Cropredy 2023 - General thoughts

[Poor Will (Bill)]

The tankards thing is general at most festivals and the reason is pretty obvious.
The plastics are a standard pint, tankards may not be.

[Andy]

- Why did the bar refuse to fill tankards, instead filling plastic glasses which we could then pour into our tankards and immediately throw the plastic away?

HMRC Weights & Measures legislation, for one, I believe.

Also, if they've already been used, post-COVID, it's not considered ok to refill a pint glass / plastic container.

Barmy, perhaps, but  a detailed discussion with Hook Norton Brewery may enlighten you (us) fully and, you never know, effect some changes. So please do contact them and let us know how you get on.

[PhilipK]

It seemed to be perfectly acceptable to refill tankards at Cropredy last year, so what has changed in the meantime?

Cream Of The Crop, Wimborne Folk Festival  (and many other festivals) are still willing to refill tankards.

I fail to see there being any COVID-related rationale for not refilling a tankard that the person who last drank from it is going to reuse - and even if there were such a case, surely pouring the beer from a plastic glass into the tankard negates that.

There might be a very strict interpretation of Weights and Measures legislation, but it has never stopped festivals before, and any sensible bar worker knows whether a tankard is a pint one or nor.

Whatever the reasons, the provision of single-use plastic glasses (let alone forcing people to use them!) at a festival in 2023 is utterly unacceptable.

[Dan O.]

Here's a common sense solution (I was a pub manager in one of my former lives so not entirely without a clue   ) : how about the bar person use either a lined measuring jug (lined to pint or 1/2 pint) under each tap, pour the beer from the pump into said measuring device before dispensing into a tankard ? Or even measure the beer dispensed by using a "single use" glass many times over (a different glass under each type of beer, obviously). No arguments about over or under-pouring as both server and customer can see what they're getting.

[iandiddams]

wrt the bar thing...

Ive seen it discussed in FB groups...

Obvs I cant comment on previous expereinces etc but the gist of the suggestions is

* its a weights annd emasures thing : just because your tankard has a line on it doesnt mean its a legal/official/whatever line, so the dispense should be in a known legal container 9from which it can be poured)
* environmental health - multiple hands/mouths  touching the tankard then onto the bar staff to then handle other people's "glasses"   9not that the staff should be touching anywhere near the top oif the vessel anyway!)
* env health part 2: if the staff only ever use fresh receptacles to poutr into then the bar cannot ever be accused of introducing anything that causes subsequent illness that has originated form outside the bar

which of these , if any or maybe all, are relevant in 2023 I dont know of course.  youd have to ask the bar orgainsers directly and i doubt any of us really know (unless we are part of that team/business)

There are much much better "plastics" 9including non-plastic "plastics" that are far better wrt decomposing etc - though they come at a higher cost. And it cannot be beyond the wit of man to somehow get around the H&S/EH aspects by having some form of interim vessel in which to pour a known legal quantity to then decant. but Im back to the above point again then...

didds

[StephenB]

Or at least trust that Fairport's own branded tankards are accepted (which could boost sales of the tankards as well).

[Shane (Skirky)]

Generally….

Music was great, though Beans on Toast upset my lad due to profanity- he’s 11 and hates swearing- not the parents fault I’m a potty mouth. Just not in front of him. He probably learnt 3 new words.

Having seen BoT at Beautiful Days a couple of years ago, I came away thinking he was a Digance for Crusties.

[Lubiloo (Lorna)]

Sorry if this isn't the best place but I don’t think it warrants a whole thread...Did anyone here go glamping? I think Mick was, not sure who else. What was it like?

I was just looking out of interest and thought it looked good, but  couldn’t see much to justify the few £100s between the different packages, (apart from hire of a bistro table, bedding, blankets, cushions, a bottle of wine and fairy lights all of which are things it wouldn’t be too hard -my frugal nature tells me - to take from home.) Also the hook-up being £100 but you can’t use it for your hairdryer only to charge devices seemed a lot.

But interested to know what it is like, is it easy to use the facilities?

