The Future of Glastonbury

[gfa]

6 hours ago, moogster said:

There was a survey this week in the Netherlands in which a depressing amount of young people said they'd do more drugs and eat less at festivals because it was cheaper that way...

Alcohol limits 100% push people to drugs. 12 can limit in some places and then forced to pay £7 for pints, its just absurd for young people

5 hours ago, Barneym said:

This thread has got ridiculous. Glastonbury is still one of the friendly places you can ever go, kids are still kids people here are just getting old. Yes coke is more prevalent now but twenty years ago people did things like speed which wasn’t exactly a laugh a minute for people not on it because coke was way too expensive/not available. It’s also not a major issue at Glasto like it has become at football 

for full disclosure I’m 42 and was far more into Reading as a kid because that was my music, I went for a day last year as I thought Fontaines into Wolf Alice into AM was a fantastic line up and if anything it seemed a lot tamer than when I was going as a 16 year old but again most people were really friendly even to a bunch of dads.

Think everyone is friendly at festivals. least friendly person by a mile i've met was actually at glastonbury! she wasn't young either she was like mid 40s. there's knobheads everywhere but at festivals its a lot less than usual (unless in London!)

4 hours ago, MEGATRONICMEATWAGON said:

I remember in 2009 my friends and I got talking to this dad who was allowed to have the night off from his wife and kids and he'd gone out on his own after the main stages had ended and they'd all gone back to family camping. We pretty much adopted him for the night even though he was early 40s and we were all early twenties. Was amazing, went all over with him, to the Park, Rabbit Hole, the SEC. We lost him at one point but it was an amazing night, it didn't matter that he was at least 20 years older than us all.

Now I'm the dad.

It's the circle of life.

Hope the kids will chat to me still!

This is what its all about!

[Tranquility of Solitude]

3 hours ago, Gnomicide said:

What if you've got grey hair AND a bucket hat?

.... and (self aware) are occasionally a bit of a twat?!!

[MEGATRONICMEATWAGON]

5 minutes ago, gfa said:

Alcohol limits 100% push people to drugs. 12 can limit in some places and then forced to pay £7 for pints, its just absurd for young people

Think everyone is friendly at festivals. least friendly person by a mile i've met was actually at glastonbury! she wasn't young either she was like mid 40s. there's knobheads everywhere but at festivals its a lot less than usual (unless in London!)

This is what its all about!

I think the unfriendliest festival was easily V Fest. Went there for a day because Radiohead were headlining. I can't remember anything apart from twats everywhere and how great Beck/Radiohead were. Never intended going back after that. London day fests have also been a bit odd, less about togetherness, more about people wanting to get wasted at any cost and in big groups too, less likely to want to interact with others, more wanting to be the bigger boys/gals.

Reading was great for a number of years, but I did see at least a couple of confrontations each year, people going crazy at barstaff or just pilled up teens losing it for the smallest thing. 

Glastonbury is by far the friendliest and good-natured environment I've ever come across for having fun and meeting random people. The go to "How's your festival so far?" question opens everyone up no matter what, I've found at least. Met dozens of people and even the most fleeting conversation has been lovely.

It's all anecdotal though, I'm sure some people have probably different conclusions.

[Skip997]

13 minutes ago, MEGATRONICMEATWAGON said:

Glastonbury is by far the friendliest and good-natured environment I've ever come across for having fun and meeting random people.

There's a much smaller festival which take place at the end of August which is by some distance friendlier.

I should try not to compare it with Glastonbury, or anywhere else for that matter.

Edited April 21, 2023 by Skip997

[Crazyfool01]

only ever had 1 issue at Glastonbury .... someone tried nicking my hat and cut my head ..... never seen agro .... 

[MEGATRONICMEATWAGON]

2 minutes ago, Crazyfool01 said:

only ever had 1 issue at Glastonbury .... someone tried nicking my hat and cut my head ..... never seen agro .... 

Actually now you mention it, a pair of women screamed at us to try and make us jump or something, it was like 3 in the afternoon and they were pissed off their face, but aside from that, never had any problems before. If people have done something rude and perhaps not noticed - I remember a group climbed on top of the benches with the roofs in the Park one year to get a sight of Radiohead's "secret" set, and they were covering people in mud, but as soon as someone told them they apologised profusely. 

