Chairs not allowed?

[Chris Haynes]

I've seen a post implying that chairs are not allowed. Is that right? We planned to bring a couple of collapsible camping chairs with us.

I also saw something about blankets. Are they banned too?

What _can_ one bring to sit on?

And is there a set of rules somewhere on the web site - I can't see any (other than those relating to food and drink).

TIA

[Esyl]

In previous years tons of people had chairs in the main arena and of course blankets. We bring chairs but leave them on the campsite (can't be bothered to cart them around). However I can't imagine you can ban a blanket! I for one will be bringing my Pimms blanket (purchased Wychwood two years ago!)!

[gratedenini]

In previous years tons of people had chairs in the main arena and of course blankets. We bring chairs but leave them on the campsite (can't be bothered to cart them around). However I can't imagine you can ban a blanket! I for one will be bringing my Pimms blanket (purchased Wychwood two years ago!)!

[Aaron95]

This rule has been in place in previous years, but not enforced too strictly. Of course you can bring in blankets and stuff. What the rule is there to prevent is people coming in and plonking their chairs down right in front of the main stage, or on the paths, which seems fair enough to me. I've even seen people bringing in those fold up picnic tables at some places and plonking those right in the middle of the park, which is just selfish.

Unless there has been a dramatic change of policy, nobody is going to stop you bringing in chairs so long as you sit somewhere sensible where you aren't in other people's way.

[Esyl]

If someone tries to tell me I can't take my Pimms blanket in there will be trouble. Especially given the Pimms bus will be flogging them again. There are deckchairs outside the pimms bus, and the echo falls bus if that ever makes another appearance (oh for a thimble of echo falls!) and there's always the picnic tables outside the beer tent, so other than gods green grass (which should be dry as a bone - no need for emergency carrier bag to sit on) there are plenty of other places to sit!

As Den said, however, some people take the piss and try and park their chairs in stupid places. I think you just have to be sensible. Last year we were one of about 10 people in the big top for some random band (we were just seeking shade on account of being the two palest people on the planet) and could spread our blanket pretty much anywhere we liked! Wonder whatever happened to the band - they were supposed to be the next big thing, young chap doing an impression of Brett from suede in an deserted big top with an audience so small we were practically on first name terms.

[gratedenini]

If someone tries to tell me I can't take my Pimms blanket in there will be trouble. Especially given the Pimms bus will be flogging them again. There are deckchairs outside the pimms bus, and the echo falls bus if that ever makes another appearance (oh for a thimble of echo falls!) and there's always the

[Esyl]

eee lad,

[Neville Street]

the slushy margaritas are what we really missed last year

Posting this mid AA relay to the site. I called them at 3pm from Bodmin Moor, and 12 hours later I am Gordano. All thats wrong is the fan belt snapped on the camper. It will be worth it when we get there, but my first job is waking up on a garage forecourt at 0800 (if indeed I make it the last 45 miles by then!) and hoping they have the belt and the time to fit it before the gates open. Glad we left early

[Esyl]

the slushy margaritas are what we really missed last year

[KingOfSnake]

This rule has been in place in previous years, but not enforced too strictly.

...

Unless there has been a dramatic change of policy, nobody is going to stop you bringing in chairs so long as you sit somewhere sensible where you aren't in other people's way.

[Esyl]

The chairs had definitely all gone by Dreadzone!

There seemed to be more chairs than ever this year. I'm not massively averse to them as there is always standing at the front for those who want, although some people who set up their chairs and their umbrellas in the middle of the grass in front of the main stage do take the piss a bit. In previous years there was a 'runway' of concrete in front of the stage which always kept the chair brigade further back from the stage.

I guess Ade Edmondson and the bad shepherds got most of the Geees audience and I'm afraid Theo was up against Justin Fletcher, so even if the adults wanted to see them the kids probably wouldn't have allowed it.

[KingOfSnake]

The chairs had definitely all gone by Dreadzone!

