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WATERFORD MUSIC FESTIVAL All Together Now says it is “fully committed” to ensuring that traffic and organisational issues will not be repeated next year, as it announces ticketing details for the 2020 event.
The festival returned earlier this month for its second edition but was beset by traffic management issues as festival-goers arrived on the Friday.
Some reported being at a virtual standstill for hours on the way into the event with the organisers acknowledging there were problems. Bad weather also meant that one of the music stages was forced to close for a period over the weekend.
The festival increased its capacity this year compared to 2018 but All Together Now has said it will not increase it again next year when it returns to Curraghmore Estate.
“As the dust settles we look back and take stock of our second chapter. Firstly, the All Together Now Team would like to say we are absolutely and fully committed to making sure that the issues that arose this year’s festival are not repeated,” the festival organisers said today.
We have taken in every comment, every email and are carefully taking note of where we need to improve. We have met and are working closely with An Garda Siochana and our other partner agencies to ensure that the traffic experienced traveling to this year’s festival does not happen again.
“We aim for the highest standards and plan to deliver the best festival experience possible. We are deeply disappointed that some areas of this years All Together Now fell short of expectations, and for this, we are truly sorry.”
Despite this, organisers said there were “some amazing and memorable moments” this year and that they were “dreaming of new ideas to enhance next year’s festival”.
All Together Now is promoted by Pod and tickets for the 2020 August Bank Holiday event will be priced at €220.
There’s an installment plan allowing people purchase a ticket over five installments if they wish and “loyalty” tickets for those who have attended before priced at between €179.50 – €208.
Tickets go on general sale at 9am on Thursday 29 August.
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I dunno, I had a great time.. i heard traffic was a disaster but i rolled in that gate just in time for the official gate opening time and had no issue. I thought it was very well run, campsites were perhaps a little over crowded but besides that I couldn’t fault it. Today FM in particular were having a field day slagging off the festival and providing live commentary of people stuck in traffic… they are official radio partners of Electric Picnic so go figure. The weather was poor but cant blame festival organisers for that. Onward and upward, i’ll be there again next year!
@Glenn O’hAilpín: people in the media in general love given Waterford a very hard time of it
@Glenn O’hAilpín: your spot on I had a brilliant weekend.. looking forward to next year. Fantastic festival the grounds it’s on is ideal..
@Glenn O’hAilpín: I rolled in smoothly too but that doesn’t take away from the fact that some people spent 9+ hours on a bus when it should have taken two. I wouldn’t blame anyone for wanting to see an accurate picture of how they’ve fixed the problem before I’d throw money at them.
@dick dastardly: yeah… I should have been delighted with the 4 hours it took me to go about 4 miles. Ignition off most of the time. After
Ck on Suir we only joined with 1 road of festival traffic and it was still a standstill for ages after that . No stewards and no sign of the garda traffic plan apparently in place. Never again.
Thought it was grand! Always traffiv going to festivals.
As a parent, i found all the small kids…toddlers/babies the most annoying part. I cannot understand why anyone would drag small kids to a music festival, its not fair on the kids, get a babysitter, one parent stay at home! For the sake of a photo on social media…look at what a cool parent i am, my life hasnt changed. Seeing small babies and toddlers being dragged around and covered in fairy lights at night so parents could see them was shocking, and so unfair on the kids.
@Gucky: 100% agree.
@Gucky: Didnt bother me in the slightest. Probably a better experience than being brought up in a pub, like most of us on this island were……although then you did get a pool table, tayto and red lemonade so it was pretty good too.
@Tuot tuot: and a tonne of sweet sweet nicotine
Talked to the locals….a different group organized the traffic, took business out of village, then disaster. One woman spent 3 hours in car. Locals gave water, bathroom facilities. Well done local heros!
And monkeys can fly. Is there some road widening scheme going to happen that there keeping quiet.
@HONEY BADGER180: they need to lessen the numbers of attendees back to its previous years numbers; don’t let the greed get to them this time.
@Cat K.: they are keeping the capacity the same as this year for next year
@shellakybooky: so the mayhem on the roads will be repeated so. Isn’t the definition of insanity doing the same thing and expecting different results?
@Sean: If they reduce the number of attendees then they reduce the budget for artists, productions etc. so surely that would be a step backwards? Sounds like they just need more park & ride facilities to reduce congestion on the roads close to the site.
@Rocky Raccoon: no rocky they reduce the profits not the budget!!!
It was a case of All Not Together Now :)
@Declan Moran: or a case of all together now, out the gate at the same time.
@Declan Moran: eh?
Heard a few nightmare transport issues from friends, sounded shocking and poorly organized. Would put me off buying tickets
All together now “oh no you won’t”
It epitomised rip off ireland. Expensive tickets when you consider the haphazard facilities and shocking food. The stalls were extortionate. If they could fix that it would be much more beneficial than the traffic
We spent a fortune on glamping tickets for a 3 day event. Spent 6 hours in traffic sitting 300 metres outside the carpark and missed the first day. The glamping site was a mess with nothing I would have considered glamorous and nothing that the other camping areas didn’t have. The music we did see was fantastic I have to say. Then on the Monday we were hearded out of the venue to sit in traffic in the carpark for hours. Not worth the effort I have to say and won’t be going back again. Smaller festivals next year for me
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