The Wickerman Festival 2011 tickets

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will never no as i ended up in ER , so the hole family missed out ...****...

Best bands set ruined

Overall rating: 3.5  

The biggest band to play at the Wickerman had their set ruined by the sound engineers. They had problems all evening and managed to have one side of the system cut out and back in and out throughout most of the songs in James' set. I hope the organisers get someone in next year who can cope with the job. Prices were very high at £3.60 for a single spirit and mixer or pint of Tuborg - the security wouldn't let you through with any drinks at all - water, soft drinks or alcohol. The food typically expensive at £6.50 for burger and chips. No mention of extra £5 fee for parking near the quiet camp site until you actually got to the entrance and was told pay up or park 15 minutes walk away. There were no checks made to see if people who were pitching on the quiet site were supposed to and the strangest part of the 'quiet' site was how close it was to the tent that had music on 'til 5 in the morning!
Not all bad though - good minxture of bands and although expensive, food outlets. Lots of shops to browse and generally friendly people - although Saturdays day vistors were noticeably more rowdy bunches of lads compared to the much more family feel about Thurs/Friday. Would certainly go again - just hope that the sound engineers know what they're doing and don't need the artists to have to keep telling them what's wrong.

Wicker man? Why.

Overall rating: 4  

Was not happy about having to pay extra to park at the quite camping as A) there was no warning of this an B) quite camping was busy than the normal camping. I took my baby and we ended up camping next to a group who partied all night. The staff were unable to answer any of the questions we asked them, and the security were a bit abrupt but hey that's security. We thought the shops were all the same, could have had more variety. We though the Wickerman festival was going to be largely influenced on the film bit it was a lot more corporate than we thought. However our family had a great time. We ate really well and absolutely loved the noisettes. Would strongly consider going again though because of how corporate it is.

Wickerman 2011

Overall rating: 4  

Bad Points:

1. Turn up early on Thursday, to be turned away or queue on the main road, rather than the sensible option to line up inside the main entrance.
2. So called quiet area! Was no quieter than the main camping area, not so bad on Thursday, but just as rowdy over the rest of the weekend.
3. No policing of entry into the quiet camping area, meaning that it was overcrowded from Friday onwards.
4. Extortionate prices, both food and drink.
5. Lack of showering facilities, far too few for the amount of people, And to be told to turn off the water, `cos were trying to save it! What a joke, I paid extra to use the facility, the showers were pathetic on Friday, to be told "were sorting it" I would not use again!

Good Points:
1. Excellent variety in the choice of bands.
2. Excellent venue, beautiful scenery.
3. The arena was kept very clean by the staff throughout the weekend, WELL DONE!
4. Good food, if a tad expensive.
5. The ability to be as close to the bands as possible, without the risk of the usual "mosh pits"
6. Cleanest toilets I have seen at a festival. No need to pay extra to use the "posh toilets" Again WELL DONE!
7. The "burning" and fireworks at the end of the event.
8. The overall "chilled, relaxed atmosphere"

Thank you to all the event organisers, the helpful staff throughout the weekend, see you next year!

Wickerman 2011

Overall rating: 4.5  

Loved the festival, as a regular festival going was surprised that the toilets were kept as clean as they were and as a consequence would not pay for the DnD toilets again, my partner also thought the European sytle urinals were genius. My 2 complaints are that the quiet area was over populated and not quiet at all and the showers were a joke, not enough and had problems water, I objected as we paid to use them and only managed one person shower amongst 2 people. Would suggest to the organisers to use communal showers, have used at the festivals before they are make for a quick shower and good for those with children.

Wickerman 2011

Overall rating: 3  

The biggest disappointment was the technical problems throughout the whole of James set. It ruined their performance and if this had been a music venue the fans would have demanded their money back. The warning signs were there as it happened a couple of times in echo and the Bunneymen's set and should have been fixed before james went on stage.
The showers were a joke when you consider the numbers queueing up to use them. If extra money is being charged for their use then their should be enough showers to go round.
The security staff were very abrupt and unfriendly and it looks like this festival is moving from it's friendly and family orientated occasion to one in the T in the Park mould. It's probably become bigger than anticipated and that's why the focus is now changing. At the end of the day it's all about hard cash.
The acoustic area is good with some very funny guys on show.

Overall, a great experience!

Overall rating: 4  

Totally agree with all the points (good and bad) raised above.

My own personal disappointment was having James and Utah Saints on at the same time - I wanted to see James and my husband really wanted to see Utah Saints - ended up only seeing half of each set!

In addition to the points raised by others, we were under the impression before we got there that it was only alcohol that was to be banned in the main arena and not liquids in general - the ban didn't seem to work anyway - saw tons of people drinking coloured liquids that were blatantly not the water that was meant to be contained within them!

Also found it ironic that there were so many police there and yet there was blatant under-age drinking going on (they were wearing green wrist bands for christ's sake!) as well as people openly smoking spliffs and popping pills! Not quite sure how 'family-friendly' it therefore makes this - lol!

The organisers definitely need to make sure that their staff are also clued up on the relevant information to be given to those attending as we were constantly given conflicting and inaccurate information (such as the showers don't open till 9am meaning that, by the time we arrived, there was an impossibly long queue) which was extremely annoying!

Overall, however, we absolutely loved it and are hoping to make this a regular yearly thing, especially as we only live two hours away :-D

Can't please everybody

Overall rating: 4.5  

Good reviews so far, but can't agree with everything. Consider these points.

