The post-festival capacity thread

[Yokel Again]

I think most people who have commented negatively on the capacity increase and all that surrounds it(myself included) have indeed said it's still a great, great festival... they just preferred it smaller. I do understand it's still not THAT busy, and the stages (Woods & Big Top)aren't any worse that any other festival. It just doesn't feel as 'special' - that is all.

For me it was a great end of summer quiet break with great music. This year it felt less of a break and more like a normal busy(ish) festival, with everything just a bit more of a hassle. My thoughts this morning is that I'll go next year instead of Glasto & Latitude and find another small one to fulfil the role EOTR used to play.

I'd love to try NDH but can't make that weekend already. (Assuming it is alot smaller anyway).

[David...]

I think the increased capacity has definitely changed the vibe of the festival. For me, it's slightly lost that magical feel. It might have been down to me not finding the music as great this year and having only one or two really fab music moments. Didn't like the new Woods stage at all. A big featureless field with a stage at one end. Big top and Tipi was great. Garden stage too busy. Food fab as always.

Gripes:

1. Campsite teenagers playing music much too loudly at 2am in the family camping area.

2. Very long waits for the showers.

3. The new entrance layout with the pathway of doom. Did the rocks have to be quite that big? I twisted at least three ankles.

For me only 3 out of 5 this year whereas it's always been 5 out of 5 in the past.

[magick melvin]

My Gripes:

1. Babies and toddlers crying at 6am in the non-family camping area.

I don't have a problem with people playing music at 2am, getting drunk and having a laugh, thats what festivals should be about.

[Yokel Again]

1. Babies and toddlers crying at 6am in the non-family camping area.

[riverlodge]

Let's just agree that the campsite needs much better signposting so that those who want to party later into the night can do so without disturbing oldies like me.

[thedailygrowl]

I'm really not understanding all this "it's not special anymore" stuff on this thread/elsewhere. What's not special about it? Still has amazing music, great food, the woods and still lovely, and the thought that had gone into the Pavillion gardens made it more 'special' there than ever before.

Is it just that there's more people and it doesn't feel like it's 'our' ('your') festival anymore? Loss of exclusivity?

[perfectpassion]

I would love to join the "silent anti-social old gits camp"

[magick melvin]

I'm really not understanding all this "it's not special anymore" stuff on this thread/elsewhere. What's not special about it? Still has amazing music, great food, the woods and still lovely, and the thought that had gone into the Pavillion gardens made it more 'special' there than ever before.

Is it just that there's more people and it doesn't feel like it's 'our' ('your') festival anymore? Loss of exclusivity?

[thedailygrowl]

Still a good festival. Just didn't enjoy it as much as previous years. As the only things that were different were the larger capacity and the Woods stage, I'm bound to look to them for reasons why I didn't absolutely love it. Also I didn't have enough 'wow' music moments. My fault, not the festival's. It's growing and changing. Good luck to it. I'll still go next year if the line-up is my cup of tea.

[thespiral]

I'm really not understanding all this "it's not special anymore" stuff on this thread/elsewhere. What's not special about it? Still has amazing music, great food, the woods and still lovely, and the thought that had gone into the Pavillion gardens made it more 'special' there than ever before.

Is it just that there's more people and it doesn't feel like it's 'our' ('your') festival anymore? Loss of exclusivity?

[thedailygrowl]

for all the people fretting out loud about further capacity increases next year, surely that's what No Direction Home is all about - expanding EOTR without actually expanding it, so to speak.

Anyway, the decision to expand further isn't just the decision of the organisers, these people also have a say too, and they don't look like EOTR types.

[Donny Osmond]

I'm really not understanding all this "it's not special anymore" stuff on this thread/elsewhere. What's not special about it? Still has amazing music, great food, the woods and still lovely, and the thought that had gone into the Pavillion gardens made it more 'special' there than ever before.

Is it just that there's more people and it doesn't feel like it's 'our' ('your') festival anymore? Loss of exclusivity?

[Yokel Again]

Best illustration I can offer ....

[Maoster]

Just to say I have asked the organisers and received confirmation that EOTR will not be increasing capacity next Year. They felt the numbers worked well this Year but would not work out if any bigger.

Good news IMO and means much more likely will book again

[998dave]

It doesn't feel so special anymore. It's still the best festival out of all that I've attended in the last decade but there's no longer the wonderful feeling that we're all enjoying a brilliant secret.

[RedRockRick]

I would love to join the "silent anti-social old gits camp"

[Yokel Again]

Just to say I have asked the organisers and received confirmation that EOTR will not be increasing capacity next Year. They felt the numbers worked well this Year but would not work out if any bigger.