There seemed to be more chairs than ever this year. I'm not massively averse to them as there is always standing at the front for those who want, although some people who set up their chairs and their umbrellas in the middle of the grass in front of the main stage do take the piss a bit. In previous years there was a 'runway' of concrete in front of the stage which always kept the chair brigade further back from the stage.

I guess Ade Edmondson and the bad shepherds got most of the Geees audience and I'm afraid Theo was up against Justin Fletcher, so even if the adults wanted to see them the kids probably wouldn't have allowed it.

[Aaron95]

I think the nature of many of the Wychwood crowd dictates that there will always be lots of chairs.

I agree, so long as theres always room down the front for those that want to dance , or just stand, then no harm I guess.

.. the parasols thou ... now that was taking the p1ss.

[binka]

Its all the bloody pop up tents and beach sun tents that take the piss. There was someone on Sat with a 5ft high 3 sided tent directly infront of the stage. Fair enough it was a distance back from the stage but still. The same people also had a smaller food tent that they were keeping their extensive range of picnic platters in. After they finished eating they put the food away in the little tent and then left both tents zipped up and went for a wander leaving them there!

[Neville Street]

Hope your mechanical troubles are fixed!

[Esyl]

Kept going till 4am Sat & Sunday, and now off for an early night!! Cheers, NS

[Wychwood Office]

Its all the bloody pop up tents and beach sun tents that take the piss. There was someone on Sat with a 5ft high 3 sided tent directly infront of the stage. Fair enough it was a distance back from the stage but still. The same people also had a smaller food tent that they were keeping their extensive range of picnic platters in. After they finished eating they put the food away in the little tent and then left both tents zipped up and went for a wander leaving them there!

[KingOfSnake]

Not on, and I'm sorry- we didn't realise there was this problem. Thought people would be a bit more considerate to their fellow festival goers...will have sure this doesn't happen next year.

[gratedenini]

First of all .. as always thanks for taking trouble to get involved in the forum.

Shame other festival organisers dont follow suit.

So are you saying you didnt see the sea of chairs / pop up tents / open drinking of food& drink clearly brought in cool bags / etc?

Or just didnt realise it was a problem?

Wychwood clearly targets a particular crowd.

Pimms / Waitrose / etc.

I wonder how many of that crowd would still go if it was more like Glasto and less like a 'Party in the Park'.

What summed it up for me nicely was when Kila were on and one of them shouted

"ah .. so its one of those folding chairs festivals"

"this is a festival for feks sake, get out of your chairs and dance"

This was met with a cheer from the non-folding chair peeps.

Didnt make much difference thou - they all stayed sat down in their Berghaus Gortex jackets supping on pino grigio. Appologies for my generalisation

[adders28]

A good reply KoS..... I have refrained from joining in with such vociferous denouncement of The Tented Ones...and i`ll tell you why..... Mr G isn`t actually the only festy organiser who scouts the boards...in fact I`d suggest most of em do...because they (the organsisers) do want feedback.

Lets face it... the (now) swelled up ranks on here can only be classed as the thinnest of straw polls...but in previous years---the threads would be longer than a splilt glass of Meryl Steets 4guinea Cider.

So, in essence... I dont want Mr G to read these comments on people getting fleeced at the gates cos they are single, northern and not carrying anything. Y`know why? Cos theres a chance he (they) might do something about it..... and really, tbh--- yer dont want that.

Likewise..... the chairs... newbies were expressing doubts as to whether they would be allowed little blankets,soft drinks,apples and crisps...even coleiacs!!! (just what do they taste like? fancy having to eat those all the time) etc etc....

Well, now what yer might find next year is the Stewards being issued with self-adhesive moustaches and a pair of stiff boots... and they will let you in with f**k all but a pair of flip flops and a condom or two.

See what I`m saying.

Obviously, I didnt see the big tent caper...and if as described... how that wasn`t pissed on I do not know.

I have never--and never will.... sit on any for of chair, in front of a stage--but well out of the way,esp at 52yrs and with bairns etc. That imo is acceptable.

But, as has been pointed out..... these punters, in the main are Larmer-esque ie cardigans across the shoulders, they eat olives, dont watch Family Guy, think nowt of paying £3,50 a pint and mostly dont do sex with the woman on top...so what can you expect?

