Festivals and alcohol
Discussion
I'm going to my first 4-day festival this year (Wilderness).
Being a festival noob, I was surprised to read on the website that there is a strict alcohol limit, including no spirits and only a relatively small amount of beer allowed.
While alcohol isn't the be all and end all for a good festival experience I'm sure, it is a tad annoying that I'm blatantly going to be ripped off by paying £5+ for a pint.
Is this the norm or do some festivals have a more generous limit?
Being a festival noob, I was surprised to read on the website that there is a strict alcohol limit, including no spirits and only a relatively small amount of beer allowed.
While alcohol isn't the be all and end all for a good festival experience I'm sure, it is a tad annoying that I'm blatantly going to be ripped off by paying £5+ for a pint.
Is this the norm or do some festivals have a more generous limit?
Admittedly haven't done Glastonbury for a number of years but there was no limits other than what you could carry 
Only restriction was no glass allowed on site which is fair enough.
We used to do two runs from the car on the Wednesday, first to set up camp, second to get the beer.
Sounds like the "rules" are in place to sell more overpriced alcohol. Nothing to stop you sneaking it in though, bottle of spirits wrapped up in your tent etc. They're not going to have the resources to search every single item you bring with you
Only restriction was no glass allowed on site which is fair enough. We used to do two runs from the car on the Wednesday, first to set up camp, second to get the beer.
Sounds like the "rules" are in place to sell more overpriced alcohol. Nothing to stop you sneaking it in though, bottle of spirits wrapped up in your tent etc. They're not going to have the resources to search every single item you bring with you
Edited by C0ffin D0dger on Monday 29th June 14:36
Oh yeah, that's a bit draconian:
11. You are permitted to bring Your own limited supply of food and soft drinks to Wilderness and Somersault for Your own consumption in the campsites and/or the Event site but not for resale. In addition, You are permitted to bring either 12 x 300ml cans of beer/lager and/or cider per person OR 6 x 300ml cans of beer/lager and/or cider per person and 1 75cl bottle of wine (which must be decanted into a plastic bottle) per person. Such items may only be brought into the Venue on first entry. GLASS BOTTLES and SPIRITS AND ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES WITH AN ALCOHOL CONTENT WHICH EXCEEDS 15% ABV ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED. Searches will be undertaken upon entry and re-admittance to ensure compliance with the provisions of these Terms and Conditions. Any alcohol above the permitted allowance will be confiscated.
12 x 300ml cans, not even proper sized beer cans
11. You are permitted to bring Your own limited supply of food and soft drinks to Wilderness and Somersault for Your own consumption in the campsites and/or the Event site but not for resale. In addition, You are permitted to bring either 12 x 300ml cans of beer/lager and/or cider per person OR 6 x 300ml cans of beer/lager and/or cider per person and 1 75cl bottle of wine (which must be decanted into a plastic bottle) per person. Such items may only be brought into the Venue on first entry. GLASS BOTTLES and SPIRITS AND ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES WITH AN ALCOHOL CONTENT WHICH EXCEEDS 15% ABV ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED. Searches will be undertaken upon entry and re-admittance to ensure compliance with the provisions of these Terms and Conditions. Any alcohol above the permitted allowance will be confiscated.
12 x 300ml cans, not even proper sized beer cans
C0ffin D0dger said:
Oh yeah, that's a bit draconian:
11. You are permitted to bring Your own limited supply of food and soft drinks to Wilderness and Somersault for Your own consumption in the campsites and/or the Event site but not for resale. In addition, You are permitted to bring either 12 x 300ml cans of beer/lager and/or cider per person OR 6 x 300ml cans of beer/lager and/or cider per person and 1 75cl bottle of wine (which must be decanted into a plastic bottle) per person. Such items may only be brought into the Venue on first entry. GLASS BOTTLES and SPIRITS AND ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES WITH AN ALCOHOL CONTENT WHICH EXCEEDS 15% ABV ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED. Searches will be undertaken upon entry and re-admittance to ensure compliance with the provisions of these Terms and Conditions. Any alcohol above the permitted allowance will be confiscated.
12 x 300ml cans, not even proper sized beer cans
That's 3.6 litres of booze! 11. You are permitted to bring Your own limited supply of food and soft drinks to Wilderness and Somersault for Your own consumption in the campsites and/or the Event site but not for resale. In addition, You are permitted to bring either 12 x 300ml cans of beer/lager and/or cider per person OR 6 x 300ml cans of beer/lager and/or cider per person and 1 75cl bottle of wine (which must be decanted into a plastic bottle) per person. Such items may only be brought into the Venue on first entry. GLASS BOTTLES and SPIRITS AND ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES WITH AN ALCOHOL CONTENT WHICH EXCEEDS 15% ABV ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED. Searches will be undertaken upon entry and re-admittance to ensure compliance with the provisions of these Terms and Conditions. Any alcohol above the permitted allowance will be confiscated.
12 x 300ml cans, not even proper sized beer cans
OP, heard of The Beerbelly?
They also do a WineRack.
