Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Music

From classical to pop, join the discussion on our Music forum.

festivals this year?

36 replies

giantkatestacks · 18/01/2009 14:35

As its now January and tickets have started to go on sale - is anyone thinking of going to any festivals this year?

I always used to work Glasto but cant be assed to go as a punter - am thinking of Beautiful Days instead with the dcs. Anyone else?

OP posts:
millenniumfalcon · 18/01/2009 14:43

big green's back on this year, best festie for kids imo, partly cos it's 5 days so you all get a chance to settle in. depends which bit of glastonbury you go for - if you like the green fields i'd strongly recommend it - it's the closest i know for that vaguely anarchic feeling you get at glastonbury (shambala had a similar vibe but was too small imo when we went, a few years back). that said i've not been to beautiful days, have you been before?

millenniumfalcon · 18/01/2009 14:46

the other one i really liked for the music was end of the road, it seemed a bit too cilvilised when we went, but that may have been cos i wasn't as trolleyed as i prefer thanks to 4mo dd2

giantkatestacks · 18/01/2009 14:50

no but lots of my friends have been and enjoyed it - much smaller than the others, good toilets and kids fields etc - the bits of glasto you like without the marketplace and big stages etc. Spose it comes down to how you feel about the levellers maybe?

I went to the big green gathering when I was 18 - it was tiny then - think 5 days is to much though.

I was wondering how I would cope myself without truffles etc - how is it?

some people i know do the big chill but its a bit too civilised for me as you say...

OP posts:
millenniumfalcon · 18/01/2009 15:09

i was a bit of a crusty in my day, levs fine by me

size is critical for me, too small and the atmosphere just isn't there - and when you're in charge of kids and not free to make your own entertainment in that way then what other people around you are up to matters more, iykwim. big green is indeed big now, and rambling over a huge site, love it.

ideally you'd go as a big gang of you so you can alternate babysitting duties for kid-free time. tbh i treat it as camping with entertainment, i have the odd drink but nothing more indulgent than that. that's another reason big green is good, because there's no big headline bands that you have to walk out of half way through cos the kids are wailing, don't feel you're missing out quite so much.

when we did end of the road my favourite band were playing and it was only the second time i'd had the chance to see them so dp took both kids for the evening so i could go off have a drink and a proper dance, it was fantastic, one of the best gigs i've been to and all the sweeter cos it was stolen time.

i reckon by taking them from a young age you get them reasonably well trained, and everything gets more relaxed as they get older (and once you stop breast feeding!). and of course when they're a bit older you can leave them wit the grandparents and do a festival proper

OsmosisBanana · 18/01/2009 15:20

Shambala is fantastic, we went last year, it's been moved to a much bigger site to accomodate the growing legions of fans! Good music. Really good kids area, really good vibe. In fact if I could only go to one festival ever again it would be Shambala.

Went to Beautiful Days but it chucked it down so hard the whole time I couldn't really tell you much about it!

Secret Garden Party good and growing, lots of small tents playing lots of different music / theatre / general fancy dress lunacy etc. Quite out there, a bit too small IMO. It's in the grounds of a big estate with a boating lake.

I don't really think Glasto is for kids, too many people too messy... It would worry me. M&D are having DD this year so we can go and join the messiness

mollyroger · 18/01/2009 15:21

BD is brillinat but has been terribly, terribly muddy the last 2 years. Trouble getting out of campervan field etc.
Excellent for children though - a really nice, friendly vibe. What ages are yours?

sarah293 · 18/01/2009 15:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

mollyroger · 18/01/2009 15:25

all festivals are a good idea if you're 17.

Oh, you mean you want us to reassure you.....>

sarah293 · 18/01/2009 15:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

mollyroger · 18/01/2009 15:33

well, I started going to glasto when i was 15. And I'm still here to tell the tales. But it's like looking at yourself from above - no way would I let my daughter do that.....!

brimfull · 18/01/2009 15:36

Riven-my dd went last yr and was fine,she's going back this summer.

OsmosisBanana · 18/01/2009 15:42

Hi Molly! Given up giving up eh?

giantkatestacks · 18/01/2009 15:44

Readings ok if you manage to avoid the gangs of kids burning aerosols and gas canisters on the fires (we steward with lots of people who steward Reading/Leeds and they've always lots of frightening stories) - I think its a good one to do a day pass though - glasto much better for that age group but then they would say the line up isnt as good...

um this post isnt very reassuring - if you're dds sensible then am sure its fine - as with all things...

mollyroger - mine are 8months (so over a year by the summer - the worst age imo) and 5 - thinking of leaving the baby with gps though and just taking the 5 year old...

osmosis - wheres shambala?

agree about the camping with entertainment...thats how i see it too.

OP posts:
daftpunk · 18/01/2009 15:49

going to the beautiful days this summer...that's it.

OsmosisBanana · 18/01/2009 15:50

In the Midlands. Can't really remember the name of the place and they are quite secretive about it for some reason.

much fun

idontlikesundays · 18/01/2009 15:50

I'm doing IoW again, but I live here, so will be coming home to a bed and a hot shower each night. Perfect.

OsmosisBanana · 18/01/2009 15:51

We've already got our Glasto and Shambala tickets, cannot wait!

giantkatestacks · 18/01/2009 15:53

ooh idontlikesundays - that is perfect...the actual camping with the dcs is the bit am unsure on - obv we will be in the family camping but is it still drunken/noisy/etc? sorry if that sounds a bit pathetic

OP posts:
millenniumfalcon · 18/01/2009 16:11

imo going somewhere local where you can easily escape is a very good idea when you go with kids. we're limited to the sw for that reason.

camping is a bit of a lottery most festies ime - had a horrible experience at shambala for example when someone tripped over and fell on my head (dd1 was in with us, aged about 14mo at the time) then decided to sleep where he was lying half across our tent , but that could happen anywhere. wychwood was the most orderly camping i've been to - on the race course, so beautifully flat and kempt and there was a 4m (?iirc) between tents rule that people complied with. it was good for lineup too, but rather suburban overall. still, good for a warm up cos it's early in the season.

giantkatestacks · 18/01/2009 16:40

wow do the stewards have tape measures?

I suppose i could put up a thread nearer the time for BD and then mnetters could all camp near eachother...mind you thats likely to up the drunken shite bongo playing I would have thought

OP posts:
millenniumfalcon · 18/01/2009 16:42

lol i think the punters were just read/obey the rules types (hence suburban!)

mollyroger · 18/01/2009 16:42

The family camping at BD is very nice - BUT the dance tent is still very audible into the wee hours - more of a problem for us geriatric old parents who know we need all our energies for the day ahead after a 6.30am wake-up call from children, than the children themselves IYKWIM.

OB, you got me, mate!

FiveGoMadInDorset · 18/01/2009 16:42

Camp Besival for us - staying with my sister who's house is at the end of the camping field, the organisers have mine.

Spidermama · 18/01/2009 16:47

I like the Sunrise Gathering, The Big Green, Buddhafields and other such greeny, sustainable nice family festivals. Though I have to admit the music can be patchy.

I can't stand massive beery commercial music festivals. They're vibe is all wrong for kids.

mollyroger · 18/01/2009 16:54

I don't suppose we can afford to go to any festies this year

And if I don't make my mind up soon, all the children's tickets will be gone.