1) There's nowhere on the website to say that there is a premium for parking in the Quiet Campsite area. That's rubbish, I just refused to pay and so did my friends. They still let us through. A scam I suspect.
2) Festival prices? Get used to it, it's no different to any other festival or seaside resort.
3) Showers? It's only a two day festival. Isn't that what baby wipes and deoderant were invented for? Get into the spirit.
4) Alcohol into the arena? Understandably banned. However we got loads in, and so did everybody else. If you didn't then you weren't trying hard enough. Soft drinks in untampered bottles were allowed in.
5) Shame about the sound system, but it was raining, maybe that was the problem.
6)Quiet campsite? Believe me it's quieter than the main site. Music from the arena depends entirely on the wind direction. I found the quiet campsite better than last year.
7)The line up this year was awesome, can you believe the Pigeon Detectives were supporting the Coral and Feeder. They were the top band of the weekend. Bottom of the list was Chess Boxer. Who the hell are they (from Tennessee so maybe I just answered my own question)?

Lay off the negative comments and concenrate on the plus points, this is a top Festival, my fifth time and the best yet.

Do I get fee tickets for next year?

.Tim (Huddersfield)

wickerman 2011

Overall rating: 3.5  

We overall had a great time, great music although james set was dissapointing because of the sound problem,prices werent too bad. We were dissapointe with the dnd showers, 6 of us paid £8 each but never actually had a shower as the que was so long, we wouldnt bother next time. We also paid onto the family area campervan site but was most annoyed at the amount of young male groups who partied all nite, played loud music and who language wasnt suitable for young children, they were also disrespectfull to our things by using our utility tent and throwing our things around the campsite, i would reccomend more security patrolling camping area

fancey dress

Overall rating: 4.5  

i was very dissapointed more people didnt dress up my partner and i were both wearing masks great weekend

A Great Festival, would recommend A+++++

Overall rating: 4.5  

We arrived late afternoon on Friday and realised we should have been there earlier to get a better pitch for the caravan. Would recommend an earlier start next year. The campsite was fine, loads of families and not too noisy. The DND showers proved to be a waste of money as only 16 available for the entire park and not worth the 2 hour queue, baby wipes and Deo sufficed in true festival spirit. The lineup was superb, shame about James sound interruption but unforecast rain surely the problem there. From The Jam were superb, as were the Pigeon Detectives and The Damned. We had no problems with the security or any of the staff, all very friendly. I agree with other comments about having a security patrol in the caravan site as some people don't know how to behave at these gigs, more encouragement also needed for folk to pick up after themselves and respect their surroundings. The food was superb and not too expensive, stalls likewise but more variety next year please. Looking forward to next year, keep up the good work guys.
Hazel, Glasgow

Wickerman 2011

Overall rating: 4  

This is my 4th year at Wickerman and I can highly recommend to anyone. It is very family friendly. The weather this year was great except for Friday night when it rained. A couple of downsides to the festival are that I have always purchased a D'n'D pass but may not get one next year because this year there were less showers than years before which meant a long wait unless you get up at the crack of dawn so not worth it. The toilets are generally ok and are cleaned regulary but I would love it if the disgusting people who think its ok to leave the toilet in a mess would just think about the people who use the toilet after them! The quiet campsite was actually quiet most of the time this year!

Cool but expensive

Overall rating: 4.5  

Luxury accommodation resulted in a hellish walk to and from the arena, so we ended up eating from the food hall, which cost a fortune! Food quality was excellent. Toilets were too far away for a quick night time visit. but really clean for the amount of folk using them. That said, I'm buying a wee portaloo for next time
Good point was being able to park right next to the yurt which was good, but there was no padded floor as per the website, glad we brought a blow up mattress.
Worst bit was how loud the bass camp was, way to go Cosy Camper and their ear plugs. It is a music festival after all
Acts were AWESOME!! Shame for James, that should have been taken well care of! The Side are well amazing, I'm downloading their stuff!
And of course the main man was better than ever, fireworks just added to their whole thing
BUT, change the security pleease! To leave the car sectioning in the road back to camp when you have hundreds of frozen folk trying to get back to their tents was a joke!

Feedback should be reason for change.

Overall rating: 3.5  

Please take ACTION on our Feedback and make changes,I agree with all the previous comments and added a few of my own.To offer Breathtest free was a bonus to drivers unsure whether over the limit.but the Chief Robocop,directing traffic after the festival,would not allow me to turn right,,to go Kircud,way.[WHY?].Skiddle bus had WiFi connection[I asked for to share Password,but without joy], i could NOT get a mobile phone signal those 3 days,[even the WICKERMAN app for iphone was useless],Open both exit/entrance after midnight, more lights in these areas please,[Trip Hazards]I will NOT buy DnD,or Showers next year i complained to the Staff that no Water running in Gent sinks,She agreed it was same last year[Wickerman had a year to sort this problem]Shower queue was BAD,,,.enuf sed.

James :-(

Overall rating: 3.5  

Negs: Don't know why we were charged extra to use the "quiet" campsite, surely this should be included in the £90 ticket price as stated on the website. There was no mention of an extra charge so felt ripped off to be honest. Either camping is included in the ticket price or it isn't and this needs to be clearly stated. In addition to this it wasn't quiet and I never saw anyone patrolling to make sure. I wouldn't pay for this again as the noise from the bass camp until 5 in the morning made it a waste of money. My main reason for going was to see James so was very disappointed with the sound problem which was apparent during the Bunnymen set and should've been sorted before they came on. From The Jam should've been on the main stage imo. Positives: The atmosphere/music was excellent, people were friendly, Wickerman burning and fireworks stunning, but the above needs sorting.

