How to tackle the FOMO?

[G1T]

I had 2019 off as we'd just had a kid a couple of months before the festival. I really struggled not being there, it was only the second one I'd missed since 1997, and I live locally too, so the only option seemed to be to go away somewhere completely different on holiday for the week, and pretend it wasn't happening.

This worked fine, until we drove home on the Tuesday after the festival, and came through Pilton. We stopped to let a van out in front of us, and it was of course being driven by my (then) Area Organiser, followed by some other crew members in the car behind.

Cheers universe for the big reminder...

This year, we're both going, and bringing the kids. On day trips, but still.

[Ryan1984]

Thinking of booking an alternative festival. 2000 Trees is always good but keep coming back to End of the Road. Anyone been? Is there anything going on on the Thursday there?

[Breeze]

In the years I couldn’t go when babies were about (which were first years I had missed in a while) I completely ignored efests and the coverage. Watched the coverage about a month later. I survived. lol

[Neil]

you're not doing the festival for anyone else, do it for you and you won't miss anything you wanna miss.

[danssol]

Missed out 2007 - 2009 when the kids were little. Didn’t matter too much at the time. Helps that a couple were boggy.
 

Missed out in 2019 which stung. Took the Friday off, dumped a load of beers in cool box and watched the coverage on iplayer. I got very pissed. Missed out for tickets again in 2020…but went in 2022. When it happens again I’ll go away somewhere but I’ll be fine

[mario man]

45 minutes ago, Ryan1984 said:

Thinking of booking an alternative festival. 2000 Trees is always good but keep coming back to End of the Road. Anyone been? Is there anything going on on the Thursday there?

End of the Road has two of the main stages open on the Thursday - only 3-4 bands on each, not too much else - but a nice way to ease into the wkend.
Wonderful festival - head over to the  EOTR section of the forum and have a read about it. And the cider bus is there! 🙂

[mario man]

I’ve missed a few over the years - 3 in the early 2010s through having young kids - and in those days I decided to completely avoid listening/watching/reading about it.

Then missed out last year for the first time when actually trying for tickets, and decided to watch as much as possible on tv - & really enjoyed doing it that way, some great banter on here with others in the same boat. 

[Spindles]

This year will be the first year I've missed in many years due to health and finances.  I'm very much struggling with the FOMO with this being the most exciting few weeks of the buildup.

I actually had a ticket secured but decided to let it go as (1) I can't really afford it and (2) I seriously doubt I would be physically up to it.  I've got the week booked off work, so I guess I'll just have to watch the iplayer stuff.  

[Jackomanaco]

I missed it last year and im returning for the first time since COVID so never lose hope of going again.

Last year i enjoyed watching all the coverage. There is so much of it you can catch from the comfort of your own home.

In your shoes id sit down on the sofa, cuddles with your little one and enjoy the show

Edited April 28, 2023 by Jackomanaco

[Breeze]

13 minutes ago, Jackomanaco said:

I missed it last year and im returning for the first time since COVID so never lose hope of going again.

Last year i enjoyed watching all the coverage. There is so much of it you can catch from the comfort of your own home.

In your shoes id sit down on the sofa, cuddles with your little one and enjoy the show

I understand this approach but I can't bring myself to do it (until it is all over) when I don't have a ticket, as the main stages that get coverage are a bonus but not why I go.

[Lakey91]

Some good suggestions guys thank you. Not sure how I'm going to play it just yet but I think I'll struggle to ignore efests, iplayer, and everything else completely. Maybe I'll dip in and out and try distract myself in between.

Ironically, I'm averaging 2-3 hours sleep a night at the moment as the little one seems to be stuck on Aussie time and will only sleep during the day. This would have been the perfect training for the festival and mean I could waste as little of it as possible in the tent sleeping! 😂

Shambala looks great, I'll be adding that to my list of ones to try in the future.

[MEGABOWL]

16 hours ago, Lakey91 said:

This is the first Glastonbury that I won't be attending since I started going in 2014. My partner and I have just had a baby and I don't think it would be appropriate to ask my Mum to babysit a 3 month old for a whole week whilst I go get off my head on the farm. That said, even if I had decided to go, I probably wouldn't have got tickets. I was still trying in the sale and resales for other people with no luck. It gets harder every year and I think I need to accept that even when I do want to return to the farm, I might not be so lucky.

I honestly thought that knowing I wasn't going this year, I wouldn't be bothered and I wouldn't spend every day trawling efests and refreshing the webcam every hour, like I usually do during the build up, yet here I am doing these same things again.

My question is how does everyone who misses out on a ticket get through the week when Glasto takes place, knowing that it's happening without you? 

