Ban the f**king flags

[charlierc]

14 minutes ago, prestonmike said:

other festivals have an arena area where you have to go through security to get from the camp site to the stages, Glastonbury doesnt have that so it'll be more difficult to manage unless they check everyones luggage on entry

I know that's the flow into the arena at Reading, which had flags briefly then banned them in 2009. Something their organisers were keen to shout about after announcing it: Melvin Benn: 'I was right to ban flags at Reading And Leeds Festivals' (nme.com)

[henry bear]

1 hour ago, DTichborne said:

My view for Paul McCartney last year. It doesn't enhance the experience, it's selfish. 

 

 

Other places to stand are available

[DaveN]

Curse the flags

Though I did appreciate the 'Kendall in the Wind' flag

[henry bear]

4 hours ago, Welshinexile said:

I can’t see the pyramid stage or the screens cos of the flags .

Jesus, enough! They are awful.

and I not normally thus grumpy 😅 But they are a scourge on the festival 🫣

 

Other festivals that don't have them are available

[TGCarr]

They are waaaay too much. Can’t see anyone on the MainStage, piss take at times 

[Punksnotdead]

Football flags are the f**king worst! I love football, but leave your allegiances behind at Glastonbury!

[Neville Street]

3 hours ago, DaveN said:

Curse the flags

Though I did appreciate the 'Kendall in the Wind' flag

We liked that one too!!

[Lakey91]

Maybe they should just be banned beyond a certain point so they don't get too close to the stage. It does seem like most of the flag w*nkers are the same people who like to spend their entire day at the same stage and slowly work their way closer to the front. Which leads to a lot of flags in front of the stage, but surprisingly few further back in the crowd.

[ticketboy69]

The flags were the highlight of last nights AM headline performance, so let’s not rush into anything. 

[airwaves]

And WTAF Is this monstrosity twirling above punter's heads at Rick Astley?? 

😡😡😡

[GlastoFlow]

Is there anything that bans advertising on the flags? I can see loads more cropping up next year after Radio X this year and then I say BAN THEM ALL

[found home in 2009]

5 hours ago, Lakey91 said:

Maybe they should just be banned beyond a certain point so they don't get too close to the stage. It does seem like most of the flag w*nkers are the same people who like to spend their entire day at the same stage and slowly work their way closer to the front. Which leads to a lot of flags in front of the stage, but surprisingly few further back in the crowd.

This has always been my thought. It's the ones at the very front that spoil absolutely everyone's view. Getting in and out at the entrance to the crush barrier is always a nightmare. Could put security there and make one side an entrance, one an exit and they could check for flags at the same time. Solves two problems at once.

Find flags useful for finding your mate in the crowd. Though we only put them up when we're trying to meet up with friends. Occasionally someone else near us in the crowd will ask us to put it back up so their friend can find them. Flags can be useful, but the people that wave them around at the front just to be seen on tv are selfish dicks.
 

[K2SO]

Flags used to be cool but now they have become too much. In 2019, Christine and the Queens had security go through the crowd and remove every flag before they came on

[found home in 2009]

14 hours ago, henry bear said:

Other places to stand are available

Lets be honest though, for headliner performances at the Pyramid, 99% of the crowd can't see the stage for flag w*nkers. It's not like you can just move to the side a little to get a better view when there are so many of them and a lot of them are right at the front spoiling everyone's view.

[Padjeq]

I like them in general, but the people with the vertical banners, and the ones with more than one flag on a pole need to spend an afternoon snorkeling in the long drops. 

[Homersexual]

Every year, like clockwork.

The flags, the mud and the Scousers chewing their faces off are all fundamental parts of the Glastonbury experience - and they always will be.

[Suprefan]

4 hours ago, Homersexual said:

Every year, like clockwork.

The flags, the mud and the Scousers chewing their faces off are all fundamental parts of the Glastonbury experience - and they always will be.

But you can control the flags. So lets try to make people happy with that. Some shade and no flags, thats not a lot to ask for.

[G1T]

My favourite was yesterday. Don’t know if it was shown on the tv at home as well, but when Dave Grohl ran on at the start of the churnups set, the tv camera for the screens at the side of the stage tried to show a shot of him. Only a flag got in the way. So the emotional start of the surprise gig was just a shot of someone’s flag. Brilliant. 

[jparx]

I’ll always be team flags. It’s part of the festival. 

The Radio X ones can do one though. Maybe have people apply for permits to bring them in in future years so there’s some control on the numbers?

[WillyVWade]

I'd say ban flags forward of the sound desk.

Put up 4 fixed flag poles so people can still use those to find their way back to their mates. Sell flag space for charity so if you must absolutely have your county flag or your mate's face on TV for a few seconds, something good can come of it.

[DeanoL]

10 hours ago, Homersexual said:

Every year, like clockwork.

The flags, the mud and the Scousers chewing their faces off are all fundamental parts of the Glastonbury experience - and they always will be.

Nah, flags will get banned eventually, it's already a bone of contention with the BBC, eventually it'll come to ahead.

(Or the beeb will just use AI to digitally remove them in real time and so folk will stop bringing them as that was the whole point)

[Punksnotdead]

2 minutes ago, DeanoL said:

Nah, flags will get banned eventually, it's already a bone of contention with the BBC, eventually it'll come to ahead.

(Or the beeb will just use AI to digitally remove them in real time and so folk will stop bringing them as that was the whole point)

Finally, someone has found a good use for AI 🙂

[Homersexual]

14 minutes ago, DeanoL said:

Nah, flags will get banned eventually, it's already a bone of contention with the BBC, eventually it'll come to ahead.

(Or the beeb will just use AI to digitally remove them in real time and so folk will stop bringing them as that was the whole point)

The same debate crops up every year and has done since I started going to the festival in 2008. I've no doubt it preceeded then too. If you want change you've got to get organised - start a petition, write to the festival. Moaning about it on here won't help. It never has.

[BigMarv]

On 6/23/2023 at 6:14 PM, gherkin8r said:

Imagine being at actual Glastonbury in the actual crowd on the actual pyramid stage and simultaneously posting on efestivals moaning about the flags.

I agree, technology nowadays is amazing.

[Leyrulion]

On 6/23/2023 at 6:00 PM, Welshinexile said:

I can’t see the pyramid stage or the screens cos of the flags .

Jesus, enough! They are awful.

and I not normally thus grumpy 😅 But they are a scourge on the festival 🫣

 

This is just not true. Screens are plenty big enough to see through the flags. Find a better spot.