1 major change

[Sack truck]

Another for less people. Been to all since 2013 and have seen a steady increase in number of people and lack of space getting about. 20k or 30k less people would make world of difference

[Alvoram]

Less coke and more 'happy' little things. 

[bennyhana22]

21 minutes ago, frostypaw said:

That used to be camping - you can't even go in it anymore so with the greatest politeness and kindness I suspect you don't know the dragon field.

The other bit kinda exemplifies my point - it's different folk. If you want to put Glasto's night festival in perspective do a Boomtown/Noisily etc.

Except...and again I promise I'm not trying to be difficult...!

Boomtown only has all-night stuff on the Friday and Saturday, due to licence, and even then it doesn't have multiple venues running until 6am.

And 98% of it is DnB 😝

Ben

[bennyhana22]

19 minutes ago, ProperTea said:

Two things, both to do with crowd control, that would either be prohibitively expensive or against the current licence:

1. Expand the capacity of the Other Stage by removing half of Oxylers. Rename it to 'Oxylers' stage and treat it as the second main stage: 6 headliner announcements across Pyramid and Oxylers and 6 headline acts on the poster.

I've got no issue with this as an idea, but please gods can we rename it after the actual name of the field, Oxlyers, and not the misspelling used by 98% of people 😄?

Ben

[Skip997]

3 minutes ago, Alvoram said:

Less coke and more 'happy' little things. 

Out of reactions

But 110% this.

Would make such a difference

[Xeph1995]

Finding myself in the minority apparently but I'm absolutely fine with the number of attendees, it's the vibe I enjoy. 

Never really felt it was over crowded. 

Edited June 12, 2023 by Xeph1995

[Isaact]

38 minutes ago, frostypaw said:

This will be unpopular but I'd drop the hefty night program/change scale/style of SE corner.

IMHO current Glasto is a incredible day festival with an OK night festival tagged on, and the two crowds do not really gel together with the night folk disinterested all day and the day folk not really with the new night vibe. Dampens down the days and the gurning corner sucks the life out of the campsites/rest of site at night. Don't get me wrong I enjoy both things but think they work better approached in a more dedicated fashion. This would probably also mean a crush-allaying reduction in capacity and maybe even old camping reopened as new - the Dragon/etc fields were always rather special. 

 

29 minutes ago, frostypaw said:

That used to be camping - you can't even go in it anymore so with the greatest politeness and kindness I suspect you don't know the dragon field.

The other bit kinda exemplifies my point - it's different folk. If you want to put Glasto's night festival in perspective do a Boomtown/Noisily etc.

I have to disagree with you entirely on all of this.

Glastonbury is the best night festival in the UK (by a country mile, absolutely nowhere else has the diversity of genres, scenes, and number of stages).

It's an OK day festival, with lineups getting consistently worse year on year.

The issue it has is budget it seems - the day lineup is getting worse and worse as Glastonbury just can't compete with even Reading and Leeds in terms of the offers it can make to artists.

If you look outside the UK then it gets even worse - Primavera for example consistently has a better day lineup than Glastonbury.

I'd argue the booking team (particularly for Pyramid and Other) are getting a bit lost. The identity isn't really there any more, they are getting pulled in too many directions, and they can't really pull it off any more, bar the occasional amazing get (like Elton).

This year's Pyramid lineup, for example, is the weakest I have ever seen at Glastonbury.

And they need to make a decision on whether they lean into the pop element more - I think they genuinely have to, particularly heritage pop. Take a few lessons from Hoopla (which has gone from strength to strength every year) - get the Guilty Pleasures lot to book an entire stage, have it dedicated to pop and heritage pop, and just get on with it. This halfway house is doing nobody any favours.

Whereas the night festival genuinely gets better every year. I can't think of a better night lineup than this year.

