Glasto vs reading

[Mmmm Beer]

I think i probably will bring some wine and cheese.

PS Mmmm Beer stalking your own son via the message board.........mmmm sad!

[joshwarrr]

Fair point Joshwarrr and thanks for offering to bring wine n cheeeeeeeese this year.

[Homer]

I'll try and give a more balanced response than some on here, but much is my own opinion and assumption.

I've been to Reading for the last 3 years. I'm going to Glastonbury for the first time this year, and will go to Reading again in August. Much of the following will explain why I have done Reading rather than Glastonbury before.

Bands

- Reading has a higher concentration of young upcoming exciting Rock bands (indie, punk, metal, etc) than Glastonbury. I generally enjoy my Rock and get full satisfaction at Reading.

- Glasto has more, and a wider range of, bands and stages. So, if your musical tastes are wider than mine then Glasto will always win

Arena

- Reading is much smaller than Glastonbury. Easier to get around during the day to cram more music in. Yes, the camp is seperate from the arena and access is controlled. Attendance levels have been increasing year on year and Reading is uncomfortably packed.

Location

- Reading is near the town centre, so it is easy to arrange alternative accommodation if you prefer not to camp. I love having a soft bed, daily shower and decent full English breakfast in the morning. The festival is all about music to me (at my time of life). I don't NEED the camping experience. I've done loads of that already. It's nice to escape the madness of the festival and really chill out. It's my holiday!

- Glasto is in the country in the middle of nowhere. I expect the setting to be lovely. I am having to camp so that will be a compromise for me.

Time of Year

- Statistics may prove me wrong, but I'd bet that Reading enjoys more favourable weather. It's always a nice way to round off the summer. I've had a couple of rain showers in the last 3 years. No mud baths. It is a kid friendly time of year. I've gone with my boys every time.

- Glasto weather is legendary. My kids have always been in school and I've been unwilling to remove them to attend Glasto

Ethos

- Reading is all about making as much money from the punters as possible, by providing a superb line up of Rock bands

- Glasto ethos is more about the vibe, politics and charity. I empaphise with the charitable ethos but loathe the thought of rubbing shoulders with the looney left (as much as I would with the Toffs). I have been told that I can pretty much ignore this aspect. We'll see.

- Glasto is a performing arts festival. I'm sure that the Chinese Dragons and woodturning will be thrilling, but I honestly think that I will probably get more enjoyment watching a lot of young adults enjoy their independence and find their feet at Reading. Sure, there will be a minority of dickheads (young and old), but I expect that I'll see just as many at Glastonbury - perhaps of a different type.

Why Glasto this year? For once, they have a powerhouse of headliners with a sound undercard.

Wherever you go, keep open minded and acknowledge the good and bad in everything, but enjoy yourself. There are no wrong choices. Ignore anyone who says one is great and the other is shit.

[Joshuwarr]

FOR GLASTONBURY:

- Better food

- No arena, so no queueing and alcohol can be taken everywhere

- Larger variety of music

- The site is a lot more beautiful than Reading

- Free programme and free entry from Wednesday (including some entertainment from then!)

- Much more relaxed atmosphere and you almost always feel safe.

- You never know what you're going to expect.

FOR READING:

- Much smaller site so quick to get around, especially arena.

- Very lively which can be perceived as either good or bad depending on circumstances.

- Usually a quite good lineup if you're looking for little variation but the best of up and coming talent.

- Good location to get to.

[micawber]

I like the the fact that you've told us all to be open minded... after posting a load of conjecture about a festival you've never actually been to!

[joshwarrr]

You're very welcome. Was it very inaccurate or a fair assessment?

[MartinGooding]

as with alot of the previous people i can only go off my opinion, alot of the bands i like, alot of them punk and metal bands, would probably never play glastonbury, but i still see the lock up stage as the only redeeming feature of Leeds and Reading, having been to 2 Leeds and one Glasto i would probably never go back to Leeds unless they managed to get a 1 small number of acts that i couldnt turn down (Bowie, Prince, Led Zep, Pink Floyd) even though all seam more likely to play Glasto, the second leeds festival i went to was after my first Glasto, my main reason for attending was RATM, who are one of my favourite bands, and i still struggled to enjoy it enywhere near as much. The people annoyed me a hell of a lot more, when there was no one on i wanted to see i was genuinely bored at times. The atmosphere just wasnt there for me so i will probably never return but thats just my opinion anyway.

[grumpyhack]

Glasto is probably the best festival in the UK, whatever your age and taste in music. You'll find lots of arguments why on many of the Glasto threads. Just search for the "it's not just about the music" posts.

Not many festivals can sell out before the line up is announced. Glasto does because there's always enough good bands for everyone's taste plus lots more.

[micawber]

i think it was a simplistic view. you'll understand what i mean when you go. its very difficult to describe the setting as "lovely" and the acts to be "thrilling". Its very hard to put into words what its like. although you are right the weather is "legendary"

[Spider43]

Glasto is probably the best festival in the UK, whatever your age and taste in music. You'll find lots of arguments why on many of the Glasto threads. Just search for the "it's not just about the music" posts.