"Turn an A cup in to double Ds AND sport your favorite beverage for yourself and your friends! Better than a Boob Job and Cheaper Too! Not to mention the savings on over priced drinks."
soad said:
That's 3.6 litres of booze!
OP, heard of The Beerbelly?
They also do a WineRack.
"Turn an A cup in to double Ds AND sport your favorite beverage for yourself and your friends! Better than a Boob Job and Cheaper Too! Not to mention the savings on over priced drinks."
Haha, that is fantastic OP, heard of The Beerbelly?
They also do a WineRack.
"Turn an A cup in to double Ds AND sport your favorite beverage for yourself and your friends! Better than a Boob Job and Cheaper Too! Not to mention the savings on over priced drinks."
Not sure if I could live with myself wearing that though :O
LiquidGnome said:
soad said:
That's 3.6 litres of booze!
OP, heard of The Beerbelly?
They also do a WineRack.
"Turn an A cup in to double Ds AND sport your favorite beverage for yourself and your friends! Better than a Boob Job and Cheaper Too! Not to mention the savings on over priced drinks."
Haha, that is fantastic OP, heard of The Beerbelly?
They also do a WineRack.
"Turn an A cup in to double Ds AND sport your favorite beverage for yourself and your friends! Better than a Boob Job and Cheaper Too! Not to mention the savings on over priced drinks."
Not sure if I could live with myself wearing that though :O
Surely this is half the fun of getting in to a festival (Oh crap you bought tickets), I think it's called smuggling... I could be wrong.
I think we had a thread here about this earlier... a few years ago...
To be honest if you are going to your first 4 day festival, do what I did at Glastonbury one year, get yourself an ounce of hash. Lose it during the first night, find an African looking fella and buy an 8th to last you for the rest of the festival, accept the cost of buying the odd beer here and there, enjoy the whole festival and then twelve months later discover you have nearly an ounce of hash ready in the same bag.
Rinse and repeat.
Otherwise (in my day) a couple of litres of 7Up spiked 50/50 with Gin might often go unnoticed.
Don't forget that the lads working security at a festival are just people too, normally they're really ace people if you hang around and talk to them a bit, make friends/talk to them, slip them a few quid and you'll be fine.
I think we had a thread here about this earlier... a few years ago...
To be honest if you are going to your first 4 day festival, do what I did at Glastonbury one year, get yourself an ounce of hash. Lose it during the first night, find an African looking fella and buy an 8th to last you for the rest of the festival, accept the cost of buying the odd beer here and there, enjoy the whole festival and then twelve months later discover you have nearly an ounce of hash ready in the same bag.
Rinse and repeat.
Otherwise (in my day) a couple of litres of 7Up spiked 50/50 with Gin might often go unnoticed.
Don't forget that the lads working security at a festival are just people too, normally they're really ace people if you hang around and talk to them a bit, make friends/talk to them, slip them a few quid and you'll be fine.
Can't say I've seen restrictions like that before. Glass is a common restricted item and understandably so.
12x330ml is a very tight allowance. Sounds like a right rip off forcing you to buy their own drink.
Usually camp sites are very relaxed about the amount you can take in. Security can be really right for searching through you bags.
They'll have lorry loads full if they plan to confiscate anything more than 12 cans.
12x330ml is a very tight allowance. Sounds like a right rip off forcing you to buy their own drink.
Usually camp sites are very relaxed about the amount you can take in. Security can be really right for searching through you bags.
They'll have lorry loads full if they plan to confiscate anything more than 12 cans.
LiquidGnome said:
CTO said:
Just returned from Glasto.
Took as much beer/cider/spirits/wine as we could carry.
Don't rub it in Took as much beer/cider/spirits/wine as we could carry.
- see my previous post, lost the best part of an ounce of hash at Glastonbury and then spent four days looking for it? Only to find it 12 months later as I was packing up for the next one. 
I remember landing into Reading Rock festival after a ride down the A34 from Manchester on a GPZ500s, pulled into to buy the booze, stacked it all on the back seat and could barely keep the front wheel on the ground for the rest of the journey.
I guess it must all be very different now...
Doesn't seem much for 4 days, I'd be worried about dehydration ;-)
4 of us spent Saturday afternoon and night at Dalby forest, watching Paul Heaton and at the show you were limited to 2 litres of drink each, bags checked, no glass, no cans. We took 3 litre boxes of wine in with us, one each and no one was bothered about being a bit over. Couple of pints in the pub early afternoon, few beers and a bottle of Pimms at the campsite before going to the show, wine at show and some kopperberg back at the tent before bed. Slept like a log, cracking night!
4 of us spent Saturday afternoon and night at Dalby forest, watching Paul Heaton and at the show you were limited to 2 litres of drink each, bags checked, no glass, no cans. We took 3 litre boxes of wine in with us, one each and no one was bothered about being a bit over. Couple of pints in the pub early afternoon, few beers and a bottle of Pimms at the campsite before going to the show, wine at show and some kopperberg back at the tent before bed. Slept like a log, cracking night!
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