Invading Bestival 2013--The Thread

[captncrzy]

I know there are a few of us planning on going to this festival next year. Thought I'd start a thread for the 2013 details; we can also use as a planning thread.

First updates:

Bestival early bird tickets will be on sale 9:00am Friday, September 21st. More details to follow.






I'm going to start doing our research on costs, etc. and will post updates as I trudge through the research. I've been planning on staying in Boutique camping, but after reading the very negative feedback, I may be rethinking that decision.

Lilia--if you can share what you know about your experiences, advice, etc, that would be great.


Probably going:

Me (captncrzy)
Rick (Somewhat Damaged)
Lilia (unknown)
Adam (unknown's ball and chain)
Sonofhal (Chris...known in the states as BritChris)





Also, I think Rick and I are going to spend a couple of days in Rome before the festival to get some sightseeing/pizza/wine/culture in.

[sonofhal]

It's about time I got my lazy arse over to this, I suppose.

[Boourns]

Count me in as a probably. If I'm not feeling the lineup, I might end up at Iceland Airwaves or Primavera instead, but Bestival is at the top of my wish list for 2013.

One friend so far says maybe.

[captncrzy]

Wonder what a house rental on the island will cost. That will be part of my research.

[sonofhal]

Might be some airbnb options if you get in early enough. I thought Lilia was bringing a house sized tent with her.

[captncrzy]

Oh, I don't know. If we're going to camp, we're going to have to have nice toilets and stuff. We're vaginas. maybe if she brings a house-sized tent and we camp in Wild Copse.

[Boourns]

So what do you all think Saturday's announcement will be? I imagine it won't be something too shocking, like Daft Punk finally coming out of hiding, because they'd want to announce their return in a big way on their own terms, surely.

If it's The Black Keys, count me out.

[captncrzy]

Geez, I don't know. I can't imagine it's the Black Keys though.

Could be Depeche.

[unknown]

YAY!! After watching the webcast I got really excited about returning and it will definitely be a lot of fun to have friends going too!

Yes, Adam and I are strongly considering this for next year. I started to look into the many different camping options. Jen, which boutique camping had bad reviews (and what were they)? Was it just for ALL of the different camping companies overall? Judging only on aesthetic appeal, I really like Hooe's Yurts. I messaged them and was put on their waiting list for pricing info. If not one of these yurts then perhaps that Copse camping section (they still have showers and toilets, the ticket included ticket too and was about 300quid). I wonder though if all these fancier/pricier camping sections are still just as shitty as general camping as far as the showers and toilets go. Then there's the tangerine camping which will have the tent and anything else set up for us - cool thing I saw about these was that you can have them section off several tents so you can camp by your friends that also rent one. I don't really mind hauling some stuff out to the site and set up shop in general camp if that's what others decide to do.

Ok from what I remember from my experience in 2010 - all the boutique camping was close to the entrance which I thought was great because I had a bit of a hike. However on this year's map it looks like they moved that around and boutique camping has a bit of a hike - so depending on the perks and negative reviews, I'm not sure how I'll camp. What about the other options like an RV rental or something?

I do recommend that we purchase our ferry tickets and plan that whole part out (meeting up, etc) early. I really don't know how strict they are about the whole ferry thing but I do know that when I bought my ticket the only options left were like butt crack early or super late. In retrospect I would have been fine with buying the butt crack early ticket because nobody checks. You show up and wait for like 3 hours to get on the ferry. So my ticket says 3pm departure (I'm guessing), I show up at 3 to get on the ferry and the line is down the street. Then you get to Isle of Wight, wait in line for a shuttle, go to the site, then hunt for camping. The main thing that I would do differently: get to the ferry way earlier. The train ride from where I was outside of London to Portsmouth was a couple of hours, so take that into consideration. It's a bit tiring hauling shit on trains, in line, ferries, shuttle, through camping, setting up camp, then figuring out your schedule. One thing I thought of while standing in the ferry line was to just stay the night in a B&B somewhere in Southampton or Portsmouth so you can get to that ferry line early. OR rent a car. I don't know how easy it is to rent a car in the UK when you're not licensed to drive there (can you? my uncle always rents cars but he lives there so idk), but from what I saw, the ferry line for people with cars was WAY shorter.

The only other thing I can think of is to be prepared to not see a schedule into you get to the site. I took a small notepad with me and just sat down with the booklet and wrote out each day. The booklet is too bulky to carry around and has loads of information on the entire festival. They also provide you with lanyards that have laminated cards that have the schedule but they aren't very convenient because each card had one stage and the lineup for that stage for 1 day. So you'd have to flip between all these different cards. Bring a notepad and pen, write down your schedule. (I don't need to tell Frank this)

Now I'm going to send Jon and Juan (my partner in crime in 2010) the link to this so I can continue bugging them about going.

[Bud Luster]

How much do you all expect going to this festival will cost? Just the airfare and festival weekend? I REALLY want to go, but thinkg it's way out of my price range. Especially considering I would have to visit London for at least a few days while there.

