of similar ilk have contacted me about getting tickets. 

 

Glastonbury is no longer a festival. It is a cultural behomoth, its own meme, and can not be contained. 

 

Will it ever return to 2008 levels of relatively disinterest? All talk of ticketing systems are entirely redundant when faced with the above. What could return it to a festival for festival people? 

A few years of mud might do it ? 

[Charm]

Don’t really know what a festival type is exactly but I’m especially happy for all the newbies who got lucky, it might just change their lives. 

Charm x

[paulshane]

The only thing I can think of is that the competition isn't as 'big' as it was.

Yes, there are loads of other great festivals, but it feels like there isn't the 'big fests' like there used to be, I remember friends pretty much flipping a coin to decide if they'd go to Reading, V, Fledh (Can't rememebr how to spell that one!) or Glastonbury. Now it feels like Glastonbury is the undisputed must have, and other festivals are second place.

Like the thread starter, i've seen peoples opinions change over recent years - ten years ago people would almost scoff when I booked a week off to go to that 'hippy mud fest', now when I book time off work, my colleagues pretty much say "ooh, always wanted to go, are tickets still available?"

It's certainly on more peoples radar than say, 'End of the road' or 'Green Man'

 

[Cooter]

I seriously doubt it will ever return to what it was over 10 years ago. It is what it is now and any less would be deemed a financial failure for all concerned, it's all about the cash.

Want a true pre 2005 Glasto experience? Then go to another smaller festival and enjoy it.

[mattiloy]

Agree with the above.

It for sure appeals to a more mainstream crowd nowadays. I think for a lot the brand is more important than the music and thats a shame.

[Hotchilidog]

It’s precisely because Glastonbury is a festival for festival people that is so popular. It’s not just the bands that make it. It is the whole environment, that five days of freedom and the opportunity to see a different side of life. Prior to my first visit i’d Seen it on tv and thought I knew it. When I left my first Glastonbury I was a different person. Other music festivals do not offer this experience. With every convert the pool of the committed gets ever larger. I can’t see it ending. They could put Kasabian, Coldplay and the 1975 on as headliners and i’d still be desperate for a ticket.

[Avalon_Fields]

No matter how strong, popular and long-lasting the festival has been, it won’t last forever so value it while it’s (probably) the worlds best festival. 

There are risks, perhaps the biggest is ownership, we expect Emily to carry the torch forward forever but you never know for sure, if it fell into other hands it would quickly change I fear. There’s the issue with big enough acts to keep filling the Pyramid stage, the options may reduce, and future music trends may not fit as well in a festival setting, There could be a serious event which damages the reputation, a new council may not grant a license as a consequence, and longer term there’s the threat of climate change (Too hot? Too wet?) and the festival being unable to be environmentally sustainable. 
 

Bit gloomy....sorry. 

[CaledonianGonzo]

Of all years to use as a nostalgic high watermark, 2008 is objectively hilarious.

4 hours ago, mattiloy said:

Agree with the above.

It for sure appeals to a more mainstream crowd nowadays. I think for a lot the brand is more important than the music and thats a shame.

If it's all about the music - and you don't like what's been booked recently cos it's too mainstream - then why do you still want to go?

[kalifire]

6 hours ago, Ohinever said:

What could return it to a festival for festival people? 

I’ve no idea what you mean by this. My best guess is that you’re suggesting Glastonbury’s popularity means people come for the status value more than whatever it is you think people should be attending for. 

But the thing is so big that I find people of all types are there, including those wish more people were like them. It’s not hard to ignore those who don’t share our tastes and just get on with having a great time. Or if that’s not possible for you, as others have said, maybe you’re not the right fit for Glastonbury anymore and a smaller affair would suit you better? 

[Scotdy]

I would say the demand has been there since the mid 90's, in the end just as many people were going over the fence as through the gates. 2008 was a one off for multiple reasons. It was just as hard to get a ticket from 02 till 07 as it is today. The first time I went I bought a ticket from my local record shop the day before, because it will never go back to this system it will always be sold out within a hour (unless there is a major incident that would tarnish the festivals reputation and put the casual punter off) 

[Matt42]

I do think in 2013 either before or after it I did notice a shift in my circles that it went from a few people I knew wanting to go to pretty much everyone wanting to go. 
 

most of my circles are pretty music orientated though, so the shift is not completely unreasonable.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Fairly sure people were making the same point in 1995 when it shifted from grebo music to Britpop. 

[Ayrshire Chris]

Great weather over the last two festivals,  extensive TV coverage, every year more young folk become age to attend yet a lot fewer older festival goers decide their time is up. Add in the more pop acts such as kylie and it adds up to the perfect storm. 

[Pinhead]

Coverage, coverage and coverage. Its the high profile media coverage especially BBC that has driven its recent popularity surge. That and the exclusivity lure of the hard to get tix. Give it a few muddy years and it will separate the bucket listers from the dedicated I reckon.