Good news IMO and means much more likely will book again

[binaryRooster]

i think that familiarity is partly responsible for killing the magic for a lot of people. I remember the first time i wandered around the woods, found the library/disco etc and all the weird and wonderful little touches everywhere. There's no way that year after year they'll still retain that sense of wonder for people. Short of the organisers coming up with something completely different each year (which could backfire if people didn't like it) then this was always likely to happen.

i used to love Glastonbury. it was a real adventure and there was always a million and one things going on. Now, it just seems such an ordeal! The distances between stages, the queues and sheer volume of people is just too much for me (i'll leave that to the kids with stamina). Eotr is so much more what i need from a festival these days: a manageable site, great bands, good food/drink etc. Increased capacity or not, Eotr is still such a laid back weekend.

[sadwitch]

Chairman speaking.

[thespiral]

i think that familiarity is partly responsible for killing the magic for a lot of people. I remember the first time i wandered around the woods, found the library/disco etc and all the weird and wonderful little touches everywhere. There's no way that year after year they'll still retain that sense of wonder for people. Short of the organisers coming up with something completely different each year (which could backfire if people didn't like it) then this was always likely to happen.

i used to love Glastonbury. it was a real adventure and there was always a million and one things going on. Now, it just seems such an ordeal! The distances between stages, the queues and sheer volume of people is just too much for me (i'll leave that to the kids with stamina). Eotr is so much more what i need from a festival these days: a manageable site, great bands, good food/drink etc. Increased capacity or not, Eotr is still such a laid back weekend.

[Nigey_boy]

For a first timer to EOTR - it WAS magical and there was a sense of wonder.

I thought the crowd capacity just right...in fact I did worry on Thurs evening that there would be very few people to see bands!!

It was easy to either sit back or get to the barrier at every stage at any time

[perfectpassion]

bump

[_r_]

Another first-timer here and I hate to say it but reading this thread some people are verging on snobbery...

Having been a Latitude-goer for the last few years, having enough of overcrowding and twattish teenagers who should have been at Reading, I migrated to EOTR. Me and all my mates agreed that it was the best festival we'd ever been to and are not going to hesitate in going back next year. Our impressions of the general atmosphere were how amazingly chilled-out it was and how there were absolutely no tossers there at all - I think a few people posting here might have gone to a different festival to us? There was no crossing Checkpoint Charlie to get into the arena, no toilets that made a Medieval cludgey look luxurious and something I've never experienced at a festival before - a campsite that was totally silent at night. Then there were such trivial matters as it being easy to meet up with people and get near the front for bands thanks to the lack of crowds - at the start of the weekend one of my mates even commented that it might be undersubscribed but by the end of the weekend we thought the capacity against the size and facilities of the site was just right.

As long as EOTR doesn't go the way of Latitude (if you think overcrowding and drunk idiots ruined the weekend, you should have been at Latitude 2010 when the entire teenage population of Suffolk drunkenly staggered out of the campsite to watch Vampire Weekend...) it will go on being an absolutely astounding festival. Every single thing about it just screamed "Look at me! I've been paid attention to!" and it's not very often you can say that.

[GeordieMartin]

Another first-timer here and I hate to say it but reading this thread some people are verging on snobbery...

Having been a Latitude-goer for the last few years, having enough of overcrowding and twattish teenagers who should have been at Reading, I migrated to EOTR. Me and all my mates agreed that it was the best festival we'd ever been to and are not going to hesitate in going back next year. Our impressions of the general atmosphere were how amazingly chilled-out it was and how there were absolutely no tossers there at all - I think a few people posting here might have gone to a different festival to us? There was no crossing Checkpoint Charlie to get into the arena, no toilets that made a Medieval cludgey look luxurious and something I've never experienced at a festival before - a campsite that was totally silent at night. Then there were such trivial matters as it being easy to meet up with people and get near the front for bands thanks to the lack of crowds - at the start of the weekend one of my mates even commented that it might be undersubscribed but by the end of the weekend we thought the capacity against the size and facilities of the site was just right.

As long as EOTR doesn't go the way of Latitude (if you think overcrowding and drunk idiots ruined the weekend, you should have been at Latitude 2010 when the entire teenage population of Suffolk drunkenly staggered out of the campsite to watch Vampire Weekend...) it will go on being an absolutely astounding festival. Every single thing about it just screamed "Look at me! I've been paid attention to!" and it's not very often you can say that.

[perfectpassion]

Ha GM speaks on behalf of the perfectionists! The vinyl addicts, and the people whose shoes were ruined on the not so superhighway. I suppose if the teens are heading to Lattitude, and the Latte refugees are heading to EoTR then we should be heading out on Highway 61 with no bloody direction home.....

Sorry should have said Hi _r_ glad you enjoyed it anyway

Edited September 12, 2011 by perfectpassion