Edited June 12, 2023 by Isaact

[Skip997]

1 minute ago, Isaact said:

I'd argue the booking team (particularly for Pyramid and Other) are getting a bit lost. The identity isn't really there any more, they are getting pulled in too many directions, and they can't really pull it off any more, bar the occasional amazing get (like Elton).

 

Totally agree

This year is truly a mess

[Isaact]

So actually in summary I'd say the one major change would be to essentially get the Guilty Pleasures lot to run a big stage (potentially Other), at least for one day, and pretty much copy the type of lineup Hoopla books consistently year on year.

[fred quimby]

11 minutes ago, Alvoram said:

Less coke and more 'happy' little things. 

Give out mushrooms with the programme

[frostypaw]

4 minutes ago, bennyhana22 said:

Except...and again I promise I'm not trying to be difficult...!

Boomtown only has all-night stuff on the Friday and Saturday, due to licence, and even then it doesn't have multiple venues running until 6am.

And 98% of it is DnB 😝

Ben

Gotta say you're an unusual case being quite so active, not sure that's generally true of folk.

Everyone's choice in day/night-festival will vary by music taste. Glasto's SE corner mostly misses mine and what is in the types of dance I like tends to be watered down keep-wrecked-folk-busy compared to the intense sets I've seen elsewhere. I skip it entirely now. Current BT without the psyforest isn't quite as on-target as it used to be, but heck just giving a couple of examples not an exhaustive listing.

[bennyhana22]

Just now, frostypaw said:

Gotta say you're an unusual case being quite so active, not sure that's generally true of folk.

Everyone's choice in day/night-festival will vary by music taste. Glasto's SE corner mostly misses mine and what is in the types of dance I like tends to be watered down keep-wrecked-folk-busy compared to the intense sets I've seen elsewhere. I skip it entirely now. Current BT without the psyforest isn't quite as on-target as it used to be, but heck just giving a couple of examples not an exhaustive listing.

Yeah, I get it - and you're right - without being disrespectful to artists, a lot of what's in the SEC can feel like 'filler' at 4am etc.

And the psyforest at BT is wonderful. As is the little Nirvana that is Tribe of Frog! (I love psytrance!)

Ben

[Xeph1995]

39 minutes ago, bennyhana22 said:

It's funny, and only good, how differently we all see things!

The principal reason why I don't think anything will quite touch Glastonbury for me is because it's probably unique in the scale and quality of the two halves - day and night.

I watch bands from 1130-0000h. I dance to DJs from 0000-0600h. I go to bed for three hours or so, and then get to do all that again. I cannot think of anywhere else that would enable me to do that, 'always' finding stuff I want to see/dance to in those hours. It's quite unbelievable.

Ben

Completely agree with you here Ben. 

One of the main reasons I love the festival so much, the two halves make it for me. 

Wake up early watch music and dance till 6am rinse and repeat. 

Most of the people I know who go are in the same camp, I don't know anyone who either does one or the other. 

Edited June 12, 2023 by Xeph1995

[gfa]

36 minutes ago, frostypaw said:

This will be unpopular but I'd drop the hefty night program/change scale/style of SE corner.

IMHO current Glasto is a incredible day festival with an OK night festival tagged on, and the two crowds do not really gel together with the night folk disinterested all day and the day folk not really with the new night vibe. Dampens down the days and the gurning corner sucks the life out of the campsites/rest of site at night. Don't get me wrong I enjoy both things but think they work better approached in a more dedicated fashion. This would probably also mean a crush-allaying reduction in capacity and maybe even old camping reopened as new - the Dragon/etc fields were always rather special. 

As others have said, the OK night festival bit is completely wrong.

Block9 and SH individually could stand alone and be £100+ weekend festivals. Thats before even considering Arcadia, The Common, San Remo etc etc.

[frostypaw]

7 minutes ago, Isaact said:

I have to disagree with you entirely on all of this.

