Opinion: Glastonbury Hosts World-Class Electronic Music. The Problem Is Getting to See It.

[Spindles]

With the Tree stage they've at least tried to provide an alternative post-headliner option in that area and made the space more interesting and likely to get people to use the space more in the day.  I'm not sure ambient music is that many people's taste, of course, as much as I enjoy it myself.  I noticed in the programme this year that they highlighted the SE corner and on the same page named Arcadia and Silver Hayed the SW corner.  I have a feeling that both areas are going to grow to accommodate the capacity.

[Superscally]

Well written, well observed, but conclusions are completely wrong. The festival needs to reverse the changes it has made. It's gotten too dance orientated now. Like...getting rid of Avalon? f**k off. That's the equivalent of going on holiday to Spain and asking a fine fish restaurant to sack it off and do an English breakfast 

 

Edited July 4 by Superscally

[Acid Loafers]

bring back the silent disco

[Toilet Duck]

Just a thought on a muddy one and the extrapolation that it will lead to mayhem…I tend to move about a lot less when it’s muddy, presume I’m not the only one. If I’m happy out where I am, the thoughts of trudging through gloop usually prevent me from doing it just for the sake of heading in somewhere else, whereas when the whole site is walkable, I tend to head for wherever I fancy. Not entirely sure a mudfest would exacerbate overcrowding in specific areas (other than the actual walkways which all become a slow shuffle)…

[Chip Batch]

13 minutes ago, Superscally said:

Well written, well observed, but conclusions are completely wrong. The festival needs to reverse the changes it has made. It's gotten too dance orientated now. Like...getting rid of Avalon? f**k off. That's the equivalent of going on holiday to Spain and asking a fine fish restaurant to sack it off and do an English breakfast 

 

Yep. I think there's a lot of people who don't want more dance areas. It's not Creamfields.

[gigpusher]

15 minutes ago, Acid Loafers said:

bring back the silent disco

I know people who are really into their dance music think they are an abomination but I actually agree with this. The problem seems to me to be that most people want to stay out all night and there are limited options. I think having a few more of the bars doing cheesy music/silent discos. Some more stages doing uptempo sing along stuff and less people would be clamouring to get to SEC.

 

I also think that many people do only like going to SEC to see the artwork and having it open earlier for them to do that would be good. The biggest problem of all though is that so many people just seem to want to go to whatever is busiest, that name they've heard of chasing that Glasto moment whether they even like an act or not it seems sometimes.

 

We could really do with enouraging JOMO getting people to understand that the magic is everywhere not just at the big acts.

[themunn]

For all the chaos that happened in the SE corner on Friday, we wandered up into the Park after Arcadia finished and had the best time, all of the venues were busy-fish but accessible, and of course went on until 6am.

 

The problem isn't the lack of alternative options, but that the SE corner is the place to be for many, and also because the other areas close at 3, there's a desire to be down there by 1.30/2 before the last wave come in. 

 

TBH I don't see why venues like Assembly, San Remo, Glade Dome and maybe Firmly Rooted can't have their timings extended - Levels and Lonely Hearts are massive and  loud so I can see why keeping those open til 3 stays. But if you give people an alternative option then they will feel more inclined to stick around the area for a while (albeit there is a risk those venues themselves also get overrun).

 

We were at Levels on Saturday and basically felt like Skream was playing a private gig, rather than to a filled crowd - the entire right hand side of the field was empty - I don't mean quiet but without a single person there - and there was room at the front that you could have filled the crowd at least 10-deep and still have space to dance. Part of that will be because he wasn't announced on the lineup and Secret Glasto tweeted it super late, but something needs to be done to encourage people in towards those areas without feeling they need to go to the SE corner for a post-3am fix (even though that's exactly what we did at about 2.30).

Edited July 4 by themunn

[AdrianH]

3 hours ago, Acid Loafers said:

bring back the silent disco

 

I used to really enjoy the silent disco - it'd be a priority night for us as a group and at the end of the day, all it needs is a decent sized tent and a load of head sets. It could be run in a quieter area too as all you've got is people singing (poorly), not pumping out loud bass.

[cidermonkey]

6 hours ago, HappyInAField said:

Lurker from reddit here ... we are discussing there. This piece has really hit the nail on the head for me and many of us!

 

I love Glasto. But yes something was off and you have to say it... had first time attending friends were very spooked by the crushing this year and may not go back.

 

Here is my question: does anyone at eFestivals or SecretGlasto know how to get this up the chain of command?

 

I think it needs to be read by the right people... fingers crossed

 

Contact Somerset Council Licensing board with your safety concerns.
 