Great :)

Overall rating: 4.5  

enjoyed my stay, enjoyed the bands, Echo and The Bunnymen as good as they ever were, Feeder exelent, one wee critique the speakers were to low down on the stage i felt i was being blown off my feet, and the main stage could use a couple of big screens, and finaly :) the Wickerman burning was very good so was the fireworks :), depening on the line up may do Wickerman next year :D

It's a festival people

Overall rating: 3  

Although this was my 1st Wickerman, it was by no means my 1st festival. My group weren't charged extra for parking next to the quiet site, so not sure what that was about. The quiet site was pretty noisey from time to time, but if you have loud neighbours on the 1st night then make sure the kids ping their guy ropes at 6:30 am, consideration soon shines through. The food prices were on the high side, even for a festival & alcohol was a complete rip off. Security were very rigorous in their checks which was a pain. Yes there were lots of people drinking on the main site, & evidence of lots of dope smoking, but that's what happens.
I really enjoyeed the music, don't like James so went to see the Damned again, & thought the burning was excellent. Will definately go again, but I do prefer the familly orientated, reasonable prices & relaxed atmosphere of Solfest.

WickerMan Was Amazing !

Overall rating: 4.5  

AMAZING!,one of the BEST and FRIENDLY festivals i have been to ! NO N.E.D's ! CLEAN campsites and toilets,freindly staff allways willing to help you! Great Food ! plenty to do!
will defo be recomending this to freinds and will defo be going to everyone i can from now on ! thanks for a great weekend !

Wickerman review

Overall rating: 4  

This is only the 2nd year I've been to the Wickerman Festival, and noticed a dramatic difference to last year, more in atmosphere and behaviours.
Great band line-up, can't beat Gun, as well as James, The Coral, Feeder etc. Found some really cool and talented wee bands, which is what this type of festival is all about. Great weather too, and generally, during the day, a great atmosphere. However, having been a regular at T in the Park, Glasto, Rockness etc was really sad to see absolute "eejits", drunk and out of their faces. Don't expect to see that at the Wickerman. The eejits were desperate to have a fight, and even ended up throwing bottles at the bands. Not smart to hit the lead singer of the Coral with a bottle. What's that all about?
The Security guys were acting fairly quickly on bad behaviour, but with so many families and small children around, that part was spoilt for me, so left before the burning of the Wickerman and before the drunken eejits with limited brain cells really spoilt a great weekend.
The Wickerman is becoming more commercial, guess it would be hard to stop that from happening. With a great setting, and a great opportunity for unknown bands to play their music, I would like to think that commercialism will not totally dominate, what for me, is a fabulous opportunity to enjoy a unique festival.

Review

Overall rating: 4  

Wonderful time. Pity about James's set, but this happens at Festivals. DnD showers were a waste of time, but hey, you live n learn.
Loved the Pigeon Detectives - that was the biggest surprise of the weekend how good they were.
Kept seeing my mate Wullie all over the place. Strange.
Overall loved it. Will be back next year with bells on.

Awesome but some issues spoiling the fun.

Overall rating: 4  

Had an awesome time at this years festival but was a little disappointed at some negative issues that came up over the weekend. I'll list these issues below;

- Mobile phone signal. Last year they had a tempory mobile mast. Where was it this time?
- Drinks. Not enough stock. Pimms ran out saturday afternoon. Cider ran out as well! We are forced to buy these beer tokens but can't get the drinks we want? A fruit flavoured cider should be offered as well especially as they are so popular these days.
- Security were rude as always!
- More gates to get into the arena should be made available. Its too time consuming to get in!

Hopefully some of these issues will be fixed for next year.

Beer and Cider

Overall rating: 3.5  

What happened to Brothers pear cider? The St. Helier stuff was revolting and the apple stuff was just about passable. And they still ran out!! On saturday night I had the choice of lager or ... lager!! And really cheap lager. Why no beer? You know heavy, bitter, even stout would have done. And when there's nothing left to drink I may as well just have some stovies. Wait a minute. Where's the stovies van? This is not good. The bands were pretty good. My favourites were Spunge and Root System. But the lack of a good drink and nice tasty food options was definitely a downer. Burgers are fine but not all the time. 5 years I've been going now. The headliners are going to have to improve if they want to keep putting their prices up. I might not bother next year.

Wickerman 2011

Overall rating: 3.5  

Security were a bit heavy handed and not very polite............It's a festival, not an airport !
Food was good, prices about the same as other festivals.....so no suprise there.
Read and heard lots of dissapointments about James set (Poor Sound)......Not so for us, we were near the front and the never noticed any sound issues, other than James just get better and better every time we see them.
Agree with comment on Pigeon Detectives..Great set.
All in all great festival, great atmosphere, but prefered the chilled out atmos of Solfest last year as oppossed to this need for security to be hassling you all the time......and for the crime of carrying a bottle of water on a hot sunny day lol

Family festival? Not anymore...

Overall rating: 3.5  

If I compared everything now to the first time we went in 2003 this festival is failing it's main selling point as a "family" festival. My children are older now but we took friends who have small kids under 5. The festival has lost its relaxed and cosy family atmosphere. The organisers seem more concerned now with revenue than experience

Weekend lowlights...

1. What the hell happened to family parking area? We arrived at 3pm on Thursday and were told it was full. As we were lugging our gear passed the car park I wish I had taken a photo of family parking field because there was loads of room - we spoke to a steward about this who confessed there had been a mix up but it was too late to sort it out and move our car.

2. Campsite facilities were poor. Where were we supposed to get Drinking water from? We were pointed in the direction of the washing trough yet if you walked behind the tap there was a sign ( not visible at night) that said NOT drinking water ??? there ws no dirnking water in the arena either which brings me to my next point..