[NevBull]

- The big screens were often well out of date (e.g. showing the performance times of acts who had already played, but not those who were scheduled next). I can't imagine that it would be a major job to keep them up to date.

Hi Philip

Managing the screens / cameras / recordings / crew takes up my entire weekend with very little time free to enjoy my favorite festival to which I have now attended 25 with 15 of those being video HOD.

I set up the screen graphics just before we hit site on the Tuesday and apart from major updates and urgent messages - they stay the same. Detailing complete lineup, signing and radio performances for each day.

We have a 20 minute break between bands to swap camera crew over, give the director a rest and set stage cameras for the next band. For twelve hours a day. Plus setup times and systems checks.

So - yes - it would be a major thing for me to go through each of the 15 line up slides and 15 signing slides and 15 BBC Oxford signing time slides during each change over for three days.

I love this festival as much as the next man - I just don’t need to be editing slides all day too!!!

[Sue & Chris]

- The big screens were often well out of date (e.g. showing the performance times of acts who had already played, but not those who were scheduled next). I can't imagine that it would be a major job to keep them up to date.

Hi Philip

Managing the screens / cameras / recordings / crew takes up my entire weekend with very little time free to enjoy my favorite festival to which I have now attended 25 with 15 of those being video HOD.

I set up the screen graphics just before we hit site on the Tuesday and apart from major updates and urgent messages - they stay the same. Detailing complete lineup, signing and radio performances for each day.

We have a 20 minute break between bands to swap camera crew over, give the director a rest and set stage cameras for the next band. For twelve hours a day. Plus setup times and systems checks.

So - yes - it would be a major thing for me to go through each of the 15 line up slides and 15 signing slides and 15 BBC Oxford signing time slides during each change over for three days.

I love this festival as much as the next man - I just don’t need to be editing slides all day too!!!

Thanks, Nev, for coming on here and explaining, and for all the work you do for our favourite festival!

I think the issue that may have prompted Phillip's comment was the duration of the scroll for each set of graphics. This was such that, each time it started, it scrolled through the first few acts, but then cut away to the next set of slides before it had completed. So as the day went on the information became redundant, because it all referred to what had already happened. Not sure how hard this would be to fix? Hope you don't mind the feedback, and thanks again.

[NevBull]

Hi - yes…… that problem with the ‘missing the end of the list’ was reported to me and fixed as soon as I could. That was my bad.

It’s on the list to check next year!!!!

[Sue & Chris]

Hi - yes…… that problem with the ‘missing the end of the list’ was reported to me and fixed as soon as I could. That was my bad.

It’s on the list to check next year!!!!

Grand!

[Bernie]

As far as I recall in the seventies, you  could  not serve a pint in the same glass! Germs!! Had to be a clean glass!! Many said they needed same glass for taste. In those days we had a nozzle on the pipe which was bleached every night after service. The fact that hundreds of Strangers glasses were touching that nozzle was a health hazard ...so to me it makes sense especially with Covid. You keep the plastic glass you were given in the first place and refill your tankard... no probs !!

[davidmjs]

As far as I recall in the seventies, you  could  not serve a pint in the same glass! Germs!! Had to be a clean glass!! Many said they needed same glass for taste. In those days we had a nozzle on the pipe which was bleached every night after service. The fact that hundreds of Strangers glasses were touching that nozzle was a health hazard ...so to me it makes sense especially with Covid. You keep the plastic glass you were given in the first place and refill your tankard... no probs !!

Really?  Not in my world.  In every pub I drank in from the early 80s to the late 90s at least, refilling used glasses was standard and accepted practice (halves in pint glasses et al).

[iandiddams]

As far as I recall in the seventies, you  could  not serve a pint in the same glass! Germs!! Had to be a clean glass!! Many said they needed same glass for taste. In those days we had a nozzle on the pipe which was bleached every night after service. The fact that hundreds of Strangers glasses were touching that nozzle was a health hazard ...so to me it makes sense especially with Covid. You keep the plastic glass you were given in the first place and refill your tankard... no probs !!

Really?  Not in my world.  In every pub I drank in from the early 80s to the late 90s at least, refilling used glasses was standard and accepted practice (halves in pint glasses et al).