I personally feel... there should be a band in front of the stage for the freakers and dancers... then back from that --the inevitable sitters with hats they only wear away from home...and who read papers.

wtf? aye--they sit there reading the papers after spending £100s on getting in and £3.50 on their one pint of the weekend.... but y`know what... so what? Thats ok...they are no problem..Wychwood et al needs em...cos they are the majority.

And y`know what they mostly give to a festival like this.. the safe atmosphere.

Then you get the likes of me, who staggers about with me Orange Hat on and pisses in the bushes cos i cant wait at the bogs, singing me knapper off, and cleaning the thimbles of wine off the free trays,and who goes and talks to strangers (southerners dont do that) and who sees the incredulous looks on the cardiganed ones faces when they hear our bairns are called Larmer Dalyon & Hendrix Santana etc etc.... but... but ---it is the likes of me who SHOUT FROM THE ROOFTOPS to come to festivals like this.

And thats why I have tried to keep the forum going with my perpetual shite cum sense.

Now, see how i have cleverly distracted Mr G et al from the main point and he will now be thinking "He pisses in the bushes??? We need more bogs next year"

..whoa soap box collapse....

den

[gratedenini]

good post den but dont forget us common southerners we do do that!!! (sorry sounded scouse then)

I think i see you in orange hat - i had a very colourful pointy pixie type hat!!! There was a crowd of us , you must have heard us, maybe meet up next year!!1

[KingOfSnake]

A good reply KoS..... I have refrained from joining in with such vociferous denouncement of The Tented Ones...and i`ll tell you why.....

..whoa soap box collapse....

den

Edited June 8, 2010 by KingOfSnake

[Esyl]

I'm with Den on this one - one of the things I like about Wychwood is there are rules but no one enforces them with jack boots, and there seems to be some give and take so long as you don't take the Michael. There were less searches at the gates this year (perhaps something to do with fewer coppers, other than the odd Community Support Officer) and I think the stop and search policy was random to say the least.

The other thing I like is the diversity of the crowd, and the fact I know I can continue going to Wychwood when it isn't just me and my mate singing along with Mr Tumble. I don't have kids but know that when you do you suddenly need a huge amount more paraphernalia and that it isn't a good idea for your bairn to be exposed to the sun a la the baby sunburnt on Brighton Beach, so I can understand why people take the pop up tents, I really do.

So I wouldn't want the organisers to read all this and chuck the baby out with the bathwater (or pop up tent). Yes there are a lot of folk on chairs, but there is always room for the dancing crowd at the front, and as more people stand up to watch popular acts those on chairs either have to do the same or move further back. Usually by the headlines I think it's pretty much all standing (I'm usually propping up the barrier, no idea how deep the crowd goes behind me!). However if there's not an act we particularly want to see, or it's a fairly low key affair and our hangovers are bad we might loll around on the pimms blanket (purchased Wychwood 2008 as an upgrade to our carrier bags as it was slightly muddy that year and we hadn't anticipated scale of hangover would require ability to lie down) and flick through the paper we only bought to get the bag o' freebies, somewhere in the middle and it's nice to have the option to do both.

The main stage was a bit further forward this year, which perhaps limited the room, and I know in previous years where there has been a tarmac bit in front of the stage all the seated folk sitting had to be further back, however I suppose there is a danger that you end up with this phenomenon http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=9269...mp;id=624265167 for less popular acts.

Not sure in reality how you could enforce any kind of 'ban' on seating/tents/parasols in any kind of area in front of the main stage, and if stewards tried to I think it would just piss people off and folk wouldn't come back.

P.S Bring back the thimbles of wine I say. Barefoot Wine had good inflatable bean bags but no thimbles!

[Pablo5p]

Can I suggest a designated shaded area, so that there is sufficient shade for the familys, and then ban the pop up tents. Possibly also suggest a designated play area, where the kids can kick there balls as hard as they like and it wont affect the rest of us.

[adders28]

if only. if only. I thought you inferred you were Northern?

den