Seatwave Predict The Rise and Rise Of Smaller Festivals
As tickets for Glastonbury go on sale this Sunday, more and more fans are asking themselves whether the mud and the hassle is all worth it. Seatwave, the UK's favourite fan-to-fan ticket exchange, is predicting that 2008 will be the year of the smaller, boutique festival.
London, UK (PRWEB) April 5, 2008 -- As music lovers prepare to decide if they can face the hassle of trying to buy tickets for this year's Glastonbury Festival on Sunday, Seatwave, the UK's favourite fan-to-fan ticket exchange, is predicting that 2008 will be the year of the smaller, boutique festival.
Worries about the weather, frustration with the overly complicated and restrictive ticketing system, and disappointment with the less than stellar line-up seem to be conspiring to make Glastonbury this year's damp squib of festivals. Seatwave's Marketing Director, James Burgess says: "Fans are increasingly losing interest in going to Glastonbury. It's too big, too much of a hassle to get to, has a disappointing line-up, and it always rains! Instead we're seeing loads of enthusiasm for some of the smaller, niche festivals like Latitude, Green Man and End of the Road."
In fact it was Rob Da Bank's eclectic Bestival that commanded the highest price per ticket on Seatwave's site last year, with fans so desperate to grab some of the action that they were willing to pay almost twice face-value.
"The smaller festivals really are hotting up" continues Burgess, "Bestival continues to go from strength to strength with a 400% increase in sales since 2007 alone, and this year we see that Oxford's Cornbury festival has a rare appearance from Paul Simon, as well as popular headliners such as Crowded House and KT Tunstall. Why bother trudging through crowds and mud to see Jay-Z when you can enjoy a much more intimate atmosphere at a smaller festival."
Quoted from a recent interview with Seatwave's resident music editor, Morcheeba listed Mosley, Bestival and Cropredy as their ones to watch. You'd be forgiven for not recognising a few of them.
Seatwave's figures also show that many festival lovers are eschewing the UK's offerings all together and heading further afield to get that special experience. Last year, foreign festivals accounted for only 1% of all festival activity. This year, that figure has jumped dramatically to 16%. Germany's Rock Am Ring, Spain's Benicassim and Serbia's Exit are all proving popular with those giving Glasto a wide berth.
Burgess concludes "People want something different from a festival these days, whether it be a trip abroad, or catching an up-and-coming act in an tent with just a few other people. The hype around Glastonbury has really cooled off as many fans just can't be bothered with it anymore!"
For those still looking for festival inspiration this summer, the Seatwave team has put together its pick of the hot tickets in 2008:
Best freebie festival: Rise Festival in London's Finsbury Park offers a great anti-racism message and a free day out, all rolled into one with African music, theatre and food available in abundance.
Fancy dress fun: As ever Bestival looks set to be a sun-packed corker. This eclectic brainchild of Radio 1's Rob Da Bank won the 'Best Medium Festival' in the 2007 UK Festival Awards and 2008's line-up is headed by My Bloody Valentine. Aphex Twin, The Breeders, CSS, George Clinton and Funkadelic/Parliament, Gary Numan, The Human League, Pendulum, 808 State and Foals will also be heading to the Isle of Wight for the party.
Take a trip: Benicassim takes the festival cake and eats it too. What could be better than Spanish beach-side sun, food, a wide variety of music, including Babyshambles and Jose Gonzales, and tanned bodies a-plenty. Rock Am Ring is also worth the air miles with The Verve, Queens of the Stone Age and Swedish masters of metal OPETH there to provide the entertainment to accompany your sauerkraut.
Mainstream central: for those who don't mind the more commercial festivals, V is full of mainstream headliners. Muse, Amy Winehouse, Kings of Leon, Stereophonics, Kaiser Chiefs, The Prodigy, The Kooks, The Zutons, The Pigeon Detectives, Lenny Kravitz, Maximo Park, Ian Brown, Girls Aloud, and the Chemical Brothers are all set to appear. It's like one, big live MTV video show really.
Small and beautiful: The smaller fests hold the most promise for a chilled out, diverse smorgasbord of music and entertainment. Blissfields, Wickerman, Bloom, Beautiful Days, End of the Road, Green Man, Secret Garden Party, Peace & Love and Uppsala Reggae Festival in Sweden are just a few.
Find your favourite festival ticket at www.seatwave.com
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