The new normal: leaving your tent and belongings behind at a rock festival

a reply to: prisoneronashipoffools

I'm been to a few multi' day events in the US. Never in the UK or overseas so I'm not sure if this is the norm' or not I'd like to think it's not. But as prisoneronashipoffools said we call them yuppies. They're normally the more money then brains people.

While I don't like the waste the group I travel around with most of the time have learned to live with them, since it seems like they won't go away. We'll stay after and ask the event handlers if we can take the stuff left behind. We've never resold any of it, all of it is just given to people who need it our added in to our own gear. But we'll walk around the area save what we can and pick and sort the trash that we do find. Generally we're the last group of people to leave.

But it does come with perks besides the extra free gear. I've been offered free event tickets for next years shows, sometime got to meet bands ((I think that was out of curiosity maybe a little petty, over four dudes walking around a park area sings about the little red wagon they had found while the scrounged and picked up trash)).

a reply to: angus1745

You have no idea what you are talking about. This is a consequence of cheaply produced materials falling apart when abused over a long weekend. Most of that stuff is junk or stuff that couldn't fit into the people's cars. Not to mention, most of those festivals get volunteers to clean up afterwards (usually for a free ticket to the festival). What's the point in taking home a broken tent when the festival is going to clean up your garbage after you leave? Just consolidate your trash so it's easier for them. Simple.

Good Lord that's a disgusting mess!

Hate to say it but the event promoters should consider canceling Glastonbury if all they are getting are 'camping pigs".
I saw the condition of the grounds prior and it was a hot mess. I understand it being a mud pit is fairly traditional for the event, but WOW. Couldn't pay me to be there.

As far as folding tents, it's actually an "art" to get that sucker back into the bag. Easily learned.
My newest tent after folding properly, had room in the bag for 12 one foot spikes and a sledge hammer for future trips. It's a 40 buck Chinese Cheapie too, nothing fancy.

Newbies to camping make plenty of cringe worthy mistakes tho, and Glastonbury looks to have been ground zero for them. SMH

a reply to: Krazysh0t

So you advocate this behavior???

Not everyone leaves their cr@p at Glastonbury, I cleared up mine and took my belongings home, as did most people, from what I could tell, there's always detritus at a big festival, you're a bit naive to believe that field will get left spotless. 170,000 people are onsite for five days, and not all of them are 'hippies', a lot of them are rich d1ckheads who want to be cool, with more money than sense.Glastonbury is the best party on Earth, even if it is partly populated with the cast of Made in Chelsea here and there.

This is not an excuse, because I've already stated there isn't an excuse for this, but...

I wonder what percentage of this stuff is from people who came from far away (i.e. flew in or drove), and then bought the stuff locally...then didn't want (or have room) to take it "home"(?)

a reply to: soulwaxer

LOL because the original "Woodstock" was so tidy...

a reply to: Shminkee Pinkee

Well played.

That field is a bomb site though. There's no need for what you see in that video. It's well over the top, and you know it.

Thing is most camping gear in the uk is cheap as chips and will only last a summer. I'd be willing to pay someone 50 quid to tidy up after me. Anything of value comes home or given to my younger cousin, who has only just discovered festivals and has my wellies and head torch, which is great for night golf

agreed of course there's no need, but not everyone leaves their cr@p either

a reply to: TrueBrit

I'm still trying to chisel my wellies out of the boot of me car, might need an angle grinder :-)

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: Krazysh0t

So you advocate this behavior???

Sure. Why not? It's not like it's going to be there permanently. Like I said, they have people who come to clean it up. What's the problem?

a reply to: Krazysh0t

The problem is, that it shows a distinct lack of prudence, frugality, or for that matter self respect to leave beautiful places in an ugly state. Those are not things that should be encouraged, and certainly not amongst crowds for one of the most traditionally econutterish festivals there is!

a reply to: TrueBrit

I said in my first post that you consolidate your trash before you leave. Leaving it scattered all over the place is a dick move, but if it is consolidated then it doesn't destroy the area and it is easy to pick up. Again, what's the problem?

