Plans to increase capacity over next 2 years

[Mamba]

Haven't seen this posted...

Reading Festival organisers have asked the council permission to sell 6,500 extra tickets over the next two year.

Organiser Melvin Benn wants to raise this year's capacity of 78,500 ticketholders and 4,999 guests to 82,000 next year and 85,000 from 2011.

But local resident groups have raised concerns over an increase in noise and nuisance from extra music fans.

The council will vote on the idea on Friday. This year's event will feature the Arctic Monkeys over 28-30 August.

Mr Benn is also asking for the number of "early arrivals" permitted to be increased from 7,500 to 20,000.

These allow festival-goers to enter the site at 1800 BST on the Wednesday instead of Thursday.

[samc86]

saw this on the reading festival forums, slightly overcrowded?!

[penny_wishes]

Am I the only one who thinks it's already a bit cramped as it is?

Fair enough I have no idea what its like over near white and the furthest away parts of brown, but unless they either a) extend the campsite or b ) ban gazebos/stop people camping in circles etc I don't really get how this would work, assuming its busy all over the site. And where would people go in the (admittedly unlikely) event there was a drainage problem on site and whole areas were uncampable?

*fondly remembers being at Latitude last weekend, and the ridiculous amount of space she had around her tent*

Edited July 24, 2009 by penny_wishes

[Cpatain_kelly]

I couldn't agree more. Reading can't have more people attending, unless they increase the campsite area massively.

Last year we took a good walk around the site, after pitching our tents in G2 and there was not much space at all.

Also after all the videos and comments posted last year about 'angry mob' and various other thugs going about in the nights. Surely the council or whoever makes the decision on this, should be paying attention to this and addressing it with Readings organisers.

[Jefrow]

along with the campsites, what about the arena.. it was awful coming out of rage last year. if they make that bigger then they're going to have to go into the campsite space and there'll be even less space in them.. and it's not like they can expand into other fields or anything. just another way to get more money for them, the demand is there but the space isn't.

[beLIEveR]

And where would people go in the (admittedly unlikely) event there was a drainage problem on site and whole areas were uncampable?

[markeee]

In 2007 it really was that bad. We camped where we always do, in G7, but between the path and the river you couldn't even attempt to camp there until Friday morning.

[Reue]

along with the campsites, what about the arena.. it was awful coming out of rage last year. if they make that bigger then they're going to have to go into the campsite space and there'll be even less space in them.. and it's not like they can expand into other fields or anything. just another way to get more money for them, the demand is there but the space isn't.

[innerspeaker]

does anyone know if its true they'll be selling them to the general public again saturday?!