Glastonbury 2022 - overcrowding rumours & thoughts

[Skip997]

1 minute ago, DeanoL said:

How was the crew bar provision this year? I've always been amazed that there are bars and even stages just for crew at the festival, though it occurs now if there were fewer this year, or they weren't as good, that puts more crew out in the public areas?

The crew bars in the SE corner were more or less the same as usual, with one notable exception. The main Shangri La crew bar became an "open to all" bar during the event. There is a second Shangri La bar which is one of the harder places on site to get into.  The crew bars are mostly busy so I don't think that had any effect.

[Kizzie]

2 hours ago, compactdisc said:

I came towards the end of Robert Plant, and there were security stood in a line along the entrance to the Pyramid Field (bottom right entrance), spread a metre or so apart. Had no idea what was happening, but probably looking for this lot! They were dressed differently to the lot I'm used to seeing too. Red polo's instead of blue.

Yes, I spotted these too and commented on the different colour of their uniform 🤔

[Neville Street]

3 hours ago, fred quimby said:

Oddly I saw a girl with no band on, however, she did have it on here ankle. Not sure how, I assumed she got it off her wrist and pop it on her ankle.

I know some circus people do that, maybe if they are going to juggle fire or swing around on a trapeze and the wrist is a tangling risk.

[Kizzie]

I know someone who's friend works there (I won't say where)

When said friend is in the festival, she emails her pass to the person I know, who then uses it to gain access. 

No idea how this works but they've been doing it for years apparently. 

[Skip997]

6 minutes ago, Kizzie said:

I know someone who's friend works there (I won't say where)

When said friend is in the festival, she emails her pass to the person I know, who then uses it to gain access. 

No idea how this works but they've been doing it for years apparently. 

Strange. I don't know the "ins and outs" of how all areas work, but that sounds like an electronic pass which typically should be only usable once.

I don't get a ticket in advance of arriving. I get an early vehicle pass and then pick up my ticket and wristband on site.

[fred quimby]

39 minutes ago, Neville Street said:

I know some circus people do that, maybe if they are going to juggle fire or swing around on a trapeze and the wrist is a tangling risk.

Good point. 

[March Hare]

3 hours ago, fred quimby said:

Oddly I saw a girl with no band on, however, she did have it on here ankle. Not sure how, I assumed she got it off her wrist and pop it on her ankle.

 

On the point if crew tickets there maybe something in it as 2 people we were with bought theirs from the lighting crew as they were not paid due to budgets so got tickets to sell on. Now I do not know whether that was what normally happens with them, or the got extra

It’s more common than most think. Every chef on site can request it as it isn’t hygienic to have on your wrist when cooking

[fred quimby]

12 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

Strange. I don't know the "ins and outs" of how all areas work, but that sounds like an electronic pass which typically should be only usable once.

I don't get a ticket in advance of arriving. I get an early vehicle pass and then pick up my ticket and wristband on site.

We get our ticket and car passes before we go, not sure about the chap who has early vehicle pass mind

[fred quimby]

Just now, March Hare said:

It’s more common than most think. Every chef on site can request it as it isn’t hygienic to have on your wrist when cooking

See I am learning all the time.

Circus you do not need to show the band at all and it is a laminate round the neck. 

[Skip997]

Just now, fred quimby said:

We get our ticket and car passes before we go, not sure about the chap who has early vehicle pass mind

That'll be me.

As I said I don't get a ticket pre arrival, only once onsite. Quite common for people arriving early.

[fred quimby]

Just now, Skip997 said:

That'll be me.

As I said I don't get a ticket pre arrival, only once onsite. Quite common for people arriving early.

Interesting, I will ask. I know the people who go with him have the tickets before hand. Apart from one of our crew, as he starts going in March/April 

[Ayrshire Chris]

Over the course of the festival We did notice several groups of young males comprising at least 10 individuals, none of whom had any wristbands on. Don’t know if they had entered the site unofficially or not. One such group shoved their way through the crowd at McCartney only to shove their way back out, acting quite aggressively.  They didn’t look as if they were workers or volunteers. Has there been evidence of folk breaking in?

[Pinhead]

I've been camped next to lads who take all their wristbands off cos its cool yeah to look like you've busted in but keep them in their pockets in case they're challenged..

[Another eforum account]

On 7/4/2022 at 8:39 PM, henry bear said:

Exactly. Anyone who was there in 99/2000 will know what overcrowding really felt like - where it was heaving everywhere you went, as opposed to certain pinch points at certain times, as was the case this year

Yup 99 & especially 2000 was so busy - no where to camp/sit. Waited for hours driving in and think that was on the Friday/Saturday - admittedly we where adding to the numbers! 

