Focus Group For Reading Festival

[dan666]

Ok Im a bit late with this. Once again the time has come for our Reading Festival Focus Group to attend a meeting with Festival Republic Representatives to discuss Reading Festival and put forward questions / comments / suggestions about the Festival.

If you have any suggestions that you think would benefit or improve the festival or you have a question that you would like answering or a subject you would like raised please let me know by posting in this thread. I will then take your questions to the Zee and then on to the meeting and feedback to you on my return.

Ok Guys i have like 1 or 2 days as im slack as shit. So yeah anything you can think of chaps.

Thanks again, Dan.

[kittycat100]

Hey Dan,

I would like to say that the bridge was great last year, so well done to them for that.

In terms of changes - can there be less people int he campsite? in fact everywhere?

I've been every year since 2001 and never have I camped in so crowded a space! And we have camped in a very similar spot every year. We were there on wednesday and has plenty of space, but as people kep arriving they kept squeezing in and squeezing in. we even had to ask some people not to pitch their tent so we could actually get out of ours.

This ramming in of people made it seem much more rowdy (in a bad way not a fun way) and really spoilt the weekend for us.

The arena also seemed far too full, but it was more dealable with.

Otrher thoughts I have had are:

1. The food bit at T in the park where they have all local producers and the like is amazing, providing a much better selection of food, and better quality and value too. Any chance of getting localproducers involved at Reading?

2. Ethical food sellers, has MF considered asking food suppliers to consider using free range eggs, british meat etc. I appreciate this would put prices up but it would give us punters a choice about where to spend out money.

[thomasowen]

Last year I thought pretty much everything was as perfect as it could be. Space will always be an issue and it's a bugger, but thats just the nature of the event, I couldn't imagine it any other way, I didn't think it was too crowded.

I think they could have sorted the mud probalam at leeds out much quicker than they did - it seemed like for Wednesday and Thursday nothing was being done, it was only on Friday I noticed them putting down that woodchip stuff.

Edited January 12, 2009 by thomasowen

[504329lt]

As mentioned above, the bridge from White worked really well. Can you please confirm that the bridge will be back in place this year.

If not, then we want campervans back in Red where they belong.

Sell less day tickets.

[Joshuwarr]

I think its pointless criticizing the line up as it is clearly popular with the majority of attendees its just we all have a varying taste.

I think there should be more to do in the campsite and outside the arena. Maybe little tents with workshops we could take part in and more chillout areas where you can sit down and listen to some light jazz or something like that.

It would be nice if there was a big field which was not camping but just a field with maybe just a bar where you could sit down and chill out in a big open space.

[thomasowen]

I've thought of something else, the dance/lock up tent at Leeds was far too close to the main stage, I could hear the bands when I was trying to watch mainstage acts. Also the sound quality was pretty shocking on the first couple of days, although I doubt they will be able to do anything about it

[micawber]

Good idea about keeping a space free in the camp ground, e.g. football, sun-bathing, bulldog, etc, Josh

I appreciated the extra arena space last year, but it is still too packed overall

I'd also like

- Introduction of Real Ale / Beer

- More choice of drinks

- Delayed video feeds from other stages to mainstage monitors, to be played in between mainstage bands

- Larger video screens. Metallica's was perfect!

- Larger entrances/exits to/from toilets

- Opening another entrance to the arena to take the day ticket volumes away from the campsite

- More bins to encourage (some wish) less mess thrown on the ground

- Cup refunds extended to plates

[dan666]

keep em coming guys. Think i have to forward these this evening. Thanks for the questions so far

[kittycat100]

Last year I thought pretty much everything was as perfect as it could be. Space will always be an issue and it's a bugger, but thats just the nature of the event, I couldn't imagine it any other way, I didn't think it was too crowded.

I think they could have sorted the mud probalam at leeds out much quicker than they did - it seemed like for Wednesday and Thursday nothing was being done, it was only on Friday I noticed them putting down that woodchip stuff.

[micawber]

Probably wont happen, but how about an oldies/honored guests tent for those acts we loved as a child but who wouldn't cut it on the mainstages however big they were/are, e.g.

- Magnum

- Saxon

- Slade

- Triumph (are they still going?)

- Heart

- Darts

- Alice Cooper

- Asia

- Bangles

(ok. I'll stop going through my Sonos artists lists. You get the picture.)

[5co77ie]

I'd also like

- Introduction of Real Ale / Beer

[quicksilver87]

The main issues for me last year are

-The chaos on saturday (i think) when they stopped people going into the arena early afternoon causing a massive backlog. and every night after the headliner, why didnt they open the fire exits to allow more off a flow out of the main arena?

-When me and my friend arrived wednesday we didnt know where the entrance was as they moved it from the previous year meaning we had a massive walk down to the river and along. Can we not use the entrance on the main road?

-Sunday night, total chaos, they need more police, fire marshalls etc available. We didnt have any problems but ive read the stories!

Apart from that, great festival, thanks cant wait for this year!

[TalkShow Bob]

Me too - or even a choice of apple cider at all the bars rather than Babycham (the pear stuff)

[Mike Patton]

Less crap music and more genuine bands...but I told Melvin that last year...

[moshing]

Wow what just happend. Did you just inadvertently refer to perry as cider due to your differentating between "apple" and other ciders. Thats a first lol.

[TalkShow Bob]

I have just read another thread where you name dropped, just like this one

[moshing]

What?

Edited January 21, 2009 by moshing

[TalkShow Bob]

oppps sorry about that - I quoted the wrong post - what a muppet!

[kittycat100]

So when are the forum's happening thsi year?

[5co77ie]

Wow what just happend. Did you just inadvertently refer to perry as cider due to your differentating between "apple" and other ciders. Thats a first lol.

[Mike Patton]

I have just read another thread where you name dropped, just like this one

Edited January 22, 2009 by Mike Patton

[rockgeek]

So when are the forum's happening thsi year?

[benisright]

Swap the dance/lockup stage with the festival republic stage. Move the nme and lock up further apart.

[pee2pee]

Swap the dance/lockup stage with the festival republic stage. Move the nme and lock up further apart.

[Mike Patton]

So when are the forum's happening thsi year?