Obv in such huge crowds you might rub someone up the wrong way a little bit but at least at Glasto, if you say politely it's not okay, you'll be met with a sorry.

 

[MEGATRONICMEATWAGON]

5 minutes ago, Crazyfool01 said:

only ever had 1 issue at Glastonbury .... someone tried nicking my hat and cut my head ..... never seen agro .... 

Wait, they cut your head whilst trying to nab your hat? Not a separate incident?

I remember someone claimed they'd seen loads of knives at Glasto last year, but they never explained it, I think they were just trolling in the Overcrowding thread. 

[Crazyfool01]

Just now, MEGATRONICMEATWAGON said:

Wait, they cut your head whilst trying to nab your hat? Not a separate incident?

I remember someone claimed they'd seen loads of knives at Glasto last year, but they never explained it, I think they were just trolling in the Overcrowding thread. 

was when they knocked my hat .... nothing else involved just a bit over exuberant .... easier just to ask 🙂 

[MEGATRONICMEATWAGON]

13 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

There's a much smaller festival which take place at the end of August which is by some distance friendlier.

I should try not to compare it with Glastonbury, or anywhere else for that matter.

Which festival are you talking about? Is it a specialised festival for illegal activity or a "love" festival... 

[MEGATRONICMEATWAGON]

Just now, Crazyfool01 said:

was when they knocked my hat .... nothing else involved just a bit over exuberant .... easier just to ask 🙂 

I suspect when you're walking around with your hat on you must get all kinds of people wanting to have a look and a touch!

[Skip997]

4 minutes ago, MEGATRONICMEATWAGON said:

Which festival are you talking about? Is it a specialised festival for illegal activity or a "love" festival... 

Shambala, which is neither of the above.

Many years ago I was on the verge of giving up on UK festivals, when some mates said come and crew with us at Shambala.

Thought may as well give it a try as these folks understand festivals. Was amazed. With in hours I was thinking "wow, there's still folk about who know how to do festivals".

The attendees are incredible.

[Bike_Like_A_Mum]

Glasto definitely the friendliest in my experience. The vibe is still there. Only thing that kills it for me is the chair wollies at the pyramid. Such a bloody hazard!

V-Festival was awful. So many bruises on my head from full bottles of piss.

Latitude is friendly in a 'people will lend a hand if you need it' sense but really people just keep themselves to themselves and loads of luxury stuff that people pay for which takes the edge off.

Glasto 'team spirit' is unparalleled to me. You get the most authentic version of people just living in the moment. Doesn't matter if you're stupid enough to pay more than my mortgage for glamping offsite...at the end of the day, as soon as you step into those fields you've still gotta use the same squatter as everyone else - in the rain. Nothing more uniting than the shared trauma of the long drops

Edited April 21, 2023 by Bike_Like_A_Mum

[MEGATRONICMEATWAGON]

9 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

Shambala, which is neither of the above.

Many years ago I was on the verge of giving up on UK festivals, when some mates said come and crew with us at Shambala.

Thought may as well give it a try as these folks understand festivals. Was amazed. With in hours I was thinking "wow, there's still folk about who know how to do festivals".

The attendees are incredible.

I think this is something I'll regret in future years, that as soon as I found myself going to Glastonbury and was restricted financially, I never branched out to some of the other "big" festivals. Shambala, Green Man, for example.

Edit: I don't mean big in terms of size, but they're very well-known.

Edited April 21, 2023 by MEGATRONICMEATWAGON

[gazzared]

6 minutes ago, Bike_Like_A_Mum said:

Glasto definitely the friendliest in my experience. The vibe is still there. Only thing that kills it for me is the chair wollies at the pyramid. Such a bloody hazard!

V-Festival was awful. So many bruises on my head from full bottles of piss.

Latitude is friendly in a 'people will lend a hand if you need it' sense but really people just keep themselves to themselves and loads of luxury stuff that people pay for which takes the edge off.

Glasto 'team spirit' is unparalleled to me. You get the most authentic version of people just living in the moment. Doesn't matter if you're stupid enough to pay more than my mortgage for glamping offsite...at the end of the day, as soon as you step into those fields you've still gotta use the same squatter as everyone else - in the rain. Nothing more uniting than the shared trauma of the long drops

Great post but no way  they use the long drops... They either go before entering the festival or get a helicopter back to their flush toilets 🤣

[Ayrshire Chris]

32 minutes ago, Bike_Like_A_Mum said:

Glasto definitely the friendliest in my experience. The vibe is still there. Only thing that kills it for me is the chair wollies at the pyramid. Such a bloody hazard!

