2023 Festival

[On The Blend]

5 minutes ago, FrogLobster said:

Make the ticket something bananas like a grand

Now we're talking, let's get some real exotic ideas out there. I propose that all who leave their tents behind should be stripped naked and marched through Orange Camp while a zealous nun tolls a bell and chants 'SHAME'. 

[FrogLobster]

12 minutes ago, On The Blend said:

Now we're talking, let's get some real exotic ideas out there. I propose that all who leave their tents behind should be stripped naked and marched through Orange Camp while a zealous nun tolls a bell and chants 'SHAME'. 

This will somehow get turned into a tik tok dance/skit.

Edited August 31, 2023 by FrogLobster

[Benj]

25 minutes ago, FrogLobster said:

£20 is too little. Thats like the cost of a burger and a drink now! Kids on their parent's coin aren't going to give a sh*t about that amount.

Make the ticket something bananas like a grand and then they get the 700 quid back if they prove they have taken their tent and camping gear as they leave the campsite. Make a big statement out of it. Gets a discussion going between parents/kids etc.

Good idea, until it discounts pretty much every poor kid in the country from attending!

[FrogLobster]

8 minutes ago, Benj said:

Good idea, until it discounts pretty much every poor kid in the country from attending!

Do poor kids often attend music festivals? Which are notorious for being incredibly expensive not only for tickets but also transport there, camping equipment, food on site, drinks on site, etc.

[Benj]

21 minutes ago, FrogLobster said:

Do poor kids often attend music festivals? Which are notorious for being incredibly expensive not only for tickets but also transport there, camping equipment, food on site, drinks on site, etc.

You're right, they are already very much exculded to be fair.

Excluding the next couple of bands up probably isn't great for inclusivity either though!

[gblock]

2 hours ago, Optix said:

Sorry for the double post but I like this idea. Maybe use cashless wristbands or an nfc scanning wristband thats exclusive for the eco bond trial you can sign up for, reduce your weekend ticket by 20 pounds as long as you scan it on the way out. R&L can have an exclusive exit line or 2 at each exit with a scanner thats manned by an attendant to visually "identify" a tent. It doesn't seem like too much added cost up front for R&L and a possible method to implement the system in a first year trial.

This would work, as atm (at Reading) you go through to the wristband exchange marquee on the left or right side, it doesn’t matter - like a double sided bar. Be fairly easy to have security in front, sending those with a tent to the left and those without a tent to the right. You get a different coloured wristband either side (tent wristband or standard entry).

Then reuse the same marquee on Monday as another exit, with security only letting people through with a packed up tent & tent wristband - then they rescan your ticket for a £30 refund on the way out which arrives in your bank a few days later. Easy.

You’re welcome FR

[Benj]

8 minutes ago, gblock said:

This would work, as atm (at Reading) you go through to the wristband exchange marquee on the left or right side, it doesn’t matter - like a double sided bar. Be fairly easy to have security in front, sending those with a tent to the left and those without a tent to the right. You get a different coloured wristband either side (tent wristband or standard entry).

Then reuse the same marquee on Monday as another exit, with security only letting people through with a packed up tent & tent wristband - then they rescan your ticket for a £30 refund on the way out which arrives in your bank a few days later. Easy.

You’re welcome FR

Like it, only potential issues are delays paying the £30 and splitting groups up but those can probably be massaged out with a little thought 

Wristband exchange certainly seems like a logical place to do it.

Any tents left, £10 to FR to clean up, £20 to carbon offset/ charity

[Paul ™]

Its not just tents that are left though.. its chairs, airbeds, inflatable sofas, roll mats, camping equipment plus lots of other stuff not even mentioning the litter 

[Benj]

2 minutes ago, Paul ™ said:

Its not just tents that are left though.. its chairs, airbeds, inflatable sofas, roll mats, camping equipment plus lots of other stuff not even mentioning the litter 

V good point.

Got to start somewhere though and if you spend your time packing up a tent, I think you’d probably be more likely to do the rest too. 

As someone working there, is there anything you think could be done?

I think the main issue is the effort after a long weekend to tramp it all back, could carts or similar be offered?  Can’t think of any way it could be practical

[gblock]

11 minutes ago, Paul ™ said:

Its not just tents that are left though.. its chairs, airbeds, inflatable sofas, roll mats, camping equipment plus lots of other stuff not even mentioning the litter 

As Benj has previously said, to some extent the rubbish doesn’t matter - it’s getting binned regardless, by volunteers, paid clean-up crew or festival goers… it still ends up in the same landfill. Environmentally, tents are the biggest waste of plastic at a festival if they’re being treated as single use. Ofc what needs to change is people taking home all their camping equipment, but tents are the first place to start imo - if you’re bothering to take down your tent, chances are you’ll pick up the roll mat too

Edited August 31, 2023 by gblock

[gfa]

3 hours ago, Benj said:

Good idea, until it discounts pretty much every poor kid in the country from attending!