2. Liquid ban for kids drinks?. I had an arguement with security about not allowed cans for the teenagers I had with me & not allowed sealed Caprisun sachets for my son who cant drink anything else that was on sale in the arena due to food chemical allergies. No one was able to tell us where the drinking tap was! even though we were assured we could fill bottles inside. The constant trips out of the arena to get my son a drink were a huge downer for me. I have been to download (NOT a family festival!!) with kids and they are hot on liquids but even they recognise the need to keep kids hydrated and checked the kids bottles, but didnt force us to abandon them.

2. Kids area - £2 for all the kids entertainment was fantastic, BUT Where were we told of this in advance?? There was no mention on the website anywhere about this additional cost. Is this the start of a child ticket charge? still having to pay for face painting and things inside wasnt fantastic either. My hands constantly dipped into my pockets. I would rather have paid a kids ticket and not had the worry about rationing my kids fun all weekend.

3. DnD Toilets & Showers...pfffft how the hell do you expect a five year old to wait while they walk that far to the toilet in the middle of the night?? Trying to get past the ladies applying full face makeup in the loos wasnt fun either, and the queue for the showers, everyone else has already said there just werent enough. I would have happily had a communal shower with the kids. Complete waste of money.

4. The Sound system started to go wrong as soon as it started raining. Wanted to see Utah Saints but the tent was heaving with people sheltering from the rain :(

5. There was a circus in the silent disco tent but no signage?? didnt find out until it was too late :(

Weekend Highlights
5. I expect to pay over the odds for festival food the prices were average and I was able to feed all the kids suprisingly well within the £10 dinner budget (to include a drink and something sweet for them). The food quality was Fantastic and top notch with fantastic range of choice.

Everything else that was good was pretty much anything I could expect from all the other festivals we go to. I certainly WONT be recommending Wickerman as a family festival to friends anymore. We had a great weekend out, but could have done this anywhere, very dissapointed.

Wickerman festival review-brilliant weekend!

Overall rating: 5  

Young couple in our mid-twenties, T in the Park veterans, but first time to the Wickerman and we loved it! Its the best festival we've ever been too. Much more relaxed atmosphere and smaller area, which means it only takes 5 minutes to walk from your car to the camp site and from the main stage to your tent! Many families around and plenty to do out with watching live music...grass sledging, segway racing, poetry and comedy tents, face painting, kite making, hoola hooping, ghost stories, the Pimms bar, laser quest, mountain biking...not too mention some great music including lots of home grown Scottish talent.
The toilet facilities were excellent, constantly cleaned and stocked with toilet roll, unlike the horrors of T in the park. We never bothered with the shower pass, there was a very large queue each morning for those.
Drink tokens were £3.60 each, kinda what you would expect and lots of food stalls...around £4-6 for your evening meal. All in all, a great weekend and the sunshine helped!

Wickerman 2011

Overall rating: 4.5  

I've been to most festivals over the last 20 odd years & this was one of the best.The whole group of us that went(20+)had a great time, the kids loved it.Heres the main points.
1)Its a music festival its gonna be noisy theres no such thing as a quiet field, it was a family field!!
2)Some folk have obviously not been to a festival before. The Family field wasnt busy- if you go to tinthepark,glastonbury,reading,or most ohers theres litraly not a blade of grass that dosnt have a tent on it.
3)The loos where the cleanest iv'e ever seen at a festival & ive been to 30 or 40 over the years.
4)Although there where a few plebs kicking about it was a great atmosphere for the kids, if you go to any other festival these people are there in their thousands. ie tinthepark, thats why we refuse to go back there.
5)The food was cheaper than all the other festivals & most places to eat in the city centre. Drinks again where no dearer than you would pay on an average night out.
6)We thought the security/stewarding was pretty freindly & to thier credit there where a few kids that went walkabout & the security put a lot of effort into finding them.
7)If I had to add a bad point it would be maybe a few more toilets at the bottom of the family field & between the scooter tent & the bar.
PS to he Gentleman who spoke to us in the car park. My own choice would be the cult.
See you next year!

Wickerman 2011

Overall rating: 4.5  

This was our 4th Wickerman, we had a great time. We arrived on Thursday afternoon, parked at the quiet camping, pitched our tent, had a few beers to celebrate the tent staying up then went down to the big beer tent and had a good night.

We didn't find much to complain about, but here goes.
The showers, not acceptable to have to queue for hours, don't know if I'll buy a shower pass again, not sure what the organisers can do about it, it's too easy just to say they should put more in, and I wouldn't know how to get the balance right.
If someone could point me in the direction on where to buy a wet wipe the size of a beach towel, that will do me next year.

The urinal troughs, great idea, but how difficult would it be to put a screen around them?

James deserved better than the rubbish sound they got.

That's it on the complaints front really, there wasn't as many food outlets as last year, more an observation than a complaint though. Everybody got fed, so maybe less is more. The pizza stall was new I think, and they were delicious.
To the people that don't like change, the wee doughnut man is still a moaning erse and he still makes a mean cup of coffee.

Good bits:
To start with, the area is amazing, the natural amphitheatre of the main arena is a pleasure to be in, which is probably why I seen the Bluebells, just because I was there. My partner bought their cd from one of the stalls on Thursday. She's from Chester so I was as mystified as anyone to her reasons why. By the end of their performance I wanted to buy the cd off her, they were brilliant.
I was there to see James, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Dammned, and From the Jam, but the Bluebells were a highlight for me as I didn't expect to enjoy them, I like that!!

We were in the family camping and it was fine, the security were fine, the punters were fine, the food was fine, the drink was ok, the whole weekend was a pleasure.

I don't understand the criticism about Wickerman selling out, the whole weekend was a chill out place. Ok, I didn't go to the first six, but I have enjoyed the last four. Yes there have been changes,(except for the doughnut man) but that's life. I think they got it right again, and if they do their part and we do our part, it will stay special.