V-Festival was awful. So many bruises on my head from full bottles of piss.

Latitude is friendly in a 'people will lend a hand if you need it' sense but really people just keep themselves to themselves and loads of luxury stuff that people pay for which takes the edge off.

Glasto 'team spirit' is unparalleled to me. You get the most authentic version of people just living in the moment. Doesn't matter if you're stupid enough to pay more than my mortgage for glamping offsite...at the end of the day, as soon as you step into those fields you've still gotta use the same squatter as everyone else - in the rain. Nothing more uniting than the shared trauma of the long drops

Totally agree, the spirit at Glastonbury is unique amongst the larger festivals. With the demand for tickets, those of us lucky enough to be successful are absolutely determined to make it an unforgettable experience. My philosophy has always been to treat every one as if it’s my last, especially with the ticket lottery. The worst festival I had was when T in the park became a rite of passage for school leavers unable to hold their drink and drugs. As for the long drops, the incessant clang of the doors just adds to the atmosphere!

[MEGABOWL]

1 hour ago, Bike_Like_A_Mum said:

Glasto definitely the friendliest in my experience. The vibe is still there. Only thing that kills it for me is the chair wollies at the pyramid. Such a bloody hazard!

V-Festival was awful. So many bruises on my head from full bottles of piss.

Latitude is friendly in a 'people will lend a hand if you need it' sense but really people just keep themselves to themselves and loads of luxury stuff that people pay for which takes the edge off.

Glasto 'team spirit' is unparalleled to me. You get the most authentic version of people just living in the moment. Doesn't matter if you're stupid enough to pay more than my mortgage for glamping offsite...at the end of the day, as soon as you step into those fields you've still gotta use the same squatter as everyone else - in the rain. Nothing more uniting than the shared trauma of the long drops

Agree with this. There are bound to be a few dicks about anywhere but they seem to be in much reduced number at Glastonbury compared to pretty much anywhere else. It’s such a big thing that anyone can experience it differently. In some years anyone could get unlucky and bump into a lot of those dicks but generally the atmosphere is great. Last year I had a great time on that front, and it was mainly people a lot younger than me who were friendly and fun.

[gfa]

2 hours ago, MEGATRONICMEATWAGON said:

I think the unfriendliest festival was easily V Fest. Went there for a day because Radiohead were headlining. I can't remember anything apart from twats everywhere and how great Beck/Radiohead were. Never intended going back after that. London day fests have also been a bit odd, less about togetherness, more about people wanting to get wasted at any cost and in big groups too, less likely to want to interact with others, more wanting to be the bigger boys/gals.

Reading was great for a number of years, but I did see at least a couple of confrontations each year, people going crazy at barstaff or just pilled up teens losing it for the smallest thing. 

Glastonbury is by far the friendliest and good-natured environment I've ever come across for having fun and meeting random people. The go to "How's your festival so far?" question opens everyone up no matter what, I've found at least. Met dozens of people and even the most fleeting conversation has been lovely.

It's all anecdotal though, I'm sure some people have probably different conclusions.

In general very friendly just 1 bad experience dampened it a bit.

Latitude was very good i thought honestly - IOW might be the friendliest i have been to, we did the whole weekend with our camp neighbours and my mate is still in contact with them now. If they didn't live in newcastle we'd see them all the time i reckon!

1 hour ago, Crazyfool01 said:

was when they knocked my hat .... nothing else involved just a bit over exuberant .... easier just to ask 🙂 

will have to ask to try it on in June! 😄 I never bumped into you last year though bar the meet

[homesick]

A lot of people on here seem to have it in for youngsters taking illegal drugs, as if that's the contributing factor to trouble

 

I'd hazard a guess that across Glastonbury and society, alcohol results in far, far more altercations (even allowing for it being consumed far more than anything else)

[grumpyhack]

 

I remember talking to a policeman at Glastonbury a couple of years ago and asked what he would normally be doing over a Glasto weekend.  He said: "This is easy.  A load of stoned out hippies in a field is a lot easier to deal with than the drunks at chucking out time in Frome on a Saturday night."

