Reading Festival 2007

Has anyone been to both Leeds and Reading? going to Reading for the first time after going to Leeds for the last five or six years. Infact i meant to book leeds tickets and pressed the wrong button :p , just wandering if its any better than Leeds in general?
 
I was at Leeds for the last year at Temple Newsam Park, with the proper rioting and burning and the riot vans etc. And I'd run out of film for my camera :) Site was p***-poor, and now they've moved to their second choice, but I've never actually been there. Leeds seems to attract more scumbos.

Also, Reading seems to actually welcome the festival, Leeds didn't seem to want anything to do with it- we got turned away from some shops and pubs, really hostile receptions all over, stuff like that. Reading, well, I think their entire economy is based on selling lager to 14 year olds for one weekend each year, so they roll it out big style. And the site's very well set up, the main arena and campsites are too small of course but all that practice means they have it nailed.

All of which is why we're going all the way from Edinburgh to Reading via London, instead of Leeds which is half as far away.
 
Ampeg said:
Has anyone been to both Leeds and Reading? going to Reading for the first time after going to Leeds for the last five or six years. Infact i meant to book leeds tickets and pressed the wrong button :p , just wandering if its any better than Leeds in general?
Click to expand...

actual event no difference tbh.

traffic huge difference. took me 3+ hrs to get from leeds festival to the motorway all 3 times I went.

reading took me 20mins max last year.

Hopefully will be the same this year.
 
Northwind said:
I was at Leeds for the last year at Temple Newsam Park, with the proper rioting and burning and the riot vans etc. And I'd run out of film for my camera :)
Click to expand...

That was our first year at Leeds, we got there at about 3am friday morning and ended up camping about 30 feet away from a toilet block somewhere i red(?) i think. When it kicked off on the sunday night i went back to our tent to grab a few things and when i came out i was the only one between a line of kids lobbing stuff and a line of well equipped riot police hammering on their shields. Absolutely crapped myself and legged it :) . The toilet block was burned down and all our tents were destroyed by people running when the police pushed forward. After watching the police helicopter and gas canisters go off for a few hours we spent the night with about 30 other people on the pavement by some near by shops :( .

From what ive heard were less likely to encounter that level of general ******** at Reading.
 
Ampeg said:
That was our first year at Leeds, we got there at about 3am friday morning and ended up camping about 30 feet away from a toilet block somewhere i red(?) i think. When it kicked off on the sunday night i went back to our tent to grab a few things and when i came out i was the only one between a line of kids lobbing stuff and a line of well equipped riot police hammering on their shields. Absolutely crapped myself and legged it :) . The toilet block was burned down and all our tents were destroyed by people running when the police pushed forward. After watching the police helicopter and gas canisters go off for a few hours we spent the night with about 30 other people on the pavement by some near by shops :( .
Click to expand...

This might be me, not sure:

5460.jpg


We were on the hill just above you, I reckon. We were out of the worst of it, though we got in a few scuffles on the side, there were some real scumbags out that night. There's actually a pretty good chance we met, now I think of it, we ended up giving out spare beer and kit to people who'd lost all theirs, since we were going to bed... Or that was the plan anyway. Instead, we ended up spending ages in with a wee crowd who'd settled in by the burnt out portakabins, a wee refugee camp. So, maybe you were one of those? If you were, we were the 2 random scottish guys trying to convince everyone Biffy Clyro were great. Only 5 years too early, that... Since just about everyone who saw them in the wee tent was from Scotland.

Crazy stuff, a bit more fun if your tent was on top of the hill though... I'll probably never forget walking through the remains of the toilet block, fire all around... Or, the sight of a portaloo exploding into the sky under the suddenly released power of a weekend's poo, all igniting at the same time. One guy managed to hit the police helicopter with a rock, they didn't like that much... It just didn't seem real at all to me.

Also, there were bands :D
 
Northwind said:
One guy managed to hit the police helicopter with a rock, they didn't like that much... It just didn't seem real at all to me.
Click to expand...

:D .

Wow, there were a few of us (five girls and a couple of guys) and we sat by a tree on the hill for a while watching things unfold and i definately remember we were chatting with a couple of friendly scots (with beer to spare!) for a while before we headed off.
The other guy and myself managed to shift a load of 4/5 feet high gass bottles from under the nearest stewards hut into the next field, the hut still got torched but with so many people around we didnt want to see anyone get hurt.

Obviously there were a bunch of ***** that took things too far but once you got out the way it was amazing to sit and watch with the spot light from the chopper, a few security huts going up and mini gas bottle fueled mushroom clouds lighting up the sky every few minutes.
 
Last edited:
Waiting for my tickets still, can't wait :D

Anyone know what time you can go into the camping site on the Thursday? The site doesn't actually say, it just says entry is busiest around 8am - whatever. I've heard you can go on from 12.01am Thursday? :confused:
 
Got my ticket a while ago, queued outside HMV in Guildford for 3 hours :D

You can go onto the site on the wednesday, if you can get early entry tickets.
 
I don't want to go on the site on Wednesday though :p I'm working etc so we're not going to pay an extra £10 each if we can't make it or turn up late.
 
Anyone seen a map of where the orange and white car parks are?
I have a horrible feeling that the white car park is miles away from the arena!
 
sist_si said:
Anyone seen a map of where the orange and white car parks are?
I have a horrible feeling that the white car park is miles away from the arena!
Click to expand...


white is ok, although you have to get a boat, other than the boat ride, there next to no waiting. But there can be a big cue for the boat. All depends what time you get there/ leave.
 
Can't remember what time you can get in, I will be getting there about 7pm on the Thursday I'd imagine :) Last time I went (in '99) got there about early afternoon sometime I think.
 
Stupid me, I've got the tickets sat infront of me and didn't think to check :rolleyes:

Non early entry tickets say you are allowed entry from 8am Thursday.
 
Just to check, do I need to get a ticket to park, or do they let you park if you have a ticket?

edit: Also, on non-E-E tickets, can you park in the car parks early anyway, or if one of the people in the car has an EE ticket, can you park there?
 
Last edited:
Can anyone remember when they usually announce the acts lined up for the comedy stage? cant remember myself but im sure its usually earlier than this.
 
georges said:
Just to check, do I need to get a ticket to park, or do they let you park if you have a ticket?

edit: Also, on non-E-E tickets, can you park in the car parks early anyway, or if one of the people in the car has an EE ticket, can you park there?
Click to expand...

you need a ticket. If you can't buy one I should have a spare. Got the wrong colour to start with. So ordered two.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom