Changes from 2023>2024

[MEGATRONICMEATWAGON]

23 hours ago, MJP said:

I don't like the wraparound screens. The people on stage get lost in what's happening around them.

I mean, wrap-around or not, it would be nicer to have slightly bigger screens. I don't think performers would necessarily get lost, depending on their stage presence. If they've got zero stage presence, then I could see them getting lost I guess. But several bands had a lot of visuals on the whole weekend - at some point I wondered if they had all visited the same studio, they looked so similar, and if you've got visuals, you might as well have the best gear to promote them on. 

[DeanoL]

16 hours ago, stuie said:

SEC capacity is 40,000 (IICON is 15k on its own) + Silver Hayes + Arcadia + Glade. I understand this is all hypothetical but your numbers are way out - half the festival is electronic music, which I guess what you’re meaning by dance. That’s before you even account for headliners like Chems/Prodigy etc 

Ahh I was wrong on capacity then (maybe I was thinking pre-ICONN) - but the point is you can cut festival demand by half and still sell out, and ditching dance music wouldn't cut demand by half.

15 hours ago, Skip997 said:

I find it strange that the food on offer has any bearing at all on people's interest in a festival, or even that there's a festival food topic on here.

All you need is 3 reasonably filling and reasonably healthy meals a day in order to keep going.

I find it strange the dance music has any bearing at all on people's interest in the festival but apparently it does. Different stuff for different people. 

But to be clear, the festival doesn't just go for the cheapest/most profitable options, but try and match the quality of street food offerings at various dining clubs and festivals around the country. These are events that people pay an entry price for and attend just for the food traders. (Indeed, Glasto was doing this well before the UK street food market exploded - have to admit I care less these days when I can get the same experience at Digbeth Dining Club or such than I did when the fest was one of the few places that offered it)

[DeanoL]

16 hours ago, The Red Telephone said:

Crazy to think that people wouldn’t consider going if they didn’t serve meat!

Maybe this belongs in the regular “Glastonbury Unpopular Opinions” thread that crop up on here…but the food at the festival isn’t that great, really.

Probably the same issue we have with DJs, but worse as the full line up is never actually announced anywhere. Some stalls are national award-winning street food vendors. Others are... not. And there's no easy way to tell the difference.

[DeanoL]

Though I will say with respect to food, much like I've touched on before with other non-music areas like T&C, the festival *is* starting to fall behind a little bit on the street food element. It's another area where the festival was a market leader in the early/mid 2000s, but didn't move with the times and is starting to be left behind a bit.

(And that's why I'd object to any silly marketing like going meatless - I'd rather they put the effort into becoming a leader in the space again - maybe let a group that run street food events curate a market area or something if they no longer have the expertise in-house)

[stuie]

5 minutes ago, DeanoL said:

Ahh I was wrong on capacity then (maybe I was thinking pre-ICONN) - but the point is you can cut festival demand by half and still sell out, and ditching dance music wouldn't cut demand by half.

I think we'll just have to agree to disagree here.  We'll never find out because Glasto isn't about to get rid of the whole SEC, Arcadia, Silver Hayes and Glade and Greenpeace areas.  The whole reason the SEC was created was to set Glasto apart from the competition so to get rid of it would put it massively behind the competition, apart from possibly Reading, which still has 'dance' music, just not late night. 

Glasto isn't just for bands anymore!

 

 

 

[On The Blend]

I’m no edgy zoomer but some parts of this thread do read like the yer dad’s letter to the Daily Mail…

Glasto doesn’t give a hoot about which changes would sell more/ less tickets, they’ve got that part on lock.

Their brand equity comes from being one of the most iconic, visionary, and pathbreaking examples of emergent culture in the world. If they want to stay on the cutting edge then things like a more contemporary genre-balance, going meatless as a political statement, or incorporating narrative elements like BT should be in the conversation. 

[DeanoL]

38 minutes ago, stuie said:

I think we'll just have to agree to disagree here.  We'll never find out because Glasto isn't about to get rid of the whole SEC, Arcadia, Silver Hayes and Glade and Greenpeace areas.  The whole reason the SEC was created was to set Glasto apart from the competition so to get rid of it would put it massively behind the competition, apart from possibly Reading, which still has 'dance' music, just not late night. 