[Another eforum account]

On 7/5/2022 at 3:46 PM, MrZigster said:

It seemed pretty basic to me.

If you're letting an extra 7,000 people in, you're probably going to need a few extra food stalls, bars and amenities to accommodate them. And possibly widen some of the gaps.

Am I missing something?

Have to say that Big Ground and Row Mead were not as packed out as usual, which surprised me (especially with Row Mead being smaller again this year).

Where did all of these thousands of extra people camp? Didn't see anywhere that looked ridiculously rammed this year.

Lots of people now camp off-site - this year in our info bibles we had a huge list of the off-site pop-up camping locations. Don’t think we’ve had a list in the same way before. Don’t know exactly how many they take plus sticklinch & not sure if B&W accommodates more than just the extra re-located CV west fields. 

[Skip997]

9 minutes ago, Another eforum account said:

Lots of people now camp off-site

The amount of off-site glamping is frankly getting out of hand.

Still guess it's good for the local economy.

[MEGATRONICMEATWAGON]

6 hours ago, balti-pie said:

Seemed as good as 2019, you can pretty much always rock up and find seats (in the times that I went) and that’s what I’m after for a staff bar - a decent pint, a seat and a bit of time away from hullabaloo (until such a time as I want back in, obvs) 

only criticism is the beer choices ran out early doors, the crafty stuff in tow&hitch and broken Britain went quite early . . . As in by Thursday, quite early 

I've heard more about crew bars this year on eFests than ever before. Am I being a total n00b, or are crew bars as described, for crew only? Are they off the main strips and forbidden for non-crew attendees?

[Another eforum account]

8 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

The amount of off-site glamping is frankly getting out of hand.

Still guess it's good for the local economy.

If people are willing to pay I guess… 

[MEGATRONICMEATWAGON]

On 7/7/2022 at 3:16 AM, gooner1990 said:

I forgot that I had taken this…Weds early evening from our campsite which was behind the park…that hill is seriously busy! 

In the five years I've been, never have I ever seen the hill like that. Was that on the wed or Thurs?

[Another eforum account]

4 hours ago, March Hare said:

It’s more common than most think. Every chef on site can request it as it isn’t hygienic to have on your wrist when cooking

Lots of the massage therapist in the healing fields also have ankle wrist bands! 

[Skip997]

3 minutes ago, MEGATRONICMEATWAGON said:

I've heard more about crew bars this year on eFests than ever before. Am I being a total n00b, or are crew bars as described, for crew only? Are they off the main strips and forbidden for non-crew attendees?

Basically yes they are forbidden to non-crew. However the crew bars in the SE corner give out their own wristbands up until the Tuesday before the event. Because you can enter a lot of these bars with any crew wristband, people end up with spare bar bands which they can give to none crew mates.

All of the crew bars in the SE corner (except for one, which is very hard to get into) can be acessed from a public area, as can the Arcadia crew bar.

[MEGATRONICMEATWAGON]

3 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

Basically yes they are forbidden to non-crew. However the crew bars in the SE corner give out their own wristbands up until the Tuesday before the event. Because you can enter a lot of these bars with any crew wristband, people end up with spare bar bands which they can give to none crew mates.

All of the crew bars in the SE corner (except for one, which is very hard to get into) can be acessed from a public area, as can the Arcadia crew bar.

It wouldn't surprise me if crew were blagging extra wristbands for people who they didn't really need. I find it amazing that Glasto needed an extra 7k staff for just an extra 3k attendees. Seems a bit like overkill if anything. 

[dotdash79]

10 minutes ago, MEGATRONICMEATWAGON said:

In the five years I've been, never have I ever seen the hill like that. Was that on the wed or Thurs?

The Wednesday, but the festival tweeted and send out a push message saying the best place to view the fireworks was the park. 
 

 

[MEGATRONICMEATWAGON]

Just now, dotdash79 said:

The Wednesday, but the festival tweeted and send out a push message saying the best place to view the fireworks was the park. 
 

 

Since when have there been fireworks on the Wed? 😯

Still tho, was it as busy at the Park as it was at the Stone Circle? 

I really hope that all the loopholes and fence jumping places are tightened for 2023.

 

[Skip997]

3 minutes ago, MEGATRONICMEATWAGON said:

It wouldn't surprise me if crew were blagging extra wristbands for people who they didn't really need. I find it amazing that Glasto needed an extra 7k staff for just an extra 3k attendees. Seems a bit like overkill if anything. 

The bands that the bars give out aren't festival bands they're their own, often just flimsey paper ones. But it is possible to make yourself look official with a couple of these bar bands.

I think you got it the wrong way round, I think it's an extra 7000 attendees and 3000 staff.