I know some people like to book alternative festivals or a holiday, but these aren't really an option with baby at the minute. 

I could always stay at home and watch the TV coverage but tbh, I don't tend to spend a lot of time at the stages that appear on TV. I generally go to the dance stages, plus naughty corner, etc. I don't mind watching some of the main stage acts on TV when I get home, just to see what went down. 

There are a few decent documentaries that cover the alternative areas of the festivals but I've watched most of these multiple times so even they are getting a bit old. 

Has anyone got an decent suggestions of how to get a little bit of that Glasto feeling, without actually being there??

We always try and go away the years where we haven't got tickets. I know it's tricky with a 3-month-old but maybe just a Caravan Park or something? It's outside English School holidays so most places should be fairly cheap.

[El Matador]

Didn't get tickets in 2016. Went on holiday instead and pretty much forgot the festival was even happening. 

Helped that it wasn't a vintage year on the weather. 

[philipsteak]

10 hours ago, Ryan1984 said:

Thinking of booking an alternative festival. 2000 Trees is always good but keep coming back to End of the Road. Anyone been? Is there anything going on on the Thursday there?

Not done End of the Road myself but a group of my friends who used to be Glastonbury goers (probably not for 15 years or so) now have that as their one they definitely do every year.

[Chip Batch]

Started going in 2004 and the first year I didn't get tickets in 2017 I watched it all on telly after work on the Friday afternoon onwards and had a few beers, and a few tears actually watching Elbow at the Park. I was out doing stuff the Saturday and Sunday so didn't see much live then but watched sets on iplayer. Was really shit not being there but I still had to watch as I love the place and couldn't help it.

Missed out again in 2019 with no tickets and watched bits when I could again. Made it even worse those years that they were dry too! typical. Will probably be doing the same this year unless competitions or secret resales come up. Clutching at straws now 😞 

[Chip Batch]

10 hours ago, Ryan1984 said:

Thinking of booking an alternative festival. 2000 Trees is always good but keep coming back to End of the Road. Anyone been? Is there anything going on on the Thursday there?

Yep, been the last three years and it's a really nice festival. I wasn't sure about this year as the line-up is pretty underwhelming for me compared to previous ones but with no Glastonbury ticket I'll probably pay my balance off this weekend. If you want to go you'll almost certainly be able to pick up a ticket on Twickets a week before for well under face value.

Thursday night is pretty quiet, though there's 3 (I think) bands on the main Woods stage and some in the small tipi tent. The late night stuff is more limited then Glastonbury - it's tiny in comparison but starts on Friday night and goes until 4ish I think.

Lots of Glastonbury food vendors there. The food is great, the Garden stage is really nice, you can take your booze wherever you want and it's really easy to get around as it's so small.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Chip Batch]

13 hours ago, G1T said:

I had 2019 off as we'd just had a kid a couple of months before the festival. I really struggled not being there, it was only the second one I'd missed since 1997, and I live locally too, so the only option seemed to be to go away somewhere completely different on holiday for the week, and pretend it wasn't happening.

This worked fine, until we drove home on the Tuesday after the festival, and came through Pilton. We stopped to let a van out in front of us, and it was of course being driven by my (then) Area Organiser, followed by some other crew members in the car behind.

Cheers universe for the big reminder...

This year, we're both going, and bringing the kids. On day trips, but still.

Ah that’s sounds like a particularly difficult one 😬😕

[Chip Batch]

And now 6music are playing Grace Under Pressure by Elbow. Live recording of the Glastonbury crowd at the end 😔

Edited April 28, 2023 by Chip Batch

[faymondo]

1 hour ago, El Matador said:

Didn't get tickets in 2016. Went on holiday instead and pretty much forgot the festival was even happening. 

Helped that it wasn't a vintage year on the weather. 

Yep thinking of possible heading away myself. My first no since I started going in 2010. I have Bludot booked for the end of July. Be nice to be home quick afterwards and more on that lineup for me than Glastonbury, though I would still be happy just to be at Glastonbury whatever the line up. Ahh well shit happens. 

[MrZigster]

Blimey. I struggle with huge amounts of FOMO when I'm AT Glastonbury.

10 hours ago, Spindles said:

This year will be the first year I've missed in many years due to health and finances.  I'm very much struggling with the FOMO with this being the most exciting few weeks of the buildup.

I actually had a ticket secured but decided to let it go as (1) I can't really afford it and (2) I seriously doubt I would be physically up to it.  I've got the week booked off work, so I guess I'll just have to watch the iplayer stuff.  

Really sorry to hear that @Spindles. You're one of the good guys. Hope you feel better soon.

If I were to miss one (which looks more likely to happen year on year) I would probably do what I did in 2020 and still book the time off, get the booze in, watch iPlayer and join in the live banter on here.

