Festivals- still fun if you don’t make the front row?

[Notcopingwellhere]

Watching a BBC programme last night in Glasto headliners over the years. Amazing atmosphere, as usual all the faces at the front totally lost in the moment.

But in reality most people will be miles back and not able to see much. I’ve never been to a festival but I know from the odd outdoor concert that screens never quite seem the same, and the sound often gets a bit mangled.

So, are festival headliners still worth it if you’re at the back? Or, if you want to get to the front, do you basically have to camp out there hours in advance and miss all the other bits of the festival?
And finally, where do people get those huge long spindly flagpoles?

I never enjoy outdoor venues. As you say, the sound quality is pretty crap, and watching on the screens removes you from the actual performance.
My main issue though is that I am very short, so can never see anything apart from the back of people’s heads! I now only go to small indoor venues where the done thing is to stay seated...

Writing this while lying in the sun next to our caravan at Glasto and I can categorically say, YES.

The sound systems are fantastic and the atmosphere one of a kind. In fact I can hear Bjorn Again very clearly right now and we're about 15 mins walk away from the stage

You can usually make your way near the front if you want to - there's more space than there looks to be on camera - but you don't need to to have a great time.

Not sure about the flagpoles, I'd hate to have to drag one of those around!

Absolutely. I have been to several Glastonburys pre-DC and never been at the front row for anything. I would hate that. The massive crowds freak me out enough as it is if you go and see someone really popular. Also, you would miss so much that Glastonbury has to offer if you camped out at the front for one band. I am also very short, so it can be a problem, both at festivals and indoor venues, some stages have higher areas further back so short people can be better off further back anyway. The atmosphere is absolutely worth it whether you are in a tiny tent or at a main stage, otherwise no one would bother trekking for miles in deep mud from one stage to another (bringing back memories here!)

Absolutely! We go to festivals every year (not Glasto, yet) and have never been to the front row, I'd hate it. We generally find ourselves at the smaller stages a lot of the time anyway, and I always stick to a side area so can get in and out easily.

We fly flags at our camp (with lights attached - used to be great for navigating back in the dark 10 years ago, not so much now half the campsite seems to do it!)

And do you need to camp out to get to the front for big acts?

No! We have been at the front of every stage we've been to so far and only got there maybe 30 mins before, sometimes less.