Glasto isn't just for bands anymore!

Oh I totally agree with that bit. The only point I was making was how popular the festival is. So someone going "if the festival went meatless, it's not like it wouldn't sell out" - well yeah, because it's so oversubscribed, you could get rid a massive chunk of it and still sell-out. It's a good 25% of the festival, but that's the point, you could cut out 25% of the festival and unless it includes the Pyramid, it'd still sell out.

[DeanoL]

Just now, On The Blend said:

If they want to stay on the cutting edge then things like a more contemporary genre-balance, going meatless as a political statement, or incorporating narrative elements like BT should be in the conversation. 

You list three things there. Two are about making, better more contemporary entertainment. And the other is a political statement. How about instead of going meatless they massively improve the food offering by working with street food partners to actually become a leader in that space again? 

And then fire the Arcadia team as a political statement if they need make one.

 

[stuie]

7 minutes ago, DeanoL said:

Oh I totally agree with that bit. The only point I was making was how popular the festival is. So someone going "if the festival went meatless, it's not like it wouldn't sell out" - well yeah, because it's so oversubscribed, you could get rid a massive chunk of it and still sell-out. It's a good 25% of the festival, but that's the point, you could cut out 25% of the festival and unless it includes the Pyramid, it'd still sell out.

Sorry, I'll leave it after this point but I think it's way more than 25% of the festival and I'm of the opinion that these areas are the reason why it's so in demand, not the Pyramid!  Most of the headliners aren't unique to Glasto but what is unique is the depth and variety of the line up and areas and the late night offering.

[DeanoL]

1 minute ago, stuie said:

Sorry, I'll leave it after this point but I think it's way more than 25% of the festival and I'm of the opinion that these areas are the reason why it's so in demand, not the Pyramid!  Most of the headliners aren't unique to Glasto but what is unique is the depth and variety of the line up and areas and the late night offering.

It's more than 25% of the music but not of the festival. You have to account for the fact that, for example, T&C is a good 15%, Greenfields 10%, etc.

[On The Blend]

10 minutes ago, DeanoL said:

And then fire the Arcadia team as a political statement if they need make one.

Sorry, but what what does this even mean? 
 

The people who run Glastonbury are tasked with trying to retain its status as a global icon; it’s probably the most famous music festival in the world. This will not be achieved by putting more Steely Dan on.

[iSolaced]

Agreed. I think the point of a festival like Glastonbury is to appeal to many, many different facets. It's all about mass-appeal but finding the minor niches which are loved

[gfa]

1 hour ago, DeanoL said:

Ahh I was wrong on capacity then (maybe I was thinking pre-ICONN) - but the point is you can cut festival demand by half and still sell out, and ditching dance music wouldn't cut demand by half.

I find it strange the dance music has any bearing at all on people's interest in the festival but apparently it does. Different stuff for different people. 

But to be clear, the festival doesn't just go for the cheapest/most profitable options, but try and match the quality of street food offerings at various dining clubs and festivals around the country. These are events that people pay an entry price for and attend just for the food traders. (Indeed, Glasto was doing this well before the UK street food market exploded - have to admit I care less these days when I can get the same experience at Digbeth Dining Club or such than I did when the fest was one of the few places that offered it)

Mad you don't think dance music has a bearing on people's interest - do you not see the people in Silver Hayes all day, the crowds when a dance act does Other etc?? Its hardly a new thing lol

Here isn't an accurate reflection of the whole audience but at least 60-70% of adult attendees probably have a SE corner night

Its not just about getting 'rid of dance music' its more that the festival would effectively shut off at midnight. I think after a few years demand would eventually dither, you'd lose a huge part of the experience (maybe not for yourself - but for many attendees).

The late music (not specifically dance, just having something on) is a huge draw in itself

[Skip997]

8 minutes ago, gfa said:

Its not just about getting 'rid of dance music' its more that the festival would effectively shut off at midnight. I think after a few years demand would eventually dither, you'd lose a huge part of the experience (maybe not for yourself - but for many attendees).

The late music (not specifically dance, just having something on) is a huge draw in itself

Which would cause massive problems.

What would all the can't/don't want to sleep people do?

[gfa]

8 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

Which would cause massive problems.