The Wicker pickers did a great job, it was amazing to go into the arena on Saturday morning and see it looking like brand new, well done all, it's just a pity you have to work so hard, why can't people bin their rubbish?

I thought there looked like less toilets around the site but maybe not, there were rarely queues so I might be wrong. They were however, very well maintained, again, well done everybody concerned.

Burning the big man, or beastie as he was this year is added fun and the fireworks make it extra special. It's nice to see him all weekend, knowing what we're going to do to him :0)

We'll be back next year, any chance of getting The Cult to play Wickerman?

after all these tyears

Overall rating: 4  

We've been coming to W/Man for some seven years now and have noticed that some things never change.
Generally people are a bunch of moaning whingers.
I'ts a Festival for heaven's sake. I'ts what you make it.We've seen some things get worse and some things get better.Moaning won't change things,if you have a bad time i can only think it's because
you let things get to you. Lighten up,it's only three days of your life.Wickerman is the most child friendly festival around with loads for the
kids to do.You've got a whole year to prepare (save up) for it,the Venue is great and you will always discover new bands.Why don't you come earlier if you want good parking,tent position,close to toilets etc etc.
Stop all the moaning a get on with having a good time.

Another Fantastic Year!

Overall rating: 4.5  

I'm still buzzing from what I class as my holiday each year. My 5th and probably 1 of the best Wickermans.

Theres always some complaints and obviously you cant keep everyone happy all of the time,the sound problems for the main stage should maybe have been anticipated, I felt sorry for Craig Charles He was dancing around like it sounded amazing, he obviously didnt realise. The security is always a bone of contention for me as i work in security myself i look at it with a different point of view, still too much power trips, and small man syndrome and i'm glad the steward that slammed my mates arm in a portaloo has lost his job! (REMEMBER: Stewards arent allowed to lay a finger on you!) However there was Selina a sexy steward from Fife, she was friendly and more importantly FIT! There were too many communication problems, the one way system for driving worked in a 1 rule for you, another rule for me way which aswell as unfair, didnt make sense, and getting told by some little oik to drive my low Alfa Romeo over the grass wasnt a highlight! Prices to high blah blah blah! Its to be expected nowadays!

All in all I had a great time, I'm already counting down the days until next year. BRING ON 2011!

WICKERMAN!!!

Overall rating: 4  

Again, the wickerman festival has been the highlight of my summer. There was a great atmosphere as always! Whether you were in the arena or by the tents you could always strike up a conversation with people. The music was pretty good as well...especially rhythm n reel in the beer tent on thursday night!
An improvement on last year were the toilets which were a lot cleaner. Also, they gave you the choice between apple and pear cider which was a nice touch.
One downside was the price! At £3.60 for a bottle of cider or pint of tuborg it was a bit too expensive for my liking and hopefully the ticket price won't keep on increasing as it has over the last few years that we've been going. Apart from that though, I would definitely recommend going!

Good weekend

Overall rating: 3.5  

Had a great weekend, 3rd time there, was at front for James, so heard them fine. Would be better to move reggae tent to other side of the field, security at the gate abrubt. Toilets cleanest ive seen. Prices better tha some other festivals.

good points and bad points!!!!!!!!

Overall rating: 3.5  

I would recommend but would have to warn them of the pitfalls as there are a few.
1.quiet camping parking a joke arrived on thursday at 5pm to be told it was full. it was half empty compared to last year.
2.The stewards were again completly unfriendly and really annoying to put it politely.
3. Bar choice is crap.
I could go on and on this was our 4th year and the entry rules are just getting more and more pathetic there will soon be no point in going as you will not be able to take anything in but yourselve.
I would like to thank the one honest person who handed in my daughters purse with the contents intact, it was nice to know that there are still some honest people out there...

Very enjoyable

Overall rating: 4.5  

The atmosphere and venue is what makes The Wickerman Festival such an enjoyable weekend.
It's a beautiful area with cows grazing in a nearby field and there seemed to be more than enough space to accommodate everyone. The atmosphere was very friendly, maybe due to the child-friendly policy. The food was unexpectedly good and not as expensive as I'd expected. Two fish with chips for £6.50 was worth every penny! Not many drink casualties at all which surprised me.

The bands could have been a bit more contemporary but I enjoyed Echo and The Bunnymen and From The Jam best so can't complain. I spent a lot of time in the acoustic stage (great bar with very quick service) and saw loads of great new talent.

The Glaswegians we camped next to in the quiet area were friendly (I say that as an Edinburgher) and there was no sign of trouble at all. Mind you, when a nearby teuchter woke me and others up at 3 in the morning loudly trying to bed a Russian contortionist with the worst chat up lines in history that was no fun. Thankfully she had the sense not to stay long.

We had no problem parking on Friday and weren't charged and it would be worth complaining if you were charged.

Well worth it and I would come back - in a camper van / caravan next time.

Wickerman, 2011

We arrived early thursday evening and pitched our tents a couple of minutes walk from the arena entrance. Thought the main campsite was a bit quieter this year - possibly due to complaints about noise from Bass Camp last year? But also heard that camper/caravan site was busier this year. Didn't have any issues with noisy stages/tents or fellow campers that a set of earplugs couldn't resolve!

I wasn't overly impressed by this year's main stage line up but really enjoyed The Coral and The Noisettes and some of the bands in Go North. Nipped back to the tent to change into warmer clothes just as Feeder came on but annoyingly never made it back to the Arena as a third day of sitting under a hot sun, trudging about the site and a not insignificant amount of booze seemed to take it's toll!

