festivals report in the observer yesterday

[fred quimby]

It's just sad to see the anarchic reigns handed over to a bunch of whoppers who organise flash mobs at the stone circle, while sniffing laughing gas

[russycarps]

You just need to spike all drinks sold with wizz and acid. The chaos would soon return, no need for the old crowd

[lost]

this thread reminds me of this:

[Paul ™]

and such a good film.

[jeanpierre80]

This is one hell of an interesting discussion going on here..

Well I can sympathise with some of you who miss the old days cause thats what I do as well when I Remember the old Raves I used to attend in my country. Nowadays they have become appealing to a wider audience and commercialised and lost the vibe they used to have back in the day.

However, you guys are lucky living in a big country with a large number of festivals going on and quite a variety to choose from...I live in a place where events are limited, people dont even think about organising something of this sort. Economically its not feasible and the respose from the punters would be poor.

Its true that a 200 Pound ticket (equivalent to 240 Euros) is quite expensive, however here we have to pay between 40 to 50 Euros to attend an event featuring only 1 international act eg : Underworld. There you can experience a festival feel with hundreds of acts perofrming on various stages during a number of days....

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Hello jeanpierre80

Well come over and join us then. Get registered for Glastonbury 2013 and see if you can get a ticket come sales day. If you do and you do get a ticket you'll not regret it. Failing that try Bestival as your nearest best option (in my opinion).

[jeanpierre80]

Yep that's my aim infact - to attend next years Glastonbury and yes Bestival seems to be a good alternative according to the reviews Ive been reading on this website...

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Yep that's my aim infact - to attend next years Glastonbury and yes Bestival seems to be a good alternative according to the reviews Ive been reading on this website...

[jeanpierre80]

Good. Hope you have a blast when you do come over here. Remember Glastonbury is huge. I would recommend spending at least a day walking all around it rather than sticking yourself in front of the main stages all day and night.

Edited April 6, 2012 by jeanpierre80

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

yes Im very much looking forward to the alternative stages rather than the main ones to tell you the truth...

Stone circle, Greenfields, and the late night spots will be on my priority list :-)

btw below im gonna post a link featuring the only yearly festival we have here :

http://www.earthgarden.com.mt/

Browse the site and take a look at the video clips if you have some time to spare and if you're planning a vacation in Malta this is usually held during the 1st weekend of June. However, details for this years event have not been issued yet. Apparently they are waiting for the approval of govenrnment funds....

[jeanpierre80]

That looks like a nice chilled out gathering. However I didn't see one person drinking. That will not be the same over here. It would be nice to go to though.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

You can take booze inside the camping area - and most of the event is free - only if one needs to access the greek theatre, one has to pay.... And believe me Maltese punters are heavy drinkers even though the video clips didnt show any of the kind.

[jeanpierre80]

Yes weather is guaranteed to be fine here - it will like 20 to 25 deg during the day ....

English weather is unpredictable, heard about the mess you had in 2005 or 2007 and the extremely hot weather youve experienced in 2010.... I will definitley bring my boots / wellies as those are part of the essentials...

I will sort out the registration thing next week...in case of difficulty i will msg you folks here hehe...

[rachbon]

I definitely don't think that Glastonbury is just for rich people. The deposit scheme makes it more affordable by allowing you to secure a ticket then having another few months to save up the rest of the money.

I dont have a lot of money but I manage to go to 3 festivals a year. I suppose that's not a lot compared to some people on here who go to loads, but I need to make a lot of sacrifices to afford those 3 festivals. I give up nights out and buying new things so that I can go to festivals. The payment plans and desposit schemes that some festivals are doing now definitely help people on low incomes. The sacrifices I make are worth it for 3 amazing weekends a year.

I've only been to Glastonbury twice, I first went in 2010 (after it had turned to shite according to this thread.) Although it might not be as laid back as it used to be with the big fence, queues for late night areas, ticket registration etc, when I first went I was amazed at how much freedom I had and that's one of the things that I love about it the most. When you consider the fact that other festivals have a separate campsite and arena, most things start and finish at specific times, needing to show your wristband/ticket to get in and out of the arena/campsite and only being allowed to take your booze to certain areas, there is so much more freedom at Glastonbury than there is at other festivals.

I think Glastonbury can be whatever type of festival you want it to be. You could spend all weekend at the pyramid or other stage seeing loads of bands and have a great time if that's what you want to do. Personally I think that's a complete waste of time because you're missing out on so much, but if people want to do that, fuck them, you can have a great time appreciating all of the different things at Glasto even if other people don't.

The amount of different things you can experience for £200 is just ridiculous, it really is value for money when you think of all the things you can do over 5 days.

I was just amazed at everything at my first Glasto, straight away I loved it and knew I would be back every year. I love wandering through the tipi fields and greenfields in the morning when it's really quiet and peaceful. Having a look around shangri la/block 9/the common/arcadia during the day when there's no one else around. It's great being able to just go wherever you like with a box of wine and not having a main arena which you are herded out of at midnight. I spend most of my time exploring the really interesting areas of Glasto and don't bother rushing around trying to see bands.

I love Glastonbury and wish I had started going sooner, I'm looking forward to many more as long as I can still afford it, but if the bad starts to outweigh the good for some people, you need to look at what you want from a festival and find one that will offer you those things.

Edited April 7, 2012 by _rachelbon