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Post by calndel on Apr 30, 2017 20:10:01 GMT
this thread is getting us in the mood and Del has just been ordering stuff on ebay for his night time display and extra bubble mix
you won't be able to miss Del
if you see kilt, tie dye, bubbles and sideburns you have found him and at night he tends to glow
Cal also glows at night and bubbles too
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Post by fourgomad on Apr 30, 2017 20:16:16 GMT
as yet no steward has every dare to check Del's sporran and he always has a dram on tap, and he is always happy to share Oh that last bit did make me laugh! I'm pleased I've found some actual WOMADders that can give me actual info - it's taken me since November (when I bought my tickets) to find this forum & I even asked WOMAD themselves if a forum existed. I follow 2 other festival forums which are great for camping tips & festival hacks but I'm not actually going to either of those this year so the line-up chat & where to camp is less relevant. I will continue to bombard you seasoned pros with questions .... |
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Post by fourgomad on Apr 30, 2017 20:24:45 GMT
this thread is getting us in the mood and Del has just been ordering stuff on ebay for his night time display and extra bubble mix you won't be able to miss Del if you see kilt, tie dye, bubbles and sideburns you have found him and at night he tends to glow Cal also glows at night and bubbles too I read that wrong & was about to ask where on earth do you get glow-in-the-dark bubbles - I didn't even realise they were a thing! 😂😂😂 I'm scribbling away making lists in my festival notebook - every time I see a cool idea I jot it down |
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Post by sc on Apr 30, 2017 22:37:38 GMT
One question - do they restrict taking alcohol into the main arena? I'm not a big drinker as such (& less so when I'm on my own with the kids) but I know different festivals have different rules & restrictions, I just don't want to get caught out. Technically, you shouldn't take alcohol into the arena and technically, no glass on the site. But as Cal and Del said, as long as you don't make it obvious you will be fine, they won't search your bags (unless your being stupid, or drinking out of a glass bottle,in front of security). So if you are taking bottles, I'd suggest you take plastic cups to drink out of. The only time I've seen people being searched and drink confiscated is when it's obviously drunk teenagers. As for drugs, Womad is very clean, you obviously will smell a bit of hash from time to time, but it's not anything like as big as other festivals, some say it's about as risky as Legoland  As for Security, something we have noticed, but I have not heard anyone else talking about it, is that Security and the Police make their presence known on Thursday. They seem to be everywhere, and talking to lots of people, they walk the site, you kind of think "Blimey, whats going on?" But then after Thursday, it's minimal, I guess they are just letting everyone know that they are there. |
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Post by mikey on May 1, 2017 6:18:01 GMT
The rules say that you can bring your own alcohol but no glass in the arena (this is surprisingly liberal when the festival relies on income from beer etc. Sales). My experience is that Stewards will only check youngsters to restrict under ages drinking. However, would always keep alcohol out of site as Stewards often have a different understanding of the rules depending which entrance you are using.
After saying ing all that, there is nothing better than getting a freshly pulled pint of old hookeybetween acts but need to hurry as it seems to sell out before we get to Sunday afternoon.
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Post by fourgomad on May 1, 2017 9:09:23 GMT
One question - do they restrict taking alcohol into the main arena? I'm not a big drinker as such (& less so when I'm on my own with the kids) but I know different festivals have different rules & restrictions, I just don't want to get caught out. some say it's about as risky as Legoland . Oooh - I don't know - Legoland can get quite extreme - have you ever been on the Dragon coaster??!! 😱LOL! But seriously, it's reassuring to hear, that despite its size, it's a friendly festival - I wouldn't expect anything less! & I've heard great things about it. TBH I'd be less worried about that anyway if I was on my own - you just get protective when you have your kids about. That said, they are 12&13 so they're not "babies" & I want to give them the freedom to grow & learn but in a fairly safe environment. We attend a couple of tiny local festivals and I feel that it's safe enough to let them wander off & do what they want - we just agree a "base meeting camp" (which they usually return to when they are hungry (or have run out of money) - other than that we hardly see them all day. |
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Post by fourgomad on May 1, 2017 9:32:31 GMT
The rules say that you can bring your own alcohol but no glass in the arena (this is surprisingly liberal when the festival relies on income from beer etc. Sales). My experience is that Stewards will only check youngsters to restrict under ages drinking. However, would always keep alcohol out of site as Stewards often have a different understanding of the rules depending which entrance you are using. After saying ing all that, there is nothing better than getting a freshly pulled pint of old hookeybetween acts but need to hurry as it seems to sell out before we get to Sunday afternoon. I've been to very strict festivals - one festival was confiscating alcohol at 11am but giving the owners the option to either "drink it all now or throw it away" - cue middle-aged women downing bottles of wine & vodka! - surely that is MORE irresponsible?? people then take to trying to hide it - in all manner of ways - there are whole threads on forums dedicated to such discussion!! . I think what makes people angry is the inflated bar prices that you're forced to pay once captured inside. The tiny festival we go to, doesn't allow any alcohol, but the bar prices are reasonable (pub prices) - they're just limited in what they serve. I can usually get a couple of cans of rum & coke in which does me & I'll happily share with anyone I meet! Another good compromise was that another festival we used to go to restricted the amount per adult but didn't check the kids beakers of "blackcurrant"!😝 -many have cottoned onto this & now will only let you take in unopened soft drinks & unopened bottled water. Anyway - I hope I don't come across as a raging alky! I'm really not, I'm happy to leave my drinks for consumption back at the tent if that is the rule, but I don't want my booze thrown away by a surly security guard! |