Good points: Friendly atmosphere ; Clean Toilets ; Good choice of food outlets ; tidiness of the site ; good selection of non-music activities ;
virtually NED free ; FANTASTIC weather

Not so good points: Wasted £8 on a D & D shower pass ; over officious security - many people seemed to manage to sneak a few cans in though and I can't blame them with the poor choice on offer in the beer tent!

Bad points : TUBORG - imo. truly the most foul lager on the market. Please at least give us more choice next time in the beer tent. I only found out on sunday morning that local ales were available in the Acoustic tent.

This was our fourth year at Wickerman. The good points far outweigh the bad though so we will definitely be back next year!

Wickerman 2011

Overall rating: 4  

Been to many festivals but this was my first time at Wickerman and it will not be my last. Had a great time, seen some class music, i just hope that Wickerman is kept to those sorts of numbers in future as that is what makes it nice and chilled and a bit unique.

Fab Weekend

Overall rating: 4.5  

We had one of the best, chilled and relaxing weekends ever.It did help that the sun was shining.
So here goes... negative points , not much really except the parking for quiet site, miles away and the waste of money buying a D&D pass , oh and poor James, that really was a shame, the sound there was BAD...
On the positive side , the bands were really great, highlights were the Damned and From the Jam and Echo and the Bunnymen, kids were delighted to see Twin Atlantic and they didnt dissapoint.Everyone we met were friendly and happy(even the security people!!)Will definatley be back !

Great first experience

Overall rating: 4.5  

The festival was amazing. Just loved the friendly chilled atmosphere. Toilets and facilities were brilliant, dont know how they kept them so clean all the time. Noticed a few sound issues with some performers which was a shame. Venue was great and made better by the weather. Would have liked a bigger variation of stalls. Security at gates were good and helpful. Really didnt like the token system for the bar. Food choice was very good and most good value for money. No probs with caravan in family area which was brilliant, great crowd of friendly folk around us.Never saw any trouble and it was great to see so many kids having a ball. Would def go again and reccomend. Well done to all who made it a great first experience for me.

Wickerman 2011

Overall rating: 4.5  

Had an amazing time recommended it to lots of friends with kids who all can't wait until next year!
Only complaints were that it was particularly noisy on the friday night (not sure if it was due to sound checks tho), and obviously the quality of sound for James.
Wasn't impressed with the potty mouth of Echo and the Bunnymen, (esp through a microphone) was a family festival ppl.
Having said that can't really complain about anything else. Food was great and reasonable for the quality of it. Very impressed with the fish and chip stall. Found the security staff much better than last year! Especially the two friendly guys who helped us get water.
Will defo be going next year can't wait!

Wickerman 2011

Overall rating: 3.5  

This was the 5th time I've been to the Wickerman Festival and I usually buy my tickets long before the line-up is announced. For me this was the poorest line-up so far because it was so mainstream, there's usually a good and varied selection of quirky, reggae-type bands, but here we get bland crap like The Coral and Feeder. I generally spend most of my time in the reggae tent so this wasn't a massive problem, but it was a bit disappointing.

The main problem apart from the line-up was that there weren't nearly so many varied types of food vans as in previous years and the choices for vegetarians were quite poor. The drinks were also very overpriced compared to other small festivals like Beat Herder.

Plus points were the Kids Tent, the always-excellent Axis reggae tent and the Circus.

Despite it's faults Wickerman is still a very friendly laid-back festival, I'll definitely come again but worry that a few years down the line it will be getting too mainstream and corporate

Wickerman 2011 from a geordies perspective

Overall rating: 4.5  

First visit to Wickerman and thought it was a nice chilled out atmosphere, didn't see any trouble. I agree with others, in that the variation of drinks was poor and the Mojito's sold out!! We found the quiet campsite ... quiet, compared to other festivals.
The little Skiddle 'burger van' was a great idea, well done Matt Hinde!!
We didn't have to pay for any parking, and I don't think that you had to! I'd be querying that!
Burning of the Wickerman was awesome ... fireworks just finished it off.
Definately return next year .... but please please don't make it any bigger or any more commericalised ... it was just nice the way it was!

wickerman 2011

Overall rating: 5  

brillant weekend the bands were awsome
glad to see the dangleberries back were they belong on the main stage but needed a longer set time after speaking to the lead singer they were only givin half hour.appart from that will be going again next year which will be the sixth time keep up the good work

wickerman- family friendly? NOT

Overall rating: 3  

The Wickerman is being missold as a family friendly festival. We attended for the first time this year and were 3 families with children aged between 2 and 6 and won't be coming back.

Among the low points were
The quiet campsite was not in the slightest bit quiet and there was no policing of noise or rowdy behaviour
Quiet parking fee of £5 was a joke
The kids activity area was small and disorganised and again a £2 fee per child to get in.
The down and dirty toilets were too far from anywhere
Security was heavy handed and didn't use their discretion
Openingly hedonistic environment- not suitable for small kids- even had festival goers snorting drugs right next to us while watching the music friday evening.
In fact I would like a refund. Having spoken to the organiser 3 times before even buying our tickets on the 'family friendliness' and suitability of the festival for small kids,I think she is deluded into thinking the festival is now what it might have once been- a chilled gathering of like minded people. As far as I can see its a place to get really hammered. The only redeeming factor was the weather and location was fab. Will be heading back to The Big Tent festival in Fife next year!

wickerman 2011- fantastic

Overall rating: 4.5  

our group (kids and adults) thought the weekend was just brilliant. love love loved james they just keep getting better :) The kids loved the hoosiers, the pigeon detectives and the sound of gun. The sound issues during James werent quite so obvious at the front :) Great family event with lots of friendly people (thanks very much to the couple who helped us put up out tent)
Agree with the comments that From the Jam should have been on the mainstage.
The DnD shower pass was as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike, didnt manage a shower the whole weekend - but I survived.
The finale with the burning of the wickerman beast and the fireworks had the kids (big and small) awestruck and brought a perfect weekend to a perfect end. Looking forward to next year

wickerman 2011

Overall rating: 5  

bring on wickerman 2012...........2011 was amazing, shame about James but he should have just refused to play till they sorted the sound out, was way busier than last year glad they had more toilets in the vip area, love bass camp, all in all great wee festival, great atmophere, great bands, great massive hangover monday!