I am sure if enough people raised the issue the council would need to consider whether it constituted a real risk when reviewing the licence. Glastonbury Festival may be required to take actions to mitigate as part of the licence. If there was a real issue in the future and it was found the council had ignored genuine concerns they could be liable.

 

 

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[Dazric]

Id say giving people better live information would make a huge difference. We got caught out a few times this year in areas that were just too busy to be fun (applies during the day as well as late night). If the map on the app could be updated with rough capacity % we'd have picked somewhere and headed there. Most people dont seek out a crush.

[Spindles]

1 hour ago, AdrianH said:

 

I used to really enjoy the silent disco - it'd be a priority night for us as a group and at the end of the day, all it needs is a decent sized tent and a load of head sets. It could be run in a quieter area too as all you've got is people singing (poorly), not pumping out loud bass.

The assembly looks perfect for it to me, big enclosed space, about 4 times the capacity of the old silent disco tents. 

I can't say I've heard a single person mention the assembly during or since the festival.  Did anyone actually go there?

[jow95]

23 hours ago, Bin Fish said:

I feel the SEC in general has lost something over the years chasing lineups over cool experiences.

V true, or the willingness of big names to play small venues at Glastonbury that they wouldn't anywhere else.

 

Over the last 6 festivals they've consistently increased the capacity of late night venues. Iicon was added entirely, temple doubled, Silver Hayes completely changed, shangri-la got a second big(ish) arena, Arcadia's in the same field but they removed the toilets by the park after the crush last year.

 

i think there's a track record of them learning lessons from the year before. Everyone's talking about how there's far more people on site than ever before but surely there can't be. More folk taking more substances and staying out later/not knackered after the headliners is the biggest change.

[Skip997]

5 minutes ago, jow95 said:

More folk taking more substances and staying out later/not knackered after the headliners is the biggest change.

There may be something in this. 
 

The amount of crew getting in without tickets was massively reduced this year and legitimate crew places trimmed, so I expected to feel a reduction in numbers, which wasn’t the case.

 

Mind you it could be lovely if we could get people on the right substances 

[MindTheLongdrop]

Big ones for me:

• Make Silver Hayes 4am
• Build up/better advertisement of other late night areas.
• Sort out SEC/Shangri-la bottlenecks

Electronic stuff is popular among the 25-35 crowd no doubt. But how many are willing to commit to DJs at headliner time (unless they're Bicep/Charlie sized) and stay out till 6 vs go with the flow, see a headliner, stop at the tent then back out for a dance. I think if the fest handles the latter you can reduce the crowds.

 

SEC is so out the way that you don't want to risk going somewhere else at 1am, potentially find it blocked off, then trek to SEC anyway.. This is especially true for the Pennards/Paines lot, Silver Hayes and SEC are essentially opposite directions. 4am is the sweet spot where everyone not on copious amounds of MDMA is probably happy to call it a night.  Throw in some variety, maybe some basic or cheesy music stage to complement the DJs at Levels and boom, a viable alternative. Instead of everyone flocking SEC every night, most just choose one night.

 

I couldn't convince my group to go to Silver Hayes because it was just DJs so wasn't considered a 'must see' night time area, and they only time people wanted to go it was already full for Charli. Meanwhile, every day except Weds someone said "I really want to see Shangri-la at night (because they had gone to bed early or had only seen Block-9 so far).

 

The app is potentially a great tool, not just for advertising but maybe one day get to a place where they can say X is at % capacity. I had no idea Park had stuff running past 3 until reading this thread. 

 

This year the SEC felt so chaotic. I liked Genosys, Mez Yard and Rocket Lounge, everything else worth seeing needed a lot of queuing. You end up with so many crowds walking through and bottlenecks. Iicon toilets were always super busy since they're pretty much in the way of the SEC entrance, plus the narrow entrance to Block-9, bit around Unfairground toilets was consistently uncomfortable. They need to find some way to funnel people through better

 

On another note, stuff like Glastobury by Sea and Healing fields are what makes the festival uniqle and I don't think the festival should pander to the sesh gremlins too much.

Edited July 4 by MindTheLongdrop

[bob323]

5 hours ago, Toilet Duck said:

Just a thought on a muddy one and the extrapolation that it will lead to mayhem…I tend to move about a lot less when it’s muddy, presume I’m not the only one. If I’m happy out where I am, the thoughts of trudging through gloop usually prevent me from doing it just for the sake of heading in somewhere else, whereas when the whole site is walkable, I tend to head for wherever I fancy. Not entirely sure a mudfest would exacerbate overcrowding in specific areas (other than the actual walkways which all become a slow shuffle)…

I totaly agree with you on this for me anyway, but, a large percentage people will still try move about (or try to) because they have set list of bands to see

[glast0gal]

6 hours ago, Superscally said:

Well written, well observed, but conclusions are completely wrong. The festival needs to reverse the changes it has made. It's gotten too dance orientated now. Like...getting rid of Avalon? f**k off. That's the equivalent of going on holiday to Spain and asking a fine fish restaurant to sack it off and do an English breakfast 

 

Agree with this - if you keep on adding dance areas, you will attract a crowd who increasingly want to spend time in those areas. Once of the variety of the festival has gone, might as well throw the towel in on the whole thing.