Reckon you're agreeing a fair bit with me just from the other side of the balance TBH. It's a polarising topic but we all just want the bits we enjoy to shine in the end

[bennyhana22]

Just now, frostypaw said:

Reckon you're agreeing a fair bit with me just from the other side of the balance TBH. It's a polarising topic but we all just want the bits we enjoy to shine in the end

I want it all to shine!

My schedules this year will have me seeing zero Pyramid acts. But it gives me no pleasure to see plenty of people feeling that the Pyramid line-up is really not up to scratch.

Ben

[Isaact]

Yes I think unanimously people think the Pyramid lineup is the weakest in a long time.

Even the people I've spoken to who aren't going have said pretty much straight off the bat that "the line up isn't very good this year, is it?"

And for these people, the Pyramid line up = the line up.

I do wonder how the BBC will fill the schedules as there's nothing exciting on there.

[Xeph1995]

As a counter point, has the Pyramid ever been that good apart from the odd band? I usually see maybe one headline acts a year but apart from that I'm mainly at the other stages during the day. 

Pyramid has always been that way imo.

Edited June 12, 2023 by Xeph1995

[Isaact]

Just now, Xeph1995 said:

As a counter point, is the Pyramid ever been that good apart from the odd band? I usually see maybe one headline acts a year but apart from that I'm mainly at the other stages during the day. 

Pyramid has always been that way. 

This is the first year I haven't had at least 4 must-see Pyramid acts (and at least a handful of 'like to see but might miss')

I have literally one must-see Pyramid act this year (Elton). That's it. Nothing else on there is interesting for me this year, which is genuinely unprescidented and this is my tenth fest.

[Skip997]

Just now, Xeph1995 said:

As a counter point, is the Pyramid ever been that good apart from the odd band? I usually see maybe one headline acts a year but apart from that I'm mainly at the other stages during the day. 

Pyramid has always been that way. 

You're spot on here. The Pyramid always has been poor, going right back, except for the occasional act.

[frostypaw]

9 minutes ago, gfa said:

As others have said, the OK night festival bit is completely wrong.

Block9 and SH individually could stand alone and be £100+ weekend festivals. Thats before even considering Arcadia, The Common, San Remo etc etc.

People have wildly differing tastes in music, I wouldn't even go to that festival. Doesn't make either of us right/wrong - just different and ain't that the joy of it all. Daytime line-up is pretty good for me, pyramid always poor but got more to see on it this year than normal. Only one night I've got late things on my clashfinder and that finishes at 3. Will still see a few sunrises just doing other things.

[Xeph1995]

4 minutes ago, frostypaw said:

People have wildly differing tastes in music, I wouldn't even go to that festival. Doesn't make either of us right/wrong - just different and ain't that the joy of it all. Daytime line-up is pretty good for me, pyramid always poor but got more to see on it this year than normal. Only one night I've got late things on my clashfinder and that finishes at 3. Will still see a few sunrises just doing other things.

I wouldn't pay for any dance festival in general because I like a variety of music. 

That being said at Glastonbury I'll go there (SE Corner) and see what's on and just go to random sets all night, mostly have no idea who these people are but always have a good skank regardless. 

Edited June 12, 2023 by Xeph1995

[HotChipWillBreakYourLegs]

Underground vacuum tunnels that take all the waste and recycling from the bins straight to the waste and recycling centre.

[gfa]

7 minutes ago, frostypaw said:

People have wildly differing tastes in music, I wouldn't even go to that festival. Doesn't make either of us right/wrong - just different and ain't that the joy of it all. Daytime line-up is pretty good for me, pyramid always poor but got more to see on it this year than normal. Only one night I've got late things on my clashfinder and that finishes at 3. Will still see a few sunrises just doing other things.

I don't like Download but i know its still the a great metal festival is more my point

Just because you don't like the music that doesn't mean its just an 'ok' festival, its massive

[HotChipWillBreakYourLegs]

With the late night stuff you used to be able to bumble around and just stumble in to an amazing venue with good music.

There seems to be more planning now as there's more queuing you need to plan around.