I concur.  Very standard practise everywhere - and in my dad's village where he grew up, where there was a brickfield until after the war at least, there was a cocnept of a "brickie's half" - which was an alleged half pint pulled into a pint glass 9typically as a one for the road) which was closer to 3/4 of a pint.

The "must use a fresh glass" thing came in during Thatcher's times - sometimes in the 80s...  I recall being in a pub in West Yorkshire and when i asked for a frsh glass the barman just said "Whjat - are ye a poof or summat?" ....   different times!

[PhilipK]

- The big screens were often well out of date (e.g. showing the performance times of acts who had already played, but not those who were scheduled next). I can't imagine that it would be a major job to keep them up to date.

Hi Philip

Managing the screens / cameras / recordings / crew takes up my entire weekend with very little time free to enjoy my favorite festival to which I have now attended 25 with 15 of those being video HOD.

I set up the screen graphics just before we hit site on the Tuesday and apart from major updates and urgent messages - they stay the same. Detailing complete lineup, signing and radio performances for each day.

We have a 20 minute break between bands to swap camera crew over, give the director a rest and set stage cameras for the next band. For twelve hours a day. Plus setup times and systems checks.

So - yes - it would be a major thing for me to go through each of the 15 line up slides and 15 signing slides and 15 BBC Oxford signing time slides during each change over for three days.

I love this festival as much as the next man - I just don’t need to be editing slides all day too!!!

Hi Nev

Very many thanks for the explanation - I hadn't realised the resourcing constraints involved, nor the logistical challenges!

Hopefully my comments can be taken in a positive way, and lead to improvements in future years. If you need a volunteer minion to update the slides in the future, I'd be happy to put my hand up (though I appreciate the implications of allowing a stranger to control the wording on the screens!)

It was very much a minor point, relative to the superb quality of the whole video output over the weekend. When you (and the rest of the festival organisers) set such high standards, then even very minor things will get noticed. You can rightly think that "If that's all they could find fault with..." then you must have done a most excellent job!

[NevBull]

Thank you Philip - always try to make things better from the next year. All comments and suggestions welcome!

Nev.

[mickf]

Sorry if this isn't the best place but I don’t think it warrants a whole thread...Did anyone here go glamping? I think Mick was, not sure who else. What was it like?

I was just looking out of interest and thought it looked good, but  couldn’t see much to justify the few £100s between the different packages, (apart from hire of a bistro table, bedding, blankets, cushions, a bottle of wine and fairy lights all of which are things it wouldn’t be too hard -my frugal nature tells me - to take from home.) Also the hook-up being £100 but you can’t use it for your hairdryer only to charge devices seemed a lot.

But interested to know what it is like, is it easy to use the facilities?

First time for me, I really enjoyed it. The prices were pretty steep and I don't think the differences in the various levels were really justified. I may do it again next year, but perhaps just go for the 'basic' package.

[Tasha]

As far as I recall in the seventies, you  could  not serve a pint in the same glass! Germs!! Had to be a clean glass!! Many said they needed same glass for taste. In those days we had a nozzle on the pipe which was bleached every night after service. The fact that hundreds of Strangers glasses were touching that nozzle was a health hazard ...so to me it makes sense especially with Covid. You keep the plastic glass you were given in the first place and refill your tankard... no probs !!

At Upton Blues festival our Upton plastic pint pots cost £1 were refilled everytime. Not a new one used? Tankards too. Hobsons or punters didnt seem concerned? I did notice they were very careful to not let the tap touch the plastic though.

On the point of crowd numbers. I too felt the festival was very packed this year. people arriving later on the field were sitting virtually in the toilets! I dont remember that in previous years? Also there seemed to be more food outlets and less other stalls? is this too my memory playing tricks? Hobgoblin seemed to have shrunk as well?

[Yorkshire Chris]

Also there seemed to be more food outlets and less other stalls? is this too my memory playing tricks? Hobgoblin seemed to have shrunk as well

I thought this too! There were a few new smaller stalls selling crafty-things tucked inbetween the bigger stalls but the food seemed to far outweigh the clothing/crafts etc.