To Gazebo or not to Gazebo?

[Talons Rugby]

Hi everyone! Not long to go now...hope your all as excited as I am!?

Just wanted to know what everyones thoughts are on gazebos at festivals as from what I can tell you either love them or hate them. I've been to my fair share of festivals with both large and small groups and have never taken one as I've always thought they eat up an unfair amount of camping space. However, at Glastonbury last year I noticed a lot of people had put their gazebo's over the area in the middle of their group of tents so no extra space was taken so I'm kinda tempted to take one this year. I'm basically in two minds and looking for a bit of advice!

[Nelly]

We've had this debate with our group, there are four tents in our group and we did take one last year, and it looks like we'll take it again this year. I know it does take up room but like you said, we would have a 'gap' in the middle of our tents anyway with chairs etc.

When I was at V a few years ago a group of south africans turned up with a wedding marquee, how they got away with it I don't know but we had some fab parties in there!

[glastomad]

It really depends just how much time you plan to spend around your tents and the amount of effort it takes to get it there and to get it up.

For my first 2 glasto's i camped with my mum and a big group of her and my mates in the family field and we had a gazebo both times and they were really use full to chill under when it was both raining and sunny. But for the past two years us kids have ventured out by ourselves and have not bothered and it has not really been missed. Last year with the sun it would have been nice to have a bit of shade but for 5 of us a gazebo was not needed.

This year were in the same boat as you though as its about the same people that went to the big chill last year and the gazebo was overly used so its just the question of can we be bothered.

Oh and I think it depends on where your planing to camp on what people in your vicinity will think of you, in family fields i expect you'll be fine but the more busy places like pennards may not be.

[TAFKASair]

I know that in previous years when camping space got tight people were being asked by campsite supervisors to take down gazebos and welcome in new neighbours. As with everything, reasonable use (like yours) is not bad, people who string them together to make their own private hospitality area are taking it too far.
My main gripe with them is that they seem to be another disposable item and get left as rubbish at the end of the festival.

[stardustjunkie]

I'm in agreement with the above mostly.

Although to be honest, I don't understand why you would need one. Unless you get badly affected by the sun for whatever reason, surely it's not essential? You've got a tent to hide in if you wanted to get away if it was to rain (which we all know is not going to happen! ).

I think it does take up unnecessary room, but at the same time if it's only covering the gaps between tents in your group, I guess it isn't (someone isn't likely to set up camp up between you at least..).

[stinkywitch]

My main gripe with them is that they seem to be another disposable item and get left as rubbish at the end of the festival.

Thats my main gripe with them. Things are so cheap these days people don't care about leaving shizzle behind. Its not just the clean up after the festie its the effort and manufacture of it all.

[akicif]

Apologies in advance, but I 'ates the damn' things, I does....

They're better than mini-fences, but - to be honest - if they take up enough room that someone could have put a tent there if it wasn't, then they shouldn't be there.

I'm not sure, but I think there was something "official" saying they were banned this year, too.

UM: please ignore most of the above - written in the gap between finishing work and deciding to head to pub....

[Talons Rugby]

Having looked at some of the videos and photos of the clean up last year it does indeed look as though a lot of people abondoned them. Not a problem with our group as we will be bringing back everything we take but perhaps your right and this is where gazebos get their bad name from?!

There's a few of our group who are first timers at Glastonbury and they think that they will be hanging around the tent all day waiting for the headliners and I think this is why they would like to take the gazebo. I've tried explaining to them that the site is huge and there are a million and one things to do during the day but I don't think it's sinking in (I was exactly the same and boy was it an eye opener when I first saw the site from the top of the valley!). We're going to try one of the quieter fields this year (can't keep up with the party people in Pennards anymore haha) so I don't think our neighbours would be too bothered if we pitched one up.