[sedra]

I think it’s true that you will get some people who want to go because they have seen it on the telly and it’s on their bucket list, as it’s a major calendar event. They also had to try for tickets like the rest of us so got lucky. Just as people say those of us who go every year should give newbies a chance, people who do go most years should embrace new people who want to experience the best festival in the world. Newbies might get hooked or they might not but it doesn’t make them any less festival people. I consider myself a festival person having been to very many Glastonbury’s, I always camp in a tent, but I don’t go to many other festivals either ( a few Latitudes and day festivals).  
Glastonbury has become more popular but so have festivals in general. 

[Quark]

Like so many on here, my first one was on a bit of a whim after an invite from my brother in law.  His first one was on an invite from a mate who'd been going for years. We're both now 10+ year regulars.

My mate who came last year was a bucket lister, and he was more excited about T-Day than any of us, can't wait to get back. Absolutely took the whole thing on board.

Rule out bucket listers and newbies because it's become too popular and you might as well keep the place in a time capsule and turn it into a Shiiiine On Weekender full of bands from "when it was still proper Glastonbury"

Edited October 11, 2019 by Quark

[David Gray (90+2)]

I think coverage and a lack of alternative festivals of similar standing make this a must for many. Can't speak for everyone, but there seems to be a progression through the teenage years in festivals:

14-16, Latitude with your family

16-18, Reading, Leeds with your mates

18-20, Boomtown, Houghton with your cooler mates

20+, Glastonbury with your best mates

Essentially, people tick off the others and come to the realisation that only Glastonbury is left.

You could translate this to other things, too, like choosing mountains to climb. Eventually you want to do Everest.

I do think there is an element of status-seekers and Instagram-chasers in the ticket hunt these days, but I don't know what you can do about that to put them off. Mud, probably.

[zero000]

35 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

Fairly sure people were making the same point in 1995 when it shifted from grebo music to Britpop. 

Had to google what Grebo music was. Sounds dreadful tbh.

[Pinhead]

Loved it - Carter, Neds, Stuffies - top bands.

[squirrelarmy]

9 minutes ago, David Gray (90+2) said:

I think coverage and a lack of alternative festivals of similar standing make this a must for many. Can't speak for everyone, but there seems to be a progression through the teenage years in festivals:

14-16, Latitude with your family

16-18, Reading, Leeds with your mates

18-20, Boomtown, Houghton with your cooler mates

20+, Glastonbury with your best mates

 

Just to add to this point in particular. You only have a specific time in your life where you enjoy festivals such as R&L. I’ve not been to Leeds for 8 years and I felt way too old then! Glastonbury’s age range is far larger than any other festival so its potential audience covers pretty much everyone rather than being for a specific age group. 

[Suprefan]

I would easily say the weather has made a big difference the last couple of years in terms of what people see and its more or less been Coachella in England.. Since theres so much coverage and you could watch most of the big names on youtube clips plus see what happens in the southeast corner, it just looks like another world and draws people in. I don't think the Evis's have as much pressure as you think to deliver on the top of the line up either since its been small increments of change with the occasional splash name which shocks casual people and sparks outrage. ( Kanye, Jay Z, Beyonce, Stormzy ) The music culture in the uk will always produce headliners because lots of artists actually get more time to come into their own versus the u.s. where you will go from a club tour to arenas within 12 months because the record labels are going to get all the money they can out of them before the bubble bursts. I think the crossroads will be when the current lot of bands that have been at it for 15 - 20 years end up becoming the new legends. So how many years will it be when they book Foo Fighters as the legend slot and not headline them because Emily wants to put Lewis Capaldi at the top of the day instead? I think the specialization of festivals has made glastonbury actually stand out more because they have found that balance of pop versus indie/obscure/weird whereas a smaller fest would be criticized for leaning a certain way and not ''staying true to their roots'. Thats how Coachella has stayed ahead of everyone in the states, by not conforming and putting an aphex twin next to a 1975 cause they can and will. plus kanye west on a mountain doesnt hurt either.

[jyoung]

10 hours ago, Ohinever said:

What could return it to a festival for festival people? 

?

What a load of shit.

[Quark]

2 minutes ago, jyoung said:

?

What a load of shit.

More succinctly put than mine

[Ohinever]

5 hours ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

Of all years to use as a nostalgic high watermark, 2008 is objectively hilarious.

It would be if that was what I was doing. I was merely referencing a  year when it found it a hard sell. 

 

4 hours ago, kalifire said:

I’ve no idea what you mean by this. My best guess is that you’re suggesting Glastonbury’s popularity means people come for the status value more than whatever it is you think people should be attending for.

By this I mean merely people who have never shown an interest in any festival, camping or even live gigs as a concept, who all now want to go to Glastonbury specifically. It's become a phenonema that transcends people's usual modus operandi. If people think this statements a "load of shit" then don't moan if it ever turns in a hunter welly and tory fest. 

People can go for whatever reason they like, and I make no comment on the validity of those reasons. Just that it now appeals to those who have never been interested in such an event. I still enjoy Glastonbury, so I still go. 

 

BTW, I disagree with the poster above that it was just as hard to get tickets in the 2005 era. It was more difficult, in that you had to stay on the phone/net for hours, but If you did, you got them. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 11, 2019 by Ohinever