[Boourns]

Should we also do a facebook group? Since some of us have people interested that aren't on the board.

[unknown]

I think the airfare will be around 1K (maybe a couple hundred less) and the festival is about $300 if you just do general camping. Then add in food (which is delicious there, especially for festival food) and drink (which is not delicious because it's mainly San Miguel and cider).

[frazzles]

I have NO IDEA how my work schedule will be, but yeah, I'll try for it.

[captncrzy]

How much do you all expect going to this festival will cost? Just the airfare and festival weekend? I REALLY want to go, but thinkg it's way out of my price range. Especially considering I would have to visit London for at least a few days while there.

The airfare is going to cost you around $1k (as Lilia stated). You can do London on the cheap if you really look. If you're on your own, stay in a hostel. They're pretty clean there from what I hear.

[Mugwog]

I think the airfare will be around 1K (maybe a couple hundred less) and the festival is about $300 if you just do general camping. Then add in food (which is delicious there, especially for festival food) and drink (which is not delicious because it's mainly San Miguel and cider).

Filipino beer as the main beer sponsor for a festival in Europe? Interesting.

[Boourns]

I support spending a night in Portsmouth and grabbing the earliest ferry we can.

[captncrzy]

Jen, which boutique camping had bad reviews (and what were they)? Was it just for ALL of the different camping companies overall? Judging only on aesthetic appeal, I really like Hooe's Yurts. I messaged them and was put on their waiting list for pricing info. If not one of these yurts then perhaps that Copse camping section (they still have showers and toilets, the ticket included ticket too and was about 300quid). I wonder though if all these fancier/pricier camping sections are still just as shitty as general camping as far as the showers and toilets go. Then there's the tangerine camping which will have the tent and anything else set up for us - cool thing I saw about these was that you can have them section off several tents so you can camp by your friends that also rent one. I don't really mind hauling some stuff out to the site and set up shop in general camp if that's what others decide to do.Ok from what I remember from my experience in 2010 - all the boutique camping was close to the entrance which I thought was great because I had a bit of a hike. However on this year's map it looks like they moved that around and boutique camping has a bit of a hike - so depending on the perks and negative reviews, I'm not sure how I'll camp. What about the other options like an RV rental or something?

The major complaints were two things: the location (apparently a 25 minute walk to the venue) and the lack of clean toilets or ANY showers in the boutique area. Apparently, the toilets and showers were a seven to ten minute walk away. For a shower taht's not a biggie, but for toilets that's huge. Apparently, they only had one toilet and one shower section for ALL of boutique camping. I'd expect way more than that after shelling out that kind of money. Wild Copse is getting some good reviews on the other hand. Clean toilets, etc. Only problem is that I really don't want to travel with camping equipment. I wanted to jsut show up and crash. Haven't seen any Tangerine Fields reviews yet. And apparently security in the 'quiet' camp area was shit this year. I don't mind the camping necessarily, but I need my sleep. I liked the RV option too but it's pretty expensive to rent one and it looks like the area is really far away from the site. At least that alleviates trying to figure out how to get there and get across the water. You pick up the RV and just ride it all the way in. Not bad.

I do recommend that we purchase our ferry tickets and plan that whole part out (meeting up, etc) early. I really don't know how strict they are about the whole ferry thing but I do know that when I bought my ticket the only options left were like butt crack early or super late. In retrospect I would have been fine with buying the butt crack early ticket because nobody checks. You show up and wait for like 3 hours to get on the ferry. So my ticket says 3pm departure (I'm guessing), I show up at 3 to get on the ferry and the line is down the street. Then you get to Isle of Wight, wait in line for a shuttle, go to the site, then hunt for camping. The main thing that I would do differently: get to the ferry way earlier. The train ride from where I was outside of London to Portsmouth was a couple of hours, so take that into consideration. It's a bit tiring hauling shit on trains, in line, ferries, shuttle, through camping, setting up camp, then figuring out your schedule. One thing I thought of while standing in the ferry line was to just stay the night in a B&B somewhere in Southampton or Portsmouth so you can get to that ferry line early. OR rent a car. I don't know how easy it is to rent a car in the UK when you're not licensed to drive there (can you? my uncle always rents cars but he lives there so idk), but from what I saw, the ferry line for people with cars was WAY shorter. The only other thing I can think of is to be prepared to not see a schedule into you get to the site. I took a small notepad with me and just sat down with the booklet and wrote out each day. The booklet is too bulky to carry around and has loads of information on the entire festival. They also provide you with lanyards that have laminated cards that have the schedule but they aren't very convenient because each card had one stage and the lineup for that stage for 1 day. So you'd have to flip between all these different cards. Bring a notepad and pen, write down your schedule. (I don't need to tell Frank this)

Now I'm going to send Jon and Juan (my partner in crime in 2010) the link to this so I can continue bugging them about going.

Yeah you can rent a car in the UK. I thought if we're arriving in the UK around the same time we can rent a larger car and then split the cost of it. I think going to the Isle on Wednesday and staying in a B&B overnight is a great idea too. Less irritation getting in.

