1 major change

[BBC7BBCHEAVEN]

1 minute ago, gooner1990 said:

Will be interesting to see what next week is like (i.e if last year was a one off) - if its like 2022 again I may have to reconsider my continuing attendance at the festival.

I'm honestly happy to see so many people with this opinion because I was worried I was just being miserable.

Last year was grim, and I hope the fact that people clearly think so will mean they reconsider numbers. 

In reality they won't, old crowds will move on replaced with new crowds that don't have anything to compare it to, and I'll sit at Greenman sipping some delicious IPAs and stouts instead of being crushed into a bush trying to get from stage to stage 

[aj6658]

Last I felt like everything was a slog. Walking from each place was a slog. Getting food was a slog (had to go back to campsite ones cos queues were so long), using the loos a slog. 

Discussed in other threads as being due to alot of green staff, poor crowd management and potentially more punters this last year (unsure if we ever got it confirmed) 

Reckon the increase in ticket price as well as all the other bits are there to help reduce numbers this year?

[gooner1990]

3 minutes ago, BBC7BBCHEAVEN said:

I'm honestly happy to see so many people with this opinion because I was worried I was just being miserable.

Last year was grim, and I hope the fact that people clearly think so will mean they reconsider numbers. 

In reality they won't, old crowds will move on replaced with new crowds that don't have anything to compare it to, and I'll sit at Greenman sipping some delicious IPAs and stouts instead of being crushed into a bush trying to get from stage to stage 

There's plenty of other festivals in the world if I/we/you decide to call it a day, I love going and hope to continue going but that was silly last year and dampened my enjoyment of it.

[BBC7BBCHEAVEN]

Numbers are the same this year as far as I know.

Hopefully we're in for decent weather because one thing that would have made last year an actual catastrophe would have been mud. Weather last year was practically perfect so getting around was easy, those numbers + a 2016 year and there will definitely be injuries 

[tigger123]

2 minutes ago, aj6658 said:

Last I felt like everything was a slog. Walking from each place was a slog. Getting food was a slog (had to go back to campsite ones cos queues were so long), using the loos a slog. 

Discussed in other threads as being due to alot of green staff, poor crowd management and potentially more punters this last year (unsure if we ever got it confirmed) 

Reckon the increase in ticket price as well as all the other bits are there to help reduce numbers this year?

Afraid not, official attendance is the same, although it could feel less busy this year if they’ve tightened up security and there are less people who have broken, the numbers of which were rumoured to be quite high last year 

[BBC7BBCHEAVEN]

I'll just stick this here because we're at risk of just starting a new version of it, but probably gives a better insight into how people were left feeling after last year's

https://www.efestivals.co.uk/forums/topic/241406-crowd-control-issues/#comment-6405087

[gooner1990]

2 minutes ago, BBC7BBCHEAVEN said:

Numbers are the same this year as far as I know.

Hopefully we're in for decent weather because one thing that would have made last year an actual catastrophe would have been mud. Weather last year was practically perfect so getting around was easy, those numbers + a 2016 year and there will definitely be injuries 

I think there were people in there that shouldn't have been.  I can't understand how and extra 7,000 punters would have made such a difference.

[sprocketrocket]

I've not been since 2019, it felt busier than previous festivals then, how do the numbers compare from 19 - now?

 

[BBC7BBCHEAVEN]

Just now, sprocketrocket said:

I've not been since 2019, it felt busier than previous festivals then, how do the numbers compare from 19 - now?

 

There was a massive difference last year from 2019

Only real "big" crowd moment I remember from 2019 was at Kylie. 

Last year felt like that size crowd moving from stage to stage at every set. 

[Neil]

12 minutes ago, BBC7BBCHEAVEN said:

I don't see how. There are more unsuccessful people than successful every year.

Some years we get tickets some years we don't. It's not like the same 200k people are going every year 

It's many of the same people every year I've been to every festival since 1986. There's plenty of others who go each year too.

[stuie]

11 hours ago, Fishinginthelongdrops said:

I’m not crew, but I’m sad to hear this. If the people that make the festival such a great event are slowly being squeezed out it will lose some magic.

 

1 hour ago, -TLR- said:

this seems completely f**ked to me - working in, arguably, the most important part of the site and having to leave and come back must, at the very least, completely sap your vibe.

at worst it must be like, why the f**k even bother?

 

It's a sensational story but I don't know there's any evidence of it being true.  There's no sign of the green fields losing space or changing shape that we've seen and it will be full of live in vehicles.  More likely that they are full and a few have been given the option to park at B&W.

[PassingCloud]

If there were a lake or river that you could go for cold water swims that would be f**king amazing.
Obviously one that was kept clean and safe. 

