Summer festivals... Glastonbury style

[Paul Mather]

On Wed, 2005-03-23 at 22:39 +0000, Jill Strobridge wrote:
> Woah - I've just been reading the Glastonbury tickets info with
> mounting astonishment at the intensifying quality (and quantity) of
> restrictions and have to say that this is one festival I've decided
> never to visit again.
>
> (official site) http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/  and click
> on tickets
> (unofficial site)
> http://www.efestivals.co.uk/festivals/glastonbury/2005/tickets.shtml
>
> Quite apart from rigorously checking to make sure that the people
> you are buying tickets for are who you say they are and that only
> debit cards can be used to pay for tickets, personal cheques not
> being acceptable etc etc.   -  this time Personal ID will be
> required at the gate and the ONLY acceptable forms of this ID will
> be:   a new style plastic-card type driving licence (so basically
> if you don't drive you don't get in) OR Government Approved Photo
> ID such as.... a Citizencard and, guess what, you can apply for one
> on-line.
>
> So now I'm confused - is this really a Festival or some new kind of
> State Sponsored Detention Camp - it's all rather strange but either
> way, it doesn't sound like fun any more.      Glastonbury Festival
> requiring Government Approved National ID cards before allowing you
> entry.  Who would have thought it?

Sounds to me that they are taking a leaf out of Hawkwind's book and
making sure they only admit people for whom they have name and address
details (to keep the police happy).

It also sounds like they are taking a leaf out of FIFA's book, at least
as far as purchasing World Cup tickets goes (which have various similar
restrictions; are "personalised"; and are [or at least at one stage
were] to bear RFID stickers so that the holders can be tracked around
the stadiums).

They also seemed to me to be paranoid about scalpers and getting paid.
That would explain their preference for debit cards and cashiers cheques
(bank drafts, postal orders, etc.).  Obviously, Glastonbury must be
popular enough that they can heap on all these unpalatable hoops through
which they make people jump and still have people do it.

As for ID cards, I thought they were all the rage and a vital
necessity---at least you'd think so from all those gutless Labour MPs
that fell into line when the whips barked their orders to vote for them.
(Sheer madness!  "Future generations are relying on us!") :-(

I don't know how much of Glastonbury's actions are to do with the
increasingly litigious society; the "law and order" cultural obsession
post-9/11; or just increased corporatism in festivals.  But, quite
obviously, the old-style large-scale hippy festivals are gone.  But, I
thought everyone knew that already.

BTW, I read recently on the Grauniad that the Tories want to clamp down
on the Travellers as part of their election manifesto.  Some things
never change...

Cheers,

Paul.

NP: Pink Floyd, Hollywood Bowl, 1972-09-22
--
e-mail: paul at gromit.dlib.vt.edu

"Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production
 deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid."
        --- Frank Vincent Zappa