[unknown]

Wow those boutique camping reviews sound terrible. If Wild Copse is something you'd consider doing, I have access to camping gear in the UK. My uncle lives out there and has a lot of supplies - I can check with him to see what he has available to borrow.

That is a good idea about getting to IoW and staying in a B&B there the night before the festival starts. Catch the shuttle (if we're car-less) early and get a somewhat prime camp spot if we do general. Sleeping there isn't a problem as long as you have a comfortable set up. I was able to sleep until noon due to the weather and where we were camped (fucking far) it wasn't too loud, especially with earplugs. My neighbors weren't loud at all - I felt they partied in the fest then slept at camp but I didn't get back to my tent to sleep till 5am or so. I'm game if we get a car that will accommodate all of us - a van? Can you see what that would cost us?

It doesn't surprise me that security was shit. I had such a horrible experience with security in 2010 that I wouldn't expect anything decent out of them.

[Boourns]

Is the walk back to camp as much of a pain as it was at Sasquatch?

[chiapet]

I'm considering this, but I need to sort out my other vacation plans for next year, as I'm pretty sure I have more plans than vacation days.

I've never tried Bestival, but I'm thinking the getting there / finding camp aspect can't possibly be more of a hassle than Glastonbury was. I'm not really concerned with having luxurious camping or even showers. Being close to stages/night time stuff would be my preference. After hauling my gear across several countries in '10, pretty sure I'd consider doing Tangerine Fields. Or, do they have camping goods store or pick up there (like Millets for Glasto)?

[unknown]

Definitely not, Frank.

And judging by what I've heard regarding Glasto, this is WAY easier, Heidi. It wasn't that big of a hassle, just didn't know what to prepare for. You don't aim to get into the car camping line at Coachella in the afternoon on Thursday when you want a good spot near the entrance, so it's the same for this except you have a ferry and shuttle to deal with.

[Boourns]

Part of me wants to permanently retire from camping festivals and stick to ones where I have a bed, toilet, and shower, so maybe this can be my final hurrah.

[captncrzy]

Yeah, the only way we're going to be able to tolerate camping is if it's Wild Copse or the boutique. Rob is reading all of the feedback and taking note, so I wouldn't be surprised if they make some major improvements to this next year's site. I love the idea of a yurt with a mattress and whatnot.

I'll look into van costs as well as RV rental costs. (It's part of my research).

[unknown]

Thanks, Jen!

I think Rob da Bank handles this festival beautifully. Seems like he's very attentive to problems and finding solutions.

This would be fucking great but it will be costly. The rates for another festival start at £1200 for 2 people. ouch, but I'll see what their pricing is for groups.


They even offer extras like wood burning stove and welcome baskets. I guess it shows how huge festivals are over there. I guess Coachella's VIP camping is like that but I can't even imagine them having only 1 set of toilets/showers that weren't clean.

[chiapet]

The lack of showers at Glastonbury really didn't bother me once I accepted that I wasn't going to get one. I'd be more concerned with avoiding bringing camping gear to the UK (or having to haul it all from London or wherever). Looking at last year's map, the boutique campgrounds seem like they're far away from all the music/activities...

[Boourns]

How many faucets are there at Bestival? At Glastonbury they were all over the place, so I probably only spent 6 quid on water the entire 5 days. And they were good for Oklahoma car washes, too.

[captncrzy]

The lack of showers at Glastonbury really didn't bother me once I accepted that I wasn't going to get one. I'd be more concerned with avoiding bringing camping gear to the UK (or having to haul it all from London or wherever). Looking at last year's map, the boutique campgrounds seem like they're far away from all the music/activities...

Yeah, that's the main complaint. In previous years, the boutique was always right next to the site.

[concertgoer]

I am really going to try to make it to Bestival next year.

[Bud Luster]

I think the airfare will be around 1K (maybe a couple hundred less) and the festival is about $300 if you just do general camping. Then add in food (which is delicious there, especially for festival food) and drink (which is not delicious because it's mainly San Miguel and cider).

thanks for the response. I know it's an expansive question with tons of variables that can't all be considered. Thanks. Crap I want to go to this. Maybe I should quit dreaming/posting while at work.

[unknown]

How many faucets are there at Bestival? At Glastonbury they were all over the place, so I probably only spent 6 quid on water the entire 5 days. And they were good for Oklahoma car washes, too.

That I don't remember.

Hauling camping gear isn't that bad as long as you pack appropriately. There are some good/inexpensive stores for gear in the UK and I have access to tents. If we were going to try to set up a proper camp complete with bloody mary bar and camping stove then it would be nice to drive to haul all that stuff but I'm not even sure if stoves/grills are allowed. I don't recall seeing anyone in camp cooking food. I'm going to read through the sunday best forums to get ideas of what is allowed. Now that I know there is no search at any time (unless security decides to fuck with you and search your tent because they're dicks) I am definitely going to prepare better, like make room in my pack for a lot of booze.