Has the festival changed much in the last couple of years?

[beestung]

Hey good folks,

Just a quick question from a slightly lapsed end of the road-er.

For differing reasons I've not been to the festival the last couple of years, despite absolutely loving it in 2007 & 2008. So I'm dead chuffed to be coming back this year!

I'm wondering though, has much changed in the intervening years? Anything different I should expect?

I fondly remember it being a relaxed yet fun packed place to be. How has anyone found the 'evolution' of the festival?

I've definitely been envious of the line-ups I missed in 2009/10!

Ta

[MattL80]

I've only been in 09 and 10 so can't really compare to 07 and 08, but I've heard many people say it gets better every year.

The organisers do seem to listen to peoples' views and act on them. Notable improvements are the new, bigger tipi tent (allowing far more people to get in, and see what's going on), and the positioning of the smaller tents to avoid sound clashes which were a problem in the past.

The festival has maintained it's small, intimate feel.

The one negative from last year was an increase in reported theft from tents, as the gangs which in the past have only really targeted the bigger festivals now seem to be turning their attention to smaller ones. However as long as you're relatively sensible and don't leave valuables in your tent/use the lockups etc, that shouldn't be a problem.

Enjoy EOTR 2011

[Infinite Jest]

I've been the last three years. I think it's got slightly better each year, they make slight tweaks to things like the Tipi Stage, or add new features in the woods.

Crowd seems to have remained about the same, friendly music-lovers. The capacity hasn't increased, so it's kept at a nice size. There was a bad incident last year where a bunch of lads jumped the fence and robbed a lot of tents on the Thursday, and the main stage got way overcrowded in 09 for the Fleet Foxes (which was frustrating when you got in there and saw some people just standing round aimlessly at the back, talking and not listening to the music). But other than that, both festivals were very good.

[beestung]

Thanks for the comments. All sounds good (apart from the thefts last year of course, but I guess that's an unfortunate risk at any festival).

I'm glad to hear that the heart of the festival remains, with a few tweaks and improvements. I do remember the The Tipi Stage (Bimble Inn wasn't it?) getting pretty rammed at times.

I reckon that the site itself is a huge appeal with this festival. Not only is Larmar Tree Gardens a beautiful place, with great hidden parts (looking forward to exploring the woods), it also has the bonus of limiting the festival's maximum capacity. Seeing a great roster of bands in such intimate surroundings is what is dragging me back (oh, and hot cider of course!).

Roll on September!

[marooned]

As a Steward last year, can I just underline the fact that last year's tent thieves were actually caught on-site - doesn't make up for the shock of BEING robbed - but it's the only Festival I've been to where the scallies (yes, they were!) actually got collared.

Three cheers for the Stewards and Security bods.......

[Sipperana]

Indeed. An isolated incident that could happen at any festival.

I echo the views above - the basic heart and set-up of the festival hasn't changed, which is why so many of us keep coming back. For me the Local was much improved last year - bigger and with a better view of the bands. Debate rages on about the Tipi but the increased size last year was a massive improvement on 2009, though I do still miss the Bimble Inn. Separating the music area from the bar/seating was a good move - even though we still got told off for talking when Willy Mason was on.

My only grumble last year was that they had moved the location of the cider bus, but I think I'd got used to it by the end of the festival and can see why it was put there, to help with supplying the enlarged Local and Tipi tents with liquid refreshment. Will be interesting to see where they put it this year.

[Infinite Jest]

As a Steward last year, can I just underline the fact that last year's tent thieves were actually caught on-site - doesn't make up for the shock of BEING robbed - but it's the only Festival I've been to where the scallies (yes, they were!) actually got collared.

Three cheers for the Stewards and Security bods.......