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Post by sc on May 1, 2017 9:33:32 GMT
some say it's about as risky as Legoland . Oooh - I don't know - Legoland can get quite extreme - have you ever been on the Dragon coaster??!! 😱LOL! But seriously, it's reassuring to hear, that despite its size, it's a friendly festival - I wouldn't expect anything less! & I've heard great things about it. TBH I'd be less worried about that anyway if I was on my own - you just get protective when you have your kids about. That said, they are 12&13 so they're not "babies" & I want to give them the freedom to grow & learn but in a fairly safe environment. We attend a couple of tiny local festivals and I feel that it's safe enough to let them wander off & do what they want - we just agree a "base meeting camp" (which they usually return to when they are hungry (or have run out of money) - other than that we hardly see them all day. Sounds to me that your kids will grow to be two very well balanced adults, who you will be rightly proud of, all thanks to your well balanced parenting Toughest job in the world, and it sounds like your managing it magnificantly |
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Post by fourgomad on May 1, 2017 9:44:13 GMT
Another question (or three)
Wagons? Do families use these at Womad - in the main arena I mean- I don't need one to cart my kids around in but they are useful for towing "stuff" (I hate carrying stuff)
Secondly, chairs, laysacs, picnic blankets, wagons etc - do groups/families set up 'camp' in the main arena - somewhere for everyone to congregate, chill, drink, eat, listen to music from afar?
Thirdly - if they do, is it ever ok to leave your chairs/wagons blankets etc unattended at all or will it all be removed by security (or stolen 😱)?
Fourthly 😏 - security, (theft), imagining you've followed all the usual festival guidelines (do's & don'ts) , how safe do you feel the campsite (& your belongings) are both left unattended & while you sleep?
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Post by fourgomad on May 1, 2017 9:58:38 GMT
Sounds to me that your kids will grow to be two very well balanced adults, who you will be rightly proud of, all thanks to your well balanced parenting Toughest job in the world, and it sounds like your managing it magnificantly Awwwww shucks, thanks SC *blushes* I try my best, I sometimes think both me & hubby are quite old fashioned in our parenting (strict) but that's mainly rules & boundaries - in other ways I can be quite liberal. Most importantly I talk to my kids, if they want to do something I don't think is appropriate or I'm not comfortable with, then I will explain why, or we will reach a compromise. I really struggle with some of the general behaviour & language of other people's kid's -I think some parents are too scared to parent or are rebelling so much against their own strict childhoods that it's got out of hand. |
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Post by sc on May 1, 2017 10:10:35 GMT
Perfect keep it up |
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Post by fourgomad on May 1, 2017 10:11:39 GMT
Perfect keep it up I'll do my best 👍🏻 |
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Post by bloohair on May 1, 2017 11:34:58 GMT
Hi Fourgomad,
Make sure you have your important possessions with you at all times, or use the lock ups. Don't leave money, mobiles or any other equipment in an unattended tent. Although Womadders are wonderful people, we have had break ins where outsiders have ransacked the site at night. So make sure as well that you have money and mobiles in your sleeping compartment - up by your head and out of sight of the outer tent.
Just to balance this out - we haven't had any intruders for the last few years, but best to be safe.
Your kids will have a whale of a time, if they've been brought up knowing boundaries, they will enjoy all the kids activities and sounds like they won't whinge if left in the kids area for their allowed time, while you do your stuff!
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Post by fourgomad on May 1, 2017 11:46:09 GMT
Hi Fourgomad, Make sure you have your important possessions with you at all times, or use the lock ups. Don't leave money, mobiles or any other equipment in an unattended tent. Although Womadders are wonderful people, we have had break ins where outsiders have ransacked the site at night. So make sure as well that you have money and mobiles in your sleeping compartment - up by your head and out of sight of the outer tent. Just to balance this out - we haven't had any intruders for the last few years, but best to be safe. Your kids will have a whale of a time, if they've been brought up knowing boundaries, they will enjoy all the kids activities and sounds like they won't whinge if left in the kids area for their allowed time, while you do your stuff! Thanks Bloohair - my general rule is to keep my tent looking like it's already been ransacked - to deter would be thieves, the messier the tent, the harder it is to search! 😝 - kids think it's great because I'm usually a "neat freak" we don't leave anything like that in tent (we don't really bring it with us) - our most valuable (desirable) possession is probably beer!! I am aware that it's not necessarily the genuine festival goers but "organised gangs" that either enter the site at night or buy tickets to get access for no other reason - I've heard reports of people waking to strangers in their tent going through their things.😡 Please tell me more about the "lock ups" |
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Post by mikey on May 1, 2017 12:36:06 GMT
Like any festival or gathering of large numbers there will be some anti social persons. Security seems pretty good and there is a big police presence after an isolated incident a few years ago. Follow bloohairs advice of keeping valuables on you all time or make use of the look up facilities which I think charge a small fee which goes to charity. Best advice I can give is that womad people are generally a friendly lot and look out for each other. When you pitch up on the Thursday or Friday, make sure you get to know the people around you. Be good company over the weekend (as well as the forum members) and look out for each other.
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