[TheDayman]

On 4/19/2023 at 4:49 PM, Olshansky said:

Mostly what worries me about the future of the festival is the costs of things - so far, we've been lucky that musicians will take a lower fee to play, but in this era where musicians get paid barely anything from streaming, and promoters taking large parts of merch and ticket sales, I'm concerned that booking is going to get harder and harder.  

What Glasto has going for it that no other festival does, is that people want to be there despite the weather, despite the lineup, despite the cost... they'll even go solo and leave their friends behind.  If Emily and Co can maintain that atmosphere (and I think they can) then they'll be fine.  But if that balance starts to waiver, they're fucked.  

(fwiw am also concerned about the weather this year, with the law of averages) 

Nail on head.

[louis694]

12 hours ago, MEGATRONICMEATWAGON said:

I think the unfriendliest festival was easily V Fest. Went there for a day because Radiohead were headlining. I can't remember anything apart from twats everywhere and how great Beck/Radiohead were. Never intended going back after that. London day fests have also been a bit odd, less about togetherness, more about people wanting to get wasted at any cost and in big groups too, less likely to want to interact with others, more wanting to be the bigger boys/gals.

Reading was great for a number of years, but I did see at least a couple of confrontations each year, people going crazy at barstaff or just pilled up teens losing it for the smallest thing. 

Glastonbury is by far the friendliest and good-natured environment I've ever come across for having fun and meeting random people. The go to "How's your festival so far?" question opens everyone up no matter what, I've found at least. Met dozens of people and even the most fleeting conversation has been lovely.

It's all anecdotal though, I'm sure some people have probably different conclusions.

I went in 2019 and I’ll never forget how it felt like the happiest place on Earth. I had so many lovely, genuine conversations with complete strangers. It was just me and one other person for most of it so when I found myself alone people would check I was okay or reassure my friend they’d look after me. I hope that hasn’t changed too much. 
 

Compare that to my first London day festival last year, where a bunch of toxic I’m so ‘ard men told a group of us to “grow up you’re at a festival” for being sat down between acts. I’m quite an aggressive way too. 
 

I saw a comment earlier about how the younger gen care more about the acts. I think it’s more that you care about the headliners if it’s your first Glasto then after that it doesn’t matter because you realise there’s SO much more going on. We’ve been unlucky in the sales since 2019 (until Thursday) and joke that we’d see a donkey play a trumpet. It’s everything else that makes Glastonbury so magical. 

[JudgeGrumpy]

11 hours ago, Ayrshire Chris said:

Totally agree, the spirit at Glastonbury is unique amongst the larger festivals. With the demand for tickets, those of us lucky enough to be successful are absolutely determined to make it an unforgettable experience. My philosophy has always been to treat every one as if it’s my last, especially with the ticket lottery. The worst festival I had was when T in the park became a rite of passage for school leavers unable to hold their drink and drugs. As for the long drops, the incessant clang of the doors just adds to the atmosphere!

T was fine if you like hanging out with young teams looking for aggro while they are failing to cope on two grams of speed and three Tennents.  

[chazwwe]

22 hours ago, stuie said:

Well this thread has gone a bit old men moaning about youngsters hasn’t it?! 

Not all lads with bags and bucket hats are twats… the same as not all old guys with grey hair are miserable bastards!

It’s absolutely vital that the festival attracts new recruits. If it doesn’t, it’s dead. 

 

Genuinely this. The energy of ' it used to be better on the early 2000s when I was 20 and now the 20 year olds are ruining it for me'

I'm sure the people who went in the 90s thought the people coming in the late 2000s were awful.

[ProperTea]

Saw an article in the Guardian earlier on ticket scams and this sentence jumped out at me...

Quote

A record number of UK live entertainment tickets were sold in 2022, according to data from the mobile phone firm O2’s Priority platform, with sales up 43% on 2019, the year before the pandemic shut down the live events industry.

I think it's relevent in the context of this discussion: I think seeing bands live, going to festivals, is a something a much bigger number of people are interested in doing than compared to say 10 or 15 years ago. That itself has got to be on Glastonbury's side when it comes to future viability. 

[fred quimby]

8 hours ago, louis694 said:

 we’d see a donkey play a trumpet. 

Get a feeling that would be packed out