Not many festivals can sell out before the line up is announced. Glasto does because there's always enough good bands for everyone's taste plus lots more.

[Doomz]

I gave up on Reading after 5 straight years when a gang of drunk 13

year olds razor bladed their way into my tent at night narrowly missing

slashing my flatmates face off by about an inch. This was between avoiding

the "trampling" hoardes who flattened entire fields of tents that year, on two

occasions permanently crippling the people inside.

Yeah, lovely lovely Reading. If you're a prick teenager with no self

control and the urge to ruin everyone elses fun at every opportunity,

Reading is for you. If you prefer an actual music festival, not a chaotic

battle royale free for all, then pick Glasto.

Not a hard choice. I went to Reading for the first time when I was 16

and I was one of the youngest there. The last year I went the average

age seemed about 13. Makes a big difference.

-D

[DaleM]

Reading / Leeds book the "big" bands of the moment. A fair amount of R/L goers stay in the campsite all day getting f**ked and then go and see the headliner at night before going back to the campsite to get more f**ked.

Glastonbury tends to have a range in its headliners. In recent years its been the "comeback band" of the moment. The Verve or Blur. There's been the typical "breaking band" of a band that is about to make it big, and go on to headline every festival under the sun the following year. Last year it was Kings of Leon. In years before The Killers, Arctic Monkeys, Coldplay, etc. And the classic band, such as The Who, Bruce Springsteen, etc.

I think this helps the Glastonbury lineup appeal to more people, and represents somewhat the diverse range of music on offer. At Glastonbury you should go looking for music, which is why you'll get big acts playing off the main stages. At R/L the lineup is organised so you can stand in front of one stage all day and hear music of the one genre, if you choose to.

[kloot]

If anyone had been to both and preferred Reading I'd seriously doubt their sanity.

[refriedgenes]

Glasto's a festival, Reading's an event.

[farewellandgoodnight]

some of us speeding scarily towards middle-age unfortunately

with their guitars, hairstyles, straight trousers and all that malarky

[farewellandgoodnight]

tbf I think Reading would as well if they went down that route, it's not like everyone had time to properly consider the line up before the tickets sold out.

Both festivals are great for different reasons, can't go wrong with either in my opinion..

[lemonandlime]

The only reason Reading sells out so fast in my opinion is because touts buy up half the tickets on day one. I'd be interested to see how fast it sold out if they introduced anti touting measures like Glasto.

What does everybody else think? Would Leeds/Reading sell out immediately if the people buying the tickets were the people who were going to use them?

Edited June 16, 2009 by lemonandlime

[farewellandgoodnight]

They'd nowhere near sellout, but don't tell the cool kids this!

I actually like that way that both Glastonbury and Reading are seen as equals to the untrained eye by the use of the word festival. For the biggest festival in the world, actually HOW superior to the others is still quite a well-kept secret. I assume its because it retains a good proportion of return custom, whereas you grow out of Reading in 3 years i'd guess.

Let them think its a complete expensive mudbath full of over-the-hill crooners. Glastonbury is for life, not just a weekend in the summer to get yourself an STD.

[1000yardstare]

anyone whos been to both, which is better?? ive been to reading 3 times , going to glasto this year for the first time, which is better for atmostphere and the party?? not taking the lineups into account

[PennardHill]

No comparison and no intention of going back to Reading.

[Bexxxxx]

- Glasto weather is legendary. My kids have always been in school and I've been unwilling to remove them to attend Glasto

[Thatmax]

The past 2 years at Reading have without a doubt been the best two weekends of my life. Met some brilliant people, saw some brilliant acts and generally had fun (without destroying anything)

I think it will be hard to top (from my experiences) but I am keeping a very open mind for my first Glasto.

What I am expecting is for them both to be epic in very different ways.

So I will give my response in a week or so

[Moonlight]

The past 2 years at Reading have without a doubt been the best two weekends of my life. Met some brilliant people, saw some brilliant acts and generally had fun (without destroying anything)

I think it will be hard to top (from my experiences) but I am keeping a very open mind for my first Glasto.

[Phil_S]

I;ve never been to Reading, but know plenty who have & then have come to Glasto, & been totally blown away.

[Insomaniac]

After going to Reading from 1997 until 2001 I realised it was not for me anymore. Too many "crazy" kids burning anything in sight and a terrible atmosphere once you're kicked out of the arena and desparate to do something. Also the fact that the music changed to more metal and nu-metal meant there were very few bands I wanted to see.

If you like the music on show at Reading then great, you'll probably enjoy it there as when I used to go I was able to see lots of bands very easily as the stages are so close together. At Glastonbury you can have a laugh whatever time of day regardless of which bands are playing.

As someone said earlier Reading is some gigs in a field, Glastonbury is a festival.

Edited June 17, 2009 by Insomaniac