WOMAD

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  A schedule next to the stages of the current/next acts
  Camping area signs. Most people had no idea where they were camping hence loads of families in areas where people wanted to party or wished for early morning quiet
  More signposts - plenty for the Spa but not much else
  Some lively late night music
  Womad Club
  Andy Kershaw
  Gogol Bordello
  Sunshine

  Please feel free to add your own ideas.

  PD

  Posted on 29-Jul-2009 5:54pm by Purpledawn

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  Some good ideas PD - agree need clearer signage and way to separate camping areas into 'quiet', family and party (and to avoid making the main route back to the other camping areas through the family part - kind of defeats the object). More information on line up changes needed -I missed the Johnny Kalsi workshop (but the bus times were better organised this year) and more signs generally to places you need to go!
  More luggage space on the shuttle buses - the leaning towers of tents were dangerously close to toppling every time we turned a corner! In fact, free shuttle buses would be even better!
  Hay bales(or similar) to sit on at back of tents
  Water supply on Monday
  More drummers
  The Dhol Foundation
  Bring back the caberet
  More loos in the main arena and some by the R3 stage
  Sun sun sun (or if not, more tracking as by Sunday night it was starting to resemble 2007 again)
  

  Posted on 29-Jul-2009 6:44pm by Bahinibeats

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  Good to meet you on Friday at Radio 3 Bar Bahinibeats - I 100% agree with all your points (don't know about shuttle bus though - you are the expert there!!) and I missed JK's workshop too but I gather it was exactly the same as last year but I still would have like to be there.

  Posted on 29-Jul-2009 6:52pm by Pinklady

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  Already said this but hay bales in general would be a great idea around the perimeter of the site as well as at the back of tents. Good to meet you both too.
  Shuttle bus is too far from main site and the lack of signage doesn't give accurate directions. Sort it please Womad.
  PD

  Posted on 29-Jul-2009 8:27pm by Purpledawn

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  - Definitely mark out family / noisy camping much clearer. Make sure groups of "teenagers" are kept well away from the family area.
  - Litter police in the camping area - most people are very good, but some are spectacularly terrible.
  - Bales of hay?!! I can just imagine what the "teenagers" would do with this, unless it's so tightly wrapped that they can't get at it. It would mean misery for people with hay fever / asthma, the dried grass dust is bad enough for my throat as it is. If it's tightly wrapped, or something else is provided, it's probably a health and safety issue, so it's 'sit on the ground or stand' scenario.

  Posted on 30-Jul-2009 9:09am by Bloohair

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  Just need to quantify something - I'm not laying the blame for noise and bad behaviour at the door of all teenagers - I know that people of all ages can be antisocial. I'm just using one word to cover all - so no intention of offence at all. Wrong word, sorry!

  Posted on 30-Jul-2009 9:33am by Bloohair

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  Bloohair - it's not just a case of family vs other camping. At the risk of sounding like a grimpy old man, I wold suggest a "quiet" camping area, where those who actually want to get something resembling sleep after they return to their tents have a fighting chance!

  I know a festival campsite is not going to be silent, and we were camped by a main walkway and a security tower, so there was always going to be some noise. A group of youngsters next to us arrived back in the early hours and carried on their conversation. There was no party as such, but they didn't seem to understand two basic concepts - sound travels further at night, and your voice is much louder after alcohol. After some time, one of our neighbours had to ask them (politely) to keep the noise down, as other people were trying to sleep. To their credit, they did make some effort.

  If Womad could designate camping areas as family, quieter, party, etc, then this would allow those who have no interest in sleeping at night to all stay up in the same area. However, this would need mauch better signage within the camping areas, and some form of policing.

  You're right that it's not just teenagers, or even the younger element (under 25), but there does seem to be a general rite of passage approach whereby you have to attend a festival, drink, take drugs, hopefully find someone of the opposite sex, and stay up all night. I don't want to generalise, as I'm sure there are also people in this age group who didn't take that view.

  I know others will point out that family camping is theoretically a quieter area, but as we don't have children with us, I don't necessarily want to be woken up at 6am by someone else's, and I don't want to take up a space which a family wants.

  Posted on 30-Jul-2009 9:58am by PJV

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  On the general point of improvements for 2010:

  Toilets - more of them (everywhere). Main campsite needs more loos for the number of people staying. Provision (and signage) of urinals from day one (I understand the problems this year). Free loos near the Radio 3 stage.

  Camping area - 2009 felt better laid out. Even when we'd pictched tent, we weren't entirely sure if we were in Red, Purple or even Family camping. Clear signs from the wristband exchange points please.

  Water points - plenty of them, but by Saturday, most were very difficult to access. I know this is due to people setting up camp in front of them, but to keep them accessible, at least rope off a path to each one. Also, turn down the pressure and sort out the timers on the taps. They obviously need to be push taps, otherwise someone will leave them running, but to fill one litre (or smaller) water bottles, usually involved a foot (and lower leg) wash! They did seem to be easier to control by Sunday - maybe that was just through use, rather than any adjustment.

  Headline slots - offering a genuine alternative (not just a DJ set) to the main stage headline act would address at least one complaint on this forum. They layout and scheduling of stages was much better this year, as this was very little (if any) sound bleed, but it did mean the 9.30 - 11.00pm choice was mainstage headline act, DJ set in red tent, dance or drum workshop, or shopping / eating / drinking. Maybe the Siam tent should be at the opposite end of the arena to the main stage (swapped with the red tent), and also have an act during those times. I know there was a cut-off point mid-way across the area in terms of being able to hear the main stage or the big red tent. I don't know if the main stage sound filtered across to the Radio 3 stage, if not, then a Radio headline would also be welcome - they had them last year.

  Posted on 30-Jul-2009 10:13am by PJV

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  On a couple of occasions, I was asked by Day Ticket Holders wandering lost in the campsite, how to get into the arena.
  I liked the arrangement at Rivermead where only weekend campers were allowed on the campsite and it was not used as a general thoroughfare.

  Posted on 30-Jul-2009 12:42pm by Standing Stone

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  That doesn't seem very fair on the day ticket holders, who should just be going straight into the arena. Others have reported problems getting off the site at the end of each day - wandering lost around a dark campsite with no signs.

  I know day ticket holders were not allowed to camp overnight, but I did wonder what practical restrictions were in place to prevent this. By the souond of things, you could wander in to the site with a day ticket and a small tent, pitch up and sleep over, and leave next morning. I've no problem with that, but it may be something Womad may wish to review, as it clearly not what they intended.

  I'm hoping wristbands for each day were different colours, so you couldn't get in on Sunday with a wristband from Saturday. Was there a curfew time by which day ticket holders had to leave the site? Were cars still in day car parks removed after a certain time?

  Posted on 30-Jul-2009 1:24pm by PJV

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