[BambooShanks]

When the time comes when I miss out on tickets and not willing to volunteer, I think I'd either spend my glasto money on a holiday somewhere nice or go on a camping trip with the crew and make our own party in a field.

 

 

[Phoenix Girl]

Just to second what a couple of others have said- we watched the TV coverage last year and chatted on efestivals and I honestly had a great time. 

[blutarsky]

22 hours ago, Lakey91 said:

This is the first Glastonbury that I won't be attending since I started going in 2014. My partner and I have just had a baby and I don't think it would be appropriate to ask my Mum to babysit a 3 month old for a whole week whilst I go get off my head on the farm. That said, even if I had decided to go, I probably wouldn't have got tickets. I was still trying in the sale and resales for other people with no luck. It gets harder every year and I think I need to accept that even when I do want to return to the farm, I might not be so lucky.

I honestly thought that knowing I wasn't going this year, I wouldn't be bothered and I wouldn't spend every day trawling efests and refreshing the webcam every hour, like I usually do during the build up, yet here I am doing these same things again.

My question is how does everyone who misses out on a ticket get through the week when Glasto takes place, knowing that it's happening without you? 

I know some people like to book alternative festivals or a holiday, but these aren't really an option with baby at the minute. 

I could always stay at home and watch the TV coverage but tbh, I don't tend to spend a lot of time at the stages that appear on TV. I generally go to the dance stages, plus naughty corner, etc. I don't mind watching some of the main stage acts on TV when I get home, just to see what went down. 

There are a few decent documentaries that cover the alternative areas of the festivals but I've watched most of these multiple times so even they are getting a bit old. 

Has anyone got an decent suggestions of how to get a little bit of that Glasto feeling, without actually being there??

I'm in exactly the same boat. Second baby due in 20 days! We got away with the first not causing us to miss Glastonbury as she was born in 2020, so was 18 months old by the time the next Glastonbury rolled around. At that point we felt able to leave her with her Nanny, albeit only for 2 nights. I travelled up on Thursday and was joined by Mrs B on Friday lunchtime. We went home post Sunday headliners. Personally we didn't feel comfortable leaving my daughter for any longer at that age. Others may feel differently. 

We also aren't prepared to take the girls to Glastonbury yet - it's a personal decision and fair play to people who do, but it doesn't seem right to us. It is a very family friendly festival in many ways, but there are also areas I personally feel are very family un-friendly. Some of those areas are the ones we enjoy the most and at this stage we're not prepared to spend £1500+ to go and not be able to enjoy everything we want to enjoy. We anticipate taking the girls with us when our eldest is around 9/10, in order for them to enjoy a few years on a free ticket. Can't wait to be there with them when they're adults. 

21 hours ago, giantkatestacks said:

Same as @Pipine I missed a few when my children were young but didnt mind at the time. Looking back I did miss some proper performances though but didnt miss the festival itself iyswim. I was too knackered and not in that headspace to want to be there.

I'm hoping this will be the case come June, that I'm so shattered I don't have the energy for Glastonbury. Or do I? Which is the lesser of two evils? haha 

6 hours ago, El Matador said:

Didn't get tickets in 2016. Went on holiday instead and pretty much forgot the festival was even happening. 

Helped that it wasn't a vintage year on the weather. 

With this in mind I feel so guilty for feeling like I want 2023 to be biblically wet! I'm not hoping for it, but I'll be happy if it is, although it may negatively affect the festival experiences of my mates. I've only ever been in hot years so missing a wet one (last time I missed out was 2016 when we didn't pay our ticket balance) will almost feel good. Hopefully it may thin the crowd come sale day in October too?! 

 

Anyway, in short, I have no answers. I think I'll try and ignore it, but I'll almost certainly fail. Maybe I'll lean into it. may offer to help Stu with Secret Glasto. 

[Yeo-vile idiot]

One of my now top tips for anyone successful on ticket weekend in Oct is if you have a partner be careful how you celebrate  as the due date will be around the festival weekend. Happened to me in 2013 for 2014. Trying to avoid the hype of the build and social media and tv etc especially living relatively close proved impossible so due to my partner showing zero signs of the baby coming I went for the Sat popped home then went up again on the Sunday. 

[clarkete]

1 hour ago, blutarsky said:

I've only ever been in hot years so missing a wet one (last time I missed out was 2016 when we didn't pay our ticket balance) will almost feel good. Hopefully it may thin the crowd come sale day in October too?! 

Pfft 2016 wet? 

It were paradise compared to 2007 😊

As for thinning the crowd, they had ticketing issues in 2017 but there was little evidence of demand falling, think it's a bit built up these days.