[CaledonianGonzo]

There was also a world class electronic music act (Camelphat) playing in The Glade on Sunday night and it wasn't all that busy.

[Johnnyseven]

2 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

There was also a world class electronic music act (Camelphat) playing in The Glade on Sunday night and it wasn't all that busy.

 

It was very busy where I was by the speakers just outside the canopy. People kept pushing through the crowd and stopping people dancing due to their dancing space being filled up with people.

[CaledonianGonzo]

We walked round by The Spike and down the wall side and there was lots of room.

 

I mean, yes it was nicely bouncing and we couldn't have got near the front if we'd tried - but nothing OTT or especially notable.

[Chip Batch]

19 minutes ago, glast0gal said:

Agree with this - if you keep on adding dance areas, you will attract a crowd who increasingly want to spend time in those areas. Once of the variety of the festival has gone, might as well throw the towel in on the whole thing.

100%. It doesn’t need ever-increasing dance areas to survive and prosper. 
 

[Memory Man]

12 hours ago, jow95 said:

More folk taking more substances and staying out later/not knackered after the headliners is the biggest change.

This is the long and short of it

 

demographic change who take more drugs and increasingly see the hours of 6pm to 6am as the main festival hours, as opposed to say 2pm to 2am

[HotChipWillBreakYourLegs]

17 hours ago, Spindles said:

The assembly looks perfect for it to me, big enclosed space, about 4 times the capacity of the old silent disco tents. 

I can't say I've heard a single person mention the assembly during or since the festival.  Did anyone actually go there?

 

Yes I went there on the Sunday night, just really to check it out but stayed for about 45 minutes having a dance.

 

Really enjoyed it, more of an intimate night club feel being inside a tent.

 

Was easy to get in to just after headliners, whilst Levels was rammed.

Edited July 5 by HotChipWillBreakYourLegs

[4AssedMonkey]

On 7/3/2024 at 8:50 PM, Johnnyseven said:

 

I agree, they should put more on during the day on the big stages. The popularity and crowd sizes for Fred again and Barry Can't Swim are a good case for that.

 

I disagree with 95% people not dancing, granted I only spend time at Glade, Genosys, Arcadia and IICON but most people in the crowds I was in at those stages that I saw were dancing or at least paying attention to what was going on on the stage.

 

I don't know why they don't use the Avalon stage as a late night venue though, put Guilty Pleasures etc that they used to put in Williams Green in there. It's so close to SEC that tbe extra noise won't be an issue.

 

Totally agree.  The "menu" is becoming too limited.  Few of our 30-ish group are out & out dance fans, but as there are few alternatives after midnight, they go to Shangri-La or Silver Hayes.  If there were still cheesy 80's, Guilty Pleasures, silent disco type options, they would be full and the serious dance venues would have fewer tourists.

 

23 hours ago, Superscally said:

Well written, well observed, but conclusions are completely wrong. The festival needs to reverse the changes it has made. It's gotten too dance orientated now. Like...getting rid of Avalon? f**k off. That's the equivalent of going on holiday to Spain and asking a fine fish restaurant to sack it off and do an English breakfast 

 

 

Could not agree more.  I love Avalon.  And the Greenfields.  If they got cut to expand the late night dance areas, that would stop me attending.

 

3 thoughts.....

 

If they need more late night venues, then Acoutsic is the obvious answer.  Out of the way to divide crowds, to the East of the site (away from Pilton for the noise pollution) and reasonable capacity.  Why not have it Acoustic to 11:30 and then a late night venue from 12:30am onwards with a second crew?

 

Main issue is programming/scheduling.  Yes, the various areas have their own bookers and crews etc. but there needs to be some overarching joined up thinking.  It wouldn't be hard to look at the potential line up when almost fully formed, identify the hotspots where there is little competition to an act that would be a large draw and make some tweaks.

 

Lastly, having the entrance to SE Corner one-way through IICON solves 1 problem but creates an almost identical one.  Some thought needs to be give here as to how that whole area is accessed and exited.

[Colorblindjames]

They could enhance the app to show real time crowd levels at the various stages. 

[Skip997]

7 minutes ago, Colorblindjames said:

They could enhance the app to show real time crowd levels at the various stages. 

Wouldn’t make any difference, people would still be idiots