[Skip997]

4 minutes ago, stuie said:

It's a sensational story but I don't know there's any evidence of it being true.  There's no sign of the green fields losing space or changing shape that we've seen and it will be full of live in vehicles.  More likely that they are full and a few have been given the option to park at B&W.

The situation is that they are close to full and anyone that requested a live in vehicle place after a certain date is highly likely to be put at B&W.

This is completely true.

Edited June 13, 2023 by Skip997

[stuie]

2 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

The situation is that they are close to full and anyone that requested a live in vehicle place after a certain date is highly likely to be put at B&W.

This is completely true.

That's exactly what I said.   They haven't had space taken away from them or anything sinister - they are just full up. 

[gooner1990]

41 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

Less people on site seems to be the most popular change and IMO the most obvious one .

out of interest, given that you work at the festival, did you hear anything on the grapevine about extra/unauthorised people being on site in vast numbers? 

[Trunks1993]

17 minutes ago, BBC7BBCHEAVEN said:

There was a massive difference last year from 2019

Only real "big" crowd moment I remember from 2019 was at Kylie. 

Last year felt like that size crowd moving from stage to stage at every set. 

Yup. Glade on the Thursday was the first realisation that something was different. Didn't need to plan for crowds at all in 2019.

[Skip997]

Just now, gooner1990 said:

out of interest, given that you work at the festival, did you hear anything on the grapevine about extra/unauthorised people being on site in vast numbers? 

No, and I don't believe there were unauthorised people on site in vast numbers. Of course there always a certain number of ticket-less people around, but I don't think that was the issue last year. Quite simply, IMO, GFL have messed up and sold too many tickets.

[MEGATRONICMEATWAGON]

Think it's been discussed a lot already, but it was a lot of diff things.

First one after the pandemic, people climbing fences, bands too large for their slots (including secret sets which didn't remain secret), poor crowd management, extra wristbands given out to friends of staff etc. 

Don't think it was just one issue, but a cluster-f**k of many different things.

 

[gooner1990]

2 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

No, and I don't believe there were unauthorised people on site in vast numbers. Of course there always a certain number of ticket-less people around, but I don't think that was the issue last year. Quite simply, IMO, GFL have messed up and sold too many tickets.

If its like 2022 again this year then I think GFL will come in for a lot more negative flack.

[DeanoL]

14 hours ago, Skip997 said:

Staff/crew really need to be close to where they work

Why, out of interest? Appreciate it's much more convenient, but I think that's the point being made - convenience of those paying to be there should be prioritised over convenience of those being paid to be there.

(I appreciate you're probably not paid enough to make it worthwhile - but honestly I think that's something the festival needs to look at as well. Fewer staff, working longer shifts, and paid a wage that makes the job worth doing without the benefit of having a free ticket.)

31 minutes ago, Neil said:

It's many of the same people every year I've been to every festival since 1986. There's plenty of others who go each year too.

I've been to everyone since 2003 but am under no illusion that that's extreme luck in terms of getting tickets, at least since around 2016. Very few people get to go every year these days unless they have a connection or work it.

[Skip997]

9 minutes ago, gooner1990 said:

If its like 2022 again this year then I think GFL will come in for a lot more negative flack.

As I keep saying they've created an out of control monster, that somehow needs winding back.

Not sure if it can be done or if there's even a willingness to try.

[Skip997]

1 minute ago, DeanoL said:

Why, out of interest? Appreciate it's much more convenient, but I think that's the point being made - convenience of those paying to be there should be prioritised over convenience of those being paid to be there.

(I appreciate you're probably not paid enough to make it worthwhile - but honestly I think that's something the festival needs to look at as well. Fewer staff, working longer shifts, and paid a wage that makes the job worth doing without the benefit of having a free ticket.)

The majority aren't paid, including myself. Those who are really essential need to be close to where they work. Putting essential crew camping away from where they work will significantly reduce their available working time.

[gooner1990]

9 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

As I keep saying they've created an out of control monster, that somehow needs winding back.

Not sure if it can be done or if there's even a willingness to try.

Thing is even if the regulars stop going (because of overcrowding) there's enough interest in the festival from bucket listers that it will still sell out.

[stuie]

9 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

The majority aren't paid, including myself. Those who are really essential need to be close to where they work. Putting essential crew camping away from where they work will significantly reduce their available working time.

That’s just not true. A large part of the crew camp outside the fence.

Edited June 13, 2023 by stuie

[Skip997]

Just now, stuie said:

That’s just not true. Over half the crew camp outside the fence.

Which crew?

To my knowledge it's Oxfam and security, any others?