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Apart from anything else, it is not consolidated trash when it is all over the field. The videographer clearly states, that all the tents he is walking in and out of, could have been dropped off with the charities, the site stewards, or in designated areas for tents and equipment no longer required.

But no, they have been left all over the field, meaning they have not been consolidated, they have been abandoned in place by a lazy, feckless git. Those tents looked to be in a very much serviceable state to me, and I have the experience to know the difference between good to go, and good to throw. The overwhelming majority of that gear was brand new and in good order. All they had to do, was break camp, place the tents near the stewards office, or charity tents, or the designated site for "donations".

originally posted by: TrueBrit
a reply to: Krazysh0t

Apart from anything else, it is not consolidated trash when it is all over the field. The videographer clearly states, that all the tents he is walking in and out of, could have been dropped off with the charities, the site stewards, or in designated areas for tents and equipment no longer required.

But no, they have been left all over the field, meaning they have not been consolidated, they have been abandoned in place by a lazy, feckless git. Those tents looked to be in a very much serviceable state to me, and I have the experience to know the difference between good to go, and good to throw. The overwhelming majority of that gear was brand new and in good order. All they had to do, was break camp, place the tents near the stewards office, or charity tents, or the designated site for "donations".

Who cares about a (probably) biased video? I've been to enough of these things to see the state of the campgrounds when people leave. That video is an exaggeration, especially if you are going to bring up eco-friendly neo-hippie music festivals.

And like I said, they have volunteers who get a free ticket to pick up trash. They can also dig through and get stuff from that trash. I can't count the number of ground score stories I've heard from people who do that. It's one of the more popular volunteer jobs at festivals (on top of possibly getting free stuff, you don't have to miss music to do it).

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Biased how exactly!? The video was shot by a person who was at the festival himself! That would be like me being considered biased because I want my country to take responsibility for its stupid foreign policies!

The campground there is a functioning farm the rest of the year, and cows have died through swallowing tent pegs, discarded by campers and missed by the volunteer clean up crews. The fact of the matter is, that no matter how the ground is used, there is absolutely no excuse for a festival goer to leave all that toot behind. If they are going to be filthy, they might consider bringing no tent next year, and sleeping in the open, since they obviously cannot be trusted to decamp in a proper, orderly and tidy manner.

This goes against everything that Glasto used to stand for.

originally posted by: TrueBrit
a reply to: Krazysh0t

Biased how exactly!? The video was shot by a person who was at the festival himself! That would be like me being considered biased because I want my country to take responsibility for its stupid foreign policies!

Clearly you aren't very informed about the video editing process. Do you have any proof that that video is one, long uncut video? Probably not. Therefore it reasons that he could have easily cut things out of the video that didn't gel with the message he is trying to spin. These types of youtube videos do that # all the time and are the chief reason I refuse to acknowledge them as evidence of anything. I'll believe my own eyes before I believe a youtube video.

The campground there is a functioning farm the rest of the year, and cows have died through swallowing tent pegs, discarded by campers and missed by the volunteer clean up crews. The fact of the matter is, that no matter how the ground is used, there is absolutely no excuse for a festival goer to leave all that toot behind. If they are going to be filthy, they might consider bringing no tent next year, and sleeping in the open, since they obviously cannot be trusted to decamp in a proper, orderly and tidy manner.

This goes against everything that Glasto used to stand for.

Well what are you going to do? Arrest them?

a reply to: Krazysh0t

What am I going to do?

Well apparently I am going to continue to go to a better festival, with better music, where people do not, in the main, leave the place as devastated and ruined as the Glasto lot like to. But that video, and many photographs from years previous, shows that something is properly rotten amongst the Glasto crowd, and it needs sorting out somehow, because this is no way for anyone to behave, festival or not. It goes against the spirit of the venture, and shows no respect for festival goers, or event staff, organisers, or venue owner.

That is simply doing it wrong on so many levels, that like the clean up crew, I barely know where to begin!

What do they do when they run out of money in their old age? expect tax payers to fund their disgraceful lifestyle, and the young wonder why the old hate them.