I was about to say charging a grand was clearly a joke until i saw the next comment

[MALIPV]

On 8/30/2023 at 4:39 PM, Paul ™ said:

FR have no involvement at Creamfields.

no but they share the same parent company - live nation

[Paul ™]

10 hours ago, MALIPV said:

no but they share the same parent company - live nation

Indeed

[Benj]

watching a few sets on the iPLayer

Most intereting observation is that Knucks have a half full barrier at 6 pm... Poor

Its interesting how hard it is to pick an act in this day and age

No one real draw from other stages and still no one bothers..... quite like him mind.. still half a crowd where is everyone else??

 

Edited September 2, 2023 by Benj

[gblock]

4 hours ago, Benj said:

where is everyone else??

 

If the group of 17 year olds camping near me are anything to go by, everyone was downing warm cans of lager in the campsite before going in for their biggest act of the day: Central Cee.
Maybe a bigger crowd if Knucks was on straight after that?

[Crews1]

10 hours ago, Benj said:

watching a few sets on the iPLayer

Most intereting observation is that Knucks have a half full barrier at 6 pm... Poor

Its interesting how hard it is to pick an act in this day and age

No one real draw from other stages and still no one bothers..... quite like him mind.. still half a crowd where is everyone else??

 

Felt bad for Knucks in all honesty, seemed like at least 1/3 of the front area was only there to wait for 1975 (me included). 

[Hirstys 12th Pint]

On 9/2/2023 at 10:37 AM, gblock said:

If the group of 17 year olds camping near me are anything to go by, everyone was downing warm cans of lager in the campsite before going in for their biggest act of the day: Central Cee.
Maybe a bigger crowd if Knucks was on straight after that?

Exactly this.  

My Son was in quite a large group camping and he was amazed how few bands many of them saw.  They just sat around camp then went to the raves.

[andyrhodes24]

8 hours ago, Hirstys 12th Pint said:

Exactly this.  

My Son was in quite a large group camping and he was amazed how few bands many of them saw.  They just sat around camp then went to the raves.

Blows my mind that people go to Leeds just for the night stuff, just go into town or something 😂

[gblock]

26 minutes ago, andyrhodes24 said:

Blows my mind that people go to Leeds just for the night stuff, just go into town or something 😂

Probably too young to go out in town 😂

I struggle to understand how anyone can sit around the campsite all day though when there’s so many bands to see literally 500m away. Mental

[gfa]

I guess if your not old enough for a dance fest then Leeds (or Reading to a lesser extent) is the next best thing ahha

never really considered that

[andyrhodes24]

12 hours ago, gblock said:

Probably too young to go out in town 😂

I struggle to understand how anyone can sit around the campsite all day though when there’s so many bands to see literally 500m away. Mental

I caught on after I hit send 🤣 even early afternoon there must be someone on worth going to see. People are too busy queuing up for the Co-op all day!

[Hirstys 12th Pint]

14 hours ago, gblock said:

Probably too young to go out in town 😂

I struggle to understand how anyone can sit around the campsite all day though when there’s so many bands to see literally 500m away. Mental

Me too.  My lad did loads of bands and the raves.  Was in the Arena at 12 all three days. 

[Benj]

15 hours ago, gblock said:

Probably too young to go out in town 😂

I struggle to understand how anyone can sit around the campsite all day though when there’s so many bands to see literally 500m away. Mental

It’s not really surprising when there is very little choice in who they can see.

Why bother hanging around the arena all day listening to stuff you have zero internet in when you can have fun at your tent drinking cheap beer.

The lineup has almost become an irrelevance these days. When you have no choices to make on who to see, it’s an easy choice to sit at your tent and save money

 

[gfa]

1 minute ago, Benj said:

It’s not really surprising when there is very little choice in who they can see.

Why bother hanging around the arena all day listening to stuff you have zero internet in when you can have fun at your tent drinking cheap beer.

The lineup has almost become an irrelevance these days. When you have no choices to make on who to see, it’s an easy choice to sit at your tent and save money

 

Its not just saving money - they aren't able to buy drinks inside really full stop lol

Although everyone does just smuggle them in the arena anyway

[Benj]

4 minutes ago, gfa said:

Its not just saving money - they aren't able to buy drinks inside really full stop lol

Although everyone does just smuggle them in the arena anyway

Yup.

Zero motivation to go into the arena, when they’re not slightly interested in the next 3 acts on the main stage and the only other options are some no marks they’ve never heard of in the small tents.

It’s pretty clear now that the one and done kids at Reading aren’t there for the music these days. It’s solely a bout the ‘rite of passage’, the lineup is unimportant