What would all the can't/don't want to sleep people do?

Well it is just hypothetical obviously - the question isn't whether it makes sense its about ticket sales

[CaledonianGonzo]

Love to try to fix things that aren't broken. Famously, no unintended negative consequences can ever arise.

[gfa]

11 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

Love to try to fix things that aren't broken. Famously, no unintended negative consequences can ever arise.

In fairness the SEC is clearly broken - theres several major issues with it

[stuie]

32 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

Which would cause massive problems.

What would all the can't/don't want to sleep people do?

Year 1:  Campsite parties, campfires, illegal sound systems and general mischief 

Year 2:  Other festivals

[CaledonianGonzo]

21 minutes ago, gfa said:

In fairness the SEC is clearly broken - theres several major issues with it

It's too popular at certain times of night, so if that's an issue give it a swerve at those times.....? seems fairly straightforward.

Although they do need to sort out the bookings on Iicon.

[gfa]

1 minute ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

It's too popular at certain times of night, so if that's an issue give it a swerve at those times.....? seems fairly straightforward.

Although they do need to sort out the bookings on Iicon.

You shouldn't have to swerve half of the late night areas because they are too buys. Its fine by me - but i can see how its a problem and its something they can defo improve on

[CaledonianGonzo]

2 minutes ago, gfa said:

You shouldn't have to swerve half of the late night areas because they are too buys. Its fine by me - but i can see how its a problem and its something they can defo improve on

It's people stuck in traffic complaining about traffic.  Usually avoidable if you don't travel during rush hour.

[Leyrulion]

3 hours ago, DeanoL said:

Though I will say with respect to food, much like I've touched on before with other non-music areas like T&C, the festival *is* starting to fall behind a little bit on the street food element. It's another area where the festival was a market leader in the early/mid 2000s, but didn't move with the times and is starting to be left behind a bit.

(And that's why I'd object to any silly marketing like going meatless - I'd rather they put the effort into becoming a leader in the space again - maybe let a group that run street food events curate a market area or something if they no longer have the expertise in-house)

We disagree violently here so my last words to you on the topic are that the reason other places do it was related to the need to reduce carbon emissions, of which meat consumption is the biggest emitter for your average festival attendee. So it was that, rather than silly marketing that was the issue. 

[Skip997]

12 minutes ago, Leyrulion said:

We disagree violently here so my last words to you on the topic are that the reason other places do it was related to the need to reduce carbon emissions, of which meat consumption is the biggest emitter for your average festival attendee. So it was that, rather than silly marketing that was the issue. 

Are you aware of any festivals that do it, other than Shambala?

[DeanoL]

15 minutes ago, Leyrulion said:

We disagree violently here so my last words to you on the topic are that the reason other places do it was related to the need to reduce carbon emissions, of which meat consumption is the biggest emitter for your average festival attendee. So it was that, rather than silly marketing that was the issue. 

It reduces *their* carbon emissions. But ultimately every street food vendor worth their salt is trading every weekend of the summer. Presumably these festivals didn't reduce the number of food stalls? So across the entire country, the same number of spots were available. It just means Shambala and such end up getting more of the veggie/vegan vendors and the other vendors end up going to different festivals (and the tiny festivals that only have room for 3-4 food stalls and are running that weekend go "sorry, we couldn't source a vegan option").

I assure you that the burger place that Shambala didn't book because they were going meatless just traded somewhere else that weekend and generated the same amount of carbon. If the festivals have to do that to reach some arbitrary target then, fine, do what you gotta do, but it's not actually making a difference overall.

I'm not sure why there is any need for violence here?

Edited September 1, 2023 by DeanoL

[DeanoL]

2 hours ago, gfa said:

Mad you don't think dance music has a bearing on people's interest

Not what I said. I said I find it strange. I find it strange anyone likes dance music. Honestly don't see the appeal. (Well, outside of certain things that go hand in hand with dance music... but that's not the music itself).

Doesn't mean those people are wrong but I think your 60-70% figure is way high. There's 200,000 people on site, we established the SE corner has a capacity of 40,000 which is 20%, and may of those will be going every night. I'd imagine it's closer to 30-40% - huge swathes of people just go back to the tent after the headliners. Doesn't mean we should ditch it but this forum massively over-judges its popularity.