Oh, and stardustjunkie...I hope your right about the rain

[rooroo]

this has been asked in our group by a few newbies as well, and i am in the I don't think we really need it camp... i mean normally we arrange the tents so that theres really enough room for a sneaky one man tent... but enough space so we can sit in chairs in our tent porches and share our "10'0clock cans"... like others we are not normally at the tent long enough to really need them and should it rain... (which is obviously soooooooooooooo unlikely) in the past we've found the few bars etc with shelter on the site as well as having a poncho / umbrella sufficent...

However i thinking about getting one of these for chilling in when out and about... what do people think (as i found the lack of shade last year pretty un bearable)

what to people think?

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...BEACH+TENT.htm

[Talons Rugby]

rooroo, we took an identical shelter to that last year and it proved to be an ideal bolt hole in the mornings when being inside a tent was like being in a sauna!! Needless to say we will be packing it again in preperation for the heatwave

[Nelly]

That's a good idea actually. I like.

As I said before, we are taking ours but its more because if we don't take ours the others will buy one anyway and that's a bit of a waste of money, its bloody heavy to carry though so it may well stay in the car if we can't get it in the trolley.

It was welcoming shade at times when we popped back to the tent last year, and even though we didn't spend much time at the tent, some of the others in our group were hanging around in the morning - it was well used.

Oh and just for the record, it comes home too

[maclauk]

A crew of us are still using a gazebo we bought in 2002. The mudfests in 1997 & 1998 had given us a strong appreciation of having a communal space for the group that was somewhat protected from the elements. Last year the shade was really appreciated.

It takes up a little more room than the natural gap between the tents but it is shared between about 5 tents and 9 people. It provides a lovely communal chill out space with your mates before you crash out and a small campfire will happily burn under the middle .

[wozle]

we wont be taking a gazebo, ridiculously heavy, and who wants to hide away from all the glorious sun we will be having

and, it does actually say on the glastonburyfestivals website that they dont like you bring them and to leave them at home!


reeeeeeeeeet at the bottom:
http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.u...e/packing-list

[stardustjunkie]

"Please do not bring gazebos - they take up valuable tent space in the campsites (and there are so many more exciting places to have a sit down with your friends). Plus, an awful lot of them get left behind."

I'd say listen to that tbh

[Piston Broke]

Our group has taken one for the last 5+ years and it has always been well used and brought home.

i remember last year we were all moving round underneath it to shade ourselves from the sun. Only a couple of falling off the chair moments, LOL.

This is it, we were just setting up camp when this was taken, you can make out my tent half up behind the Gay-zebo.


It only covers the area we sit in any way, oh and here is me sitting in that area getting me toe nails painted!


Happy days, and crazy nights! How mucking futch longer is it?

[glastomad]

^^^^^^^^

we've got the same tent, orange tent pole sleeves one on the right brilliant tent but now slightly broken

[Talons Rugby]

That's the kind of set up that we have in mind Piston Broke. I understand peoples points that you could probably squeeze a tent or two in there but, as has been mentioned, people usually have a little communal space in the middle anyway for camp fires and general chilling out. I think I'm being swayed by the enthusiasm of the newbies in our group...I bet that all changes though when they see the walk from the car to the camp site haha!!

2 weeks to go

[maclauk]

I'd contrast the festival's "don't bring a gazebo" request to their paying customers against their allocation of the old cinema field and the one next to it to a "hospitality" area . Have you seen how that looks on the overhead photos ?

A couple of years back they even gave that area its own fenced off private entrance that meant a very long walk round for those entering by gate A (public transport) to get to the fields by John Peel and Dance .

[TAFKASair]

If you're looking at last years overhead, on of those fields was set aside for people to watch football on big screens.
Now, I don't understand why anyone would want to do that at Glasto, but I do know that 50,000 pople going to the local pub to watch would have been a disaster!

[stinkywitch]

If you're looking at last years overhead, on of those fields was set aside for people to watch football on big screens.
Now, I don't understand why anyone would want to do that at Glasto, but I do know that 50,000 pople going to the local pub to watch would have been a disaster!

We can't understand it either But we did watch Ray Davies and he was amazing! Had the best sing a long ever. We knew every word and the kids knew most songs! (Radio 2 )