Best Wickerman Yet!

Overall rating: 4.5  

6th festival for me and the best yet i reckon. Its difficult to find negative points when i had such a good weekend, the music was top quality throughout the festival. Only let-down musically was the otherwise talented guys from Tennessee on the Saturday afternoon. We needed a lift, some reggae or funk in the sunshine but they were more suited to the acoustic tent.
Thats not a criticism of the acoustic tent either, because i spent Saturday lunch time in there listening to some excellent acts.
The atmosphere at this festival is second to none. People are friendly and helpful and you meet new pals whilst queing at the bar.
Long may the Wickerman reign!

wickerman 2011 review

Overall rating: 5  

This was our 6th Wickerman and it was as ever fantastic. Well done again to the organisers for a cracking mix of music and other activities. The atmosphere, the people, the costumes, combined a wonderful weekend.
The loos were clean and the down n dirty's are great. Could do with more showers as you had to wait ages.
Can't wait for next year.

1st visit

Overall rating: 4  

1st visit to Festival and thought it was great.Very family friendly and although loads to see and do also very relaxing.Weather fab too.Loads of new bands to hear - loved Oil on Canvas!We had caravan with electric hook up,bit of a mix up with that and could have been better organised,also waste disposal from caravans could be better signposted. All told a brilliant experience.
Would go again!

Best One Yet

Overall rating: 4.5  

Ignore the grumpy reviewers. It's a festival not a 5 star hotel! Second time I have been and it was better than last year. Prices inside a bit much, I know it's a festival but go against the grain and make a bit cheaper?! Could have better communication regarding BBQ's. Wee things though. Don't get too big Wickerman. Stay true and don't ruined. You're our final hope for what a festival should be about(in Scotland!)Keep it up Wickerman and we will be back!

wickerman 2011

Overall rating: 4  

its not about being grumpy. I choose to spend my hard earned cash wisely.

In this case the Saturday line up was really poor in my opinion, but what swayed it for me was James.
Only for my weekend to be what I would consider to be ruined because of the sound problems. Whats annoying is that the Wickerman dont seem to be saying much about it.
Did they employ a contractor for this?, if so,they failed to deliver for what was surely the Wickermans main attraction this year.

Are we supposed to just accept this? Was told to email the co-ordinator, which so far there has been no reply.

There have been a lot of complaints this year, mostly from people who have seen what Wickerman used to be like and what it is now evolving in to.

There are many things good about the Wickerman but greed as usual spoils it. "If you build it? they will come". spend money on a better line up and it will sell out......simple.

Its a shame the festival is changing, for the worse in my opinion. Line up has been getting poorer and poorer, year on year.

This is what JamieGilroy said in the Galloway news
"The biggest challenges that we face every year is to continually keep the atmosphere, improve the quality of the show, increase ticket sales and, primarily, to make sure that everyone who comes has a good time.

Ensuring that all of our guests go home feeling as though they have had their moneys worth and enjoyed the festival is the main challenge that we face.

Sorry Jamie, but this year failed an all accounts.

Wickerman 2011

Overall rating: 4.5  

Really enjoyed this as my first festival :D
Very friendly for myself and even though we were in the loud camp our neighbours were lovely. The prices were a little high but I am on a budget and apparently this is normal. Loved James and Feeder and Craig Charles was awesome. The technical difficulties mentioned above did seem to hamper some acts though but I guess it is all live and it was raining. I did notice one side cutting out repeatedly too. The chill out tent and cinema neutralised the commercial aspects and allowed a quiet break. It was just gorgeous the surrounding scenery and loved the burning of the wickerman with fantastic fireworks, a real amazing life experience.

Wickerman 2011

Overall rating: 4  

I throughly enjoyed my Wickerman 2011. I went to Wickerman last year and had such a great time I thought it would be difficult to top this year. However I found this year just as great, if not better. I felt there was a much wider variety of music and stalls compared to last year. It was slightly annoying when the Friday night mainstage line up was running late, however standing for ages and getting to be right at the front at the barrier for Yasmin, Noisettes and The Hoosiers was definately worth it, they were the highlight of my weekend. I felt that the portaloos could have been cleaned more regularly because they were absolutely disgusting, but that's no change from last year, I'm just grateful that I managed to remember my hand sanitiser. I think that the prices of the food stalls was slightly extortionate, £3.50 for a burger seems a bit much but after not having ate anything all bar a jaffa cake it was much appreciated. It was slightly annoying getting searched for alcohol everytime you wanted to enter the main arena, as the prices in the beer tent were a bit too much if you ask me. People seem to be complaining about the showers, but I did not have to queue once for the showers, as I got up at 0530 in the morning to be there straight away, and it did not bother me getting up at this time, as I barely slept anyway. I was not asked to turn my shower off either, and altough they weren't the cleanest showers in the world they did their job, it's not like you were staying in a hotel, it was a festival after all and that's all part of the fun. I found the burning of the Wickerman itself slightly disappointing, however the fireworks display was absolutely brilliant, it was magnificent. On the whole, I don't really see what everyone's complaining about because I found it a really good weekend and I will certainly be returning next year.

8th. visit to Wickerman.

This was my 8th. time at Wickerman and yet again it was an amazing weekend. As part of camp Chaos, we always stay on the noisy campsite, which actually was not too bad. Think we were maybe the noisiest but lots of friendly people camping around us just joined in with the fun so it was not a problem. We took our own portaloo, and only once found the public loos in a bad condition. Security did their job in a friendly manner, no problems at all with them. I accept and understand the dangers of using gas cookers on a campsite, but think it is rather ironic that the first stall you come to in the Arena is the Happy camper, and they are selling them along with the cylinders.
Camp chaos age range is 12 the youngest and 59 the oldest, yet we all enjoyed the festival for various reasons.
I cannot say enough good about this festival, absolutely love it, and we will definitely be back next year, for the ninth time.
Thanks to all the organisers and everyone involved in the organisation and running of this event.

Loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!

Overall rating: 4.5  

Fantastic time don't think people can complain about noise at a festival, as I posted last year if your tired enough you will sleep, as was proven by my little boy sleeping in front of the main stage.Took a big group this year ranging in age from 5 to 68, and stayed in the campervan field, can't complain about the price of the food as we brought all our own. Again fantastic time loved The Pigeon Detectives, will be back.

First ever festival... Why have I waited so long?

Overall rating: 5  

The Wickerman was my first ever festival and I am so glad it was. Although having read some of the comments, I'm wondering if I was at a different place to some people.

I am very much a girly girl and love my showers, straightners and make up so had been warned about going. My friends advised I take lots of baby wipes and toilet roll. I must admit, I found having baby wipe washes to be somewhat liberating. And come day 3 I had proper surf chic hair. Never washing it again! As for the toilet roll, it never got touched. The horror stories I had been told on the way were making me pretty worried, but them toilets were kept amazing!! No-one believes me when I tell them how well they were kept. I made sure I told the toilet cleaner guy while I was there too :)

We arrived on the Thursday, no problems at all, until we got the tent out and my wonderful boyfriend realised that the tent poles and pegs were still in the flat. Oops. But luckily a knight in shinning armour came to our rescue, not only letting us borrow a tent, but also putting it up for us! (Thanks again Alan)

The people around us were amazing. Really friendly and all looking out for each other, offering food, blankets, tourches. I never once worried about any of our possessions going missing (not that we had owt worth taking) or being tampered with. Top bunch.

The line up was absolutely fantastic! As we were right up the front, we didn't notice any sound problems when James were on, but I could understand how that would have been rubbish for those further back. I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to see Utah Saints and the Damed, but I prioritised and was very happy.

I found the staff great. We did get told off for having a bbq at the tent, (silly us) but the security guy had a laugh and joke with us about it and it wasn't a problem... would have been if I had picked up the vodka bottle instead of the water bottle to put it out though.

Got talking to a steward who was a fountain of all information. I was telling the rest of my group everything from the history of the festival to the way the Wickerman is built, to the technical problems faced after spending just a short ime with the boy.

I also tried to get the stewards to search me as we went into the main arena bit... they refused.... every time... which worked in my favour.

The drink was a tad pricy, but only really had a couple in the arena bit and had expected it too. Thought the food prices were ok. Had a lamb kebab at the falafle stand. It was perfectly cooked, really tasty and loads of it... and cheaper than the kebab shop at the top of my road which is hit or miss.

The burning of the Wickerman was fab. Really loved the fireworks. Something a bit different. There were some great shops and the shed disco was great!

I have realised I'm totally rambling on here but I just loved the whole thing and haven't stopped going on about what a great weekend I had since I got back.

Thank you Wickerman Festival and all the organisers for being my first ever festival. I was worried my first would be my last, but I'm already working out where to go next!

Review

Overall rating: 4.5  

This was our 5th Wickerman and up there with our first (which will always hold a special place in my heart) We had an excellent time and camping in the organge zone ended up with excellent neighbours so all good there.

We brought most of our food and alcohol with us and just spent our time noodling back and forth between the festival arena & campsite. This made a major difference to the finances this year and will be our strategy from here on in.

No problems with security but we used the top entrance (by the D&D) top blokes, laid back and a welcome change from last year. Maybe being 'mature ladies' made us less suspicious.

No problems with D&D (never bother with the showers) the toilets were great but must admit I was a bit hacked off with the girlies blocking access to the sinks. How about a 'titivation block' next year for all the poor lovelies who can't cope without a full face of slap?

The major downside was the sound quality on James. I kicked myself having left the Damned for what would have been an excellent set had I been able to hear them.

Special mention regarding the response from the paramedics and stewarts. A lad by the beer tent had a seizure (1st time apparently)on Saturday evening. ? suspected dehydration/sun stroke (no hat, sunburnt and probably been drinking nothing but alcohol all weekend) He had this seizure in front of the paramedic vehicle parked by the side of the beer tent. Unfortunately this was unmanned however we managed to alert a stewart (who looked about 15) but delt with the situation swiftly, within minutes everyone decended; the paramedics, stewarts/security. The ambulance arrived, shocked girlfriend taken care of, it was all very slick and well managed. Very impressive & reassuring, but would recommend that unless dealing with an incident at least one of the paramedics stays close to their vehicle. We worked on the principle that if in doubt head for the nearest fluorescent jacket.

Many Thanks to all who made the weekend great. We'll be back again next year.

Wickerman 2011

This was my second Wickerman and it certainly wont be my last, Love the place Love the atmosphere, for me one of the best festivals in Scotland,
ok James set was ruined due to the heavy rain getting into the electrics but it would have taken a lot more than that to spoil my weekend.
One or two negatives now, the campervan campsite had very little