I've been attending Primavera every year since my first one in 2017 & it's always been my favourite week of the year, but I think things have changed.
Firstly, the site just feels too busy in this current set-up. I'm sure it was a lot easier back in 2017-19 to get between the stages & then a good spot for the next one, but now you increasingly have to sacrifice parts of a set or miss them out completely to plan for later on. I wish we still had the Bits area over the bridge to spread everyone out.
But the main issue is the talking, it's always been here but this year it's been relentless & I just can't tolerate it any more. It's at every stage, and everywhere from the front to the back, there is no escape. Not focusing on nationalities, but a major dynamic now seems to be groups of people who are only focusing on their own good time & aren't interested if this affects anyone else. It seems essential that all members of the group are together at the same time, so it's people making telephone calls, people on shoulders waving phone torches, people barging through. It's alright, I'm only trying to watch The Cure here.
I will have a year away to think about it. I thought might give up completely but yesterday was a bit of a classic day after two unenjoyable ones. Adding Olivia Rodrigo to Baxter Dury, Gelli Haha, The XX, Gorillaz & Kneecap shows how good it can be, but as with everything, it's always the people that have the biggest impact.