Underwhelmed.....

[fardo]

I have heard great things about this festival, so after a few years of wanting to go and not being able to financially this was our first year.

Have to say it was pretty disappointing. Granted we only live 10 mins down the road, so we were driving back and forth each day and maybe this has something to do with my disappointment, (ie we werent getting the genuine camping at a festival experience) but the whole place just seemed to lack any soul.

The various arenas / zones seemed to be thrown together and seemed a bit amateurish and not very engaging. The traders area was basically just food stalls and not much else, selling the usual overpriced poor quality starch laden festival food. Basically there wasn't much else to look at if you weren't eating.

I couldn't even find much solace in a pint from the cider bus. The medium was saccharine laden and the dry just tasted like vinegar, v dissapointing.

Having said all that it is a music festival first and foremost, and the music we heard was pretty good so not to many grumbles there, however I didnt feel overall like it represented good value for money so next year will be a Saturday day ticket if available......

[Infinite Jest]

Shame that you didn't enjoy it. I always enjoy browsing the book stall and rough trade tent, but there isn't a lot more to look at. The food is better than at most festivals IMO, but fair enough if you disagree

I think a few people here will agree about the different stage areas - the main (Woods) stage was only opened last year, and it does tend to lack soul. The Garden stage used to be the main one, and I for one prefer it. The woodland area is quite interesting, with the piano stage and art and so on, and the Tipi late at night is interesting, when bands play secret sets.

They don't do day tickets, unfortunately, so unless they change the policy you won't be able to do that next year.

[fardo]

Strange then that there were A4 laminated signs at most of the gates / entry points detailing for the stewards the colours of the wristbands and what they represented.

Three of these on the list appeared to show Fri, Sat, and Sun wristbands.......

[Infinite Jest]

I suspect those would either be artists with access for one day, or (more likely) guest list tickets with access for one day. I've been five times now, and they've never sold single day tickets through the official site. They sold single day tickets for the Sunday of No Direction Home, their other festival, but that was a special through Richard Hawley's website, not the official EoTR one. So I guess it's possible that the same thing has happened at EoTR, and I didn't know about it, but I don't know anyone who's even heard of it happening.

[wackojackohighcliffe]

I was working as a steward and there were definitely day tickets. Don't know who for or where you could get em from but there were.

[Yokel Again]

Never ever seen a day ticket advertised anywhere ever. Who are they for?

[wackojackohighcliffe]

Locals? Just a guess...

[airwaves]

When i was coming back in from car park on the Sunday, having taken camping gear etc to car, there was a family at the entrance being wristbanded up.

[eddie_steady]

What Wackojacko said, my sister lives nearby to the site but not quite near enough to get a free one day of your choice pass.

[shugie]

I was working as a steward and there were definitely day tickets. Don't know who for or where you could get em from but there were.

[Infinite Jest]

What Wackojacko said, my sister lives nearby to the site but not quite near enough to get a free one day of your choice pass.

[fardo]

Sadly (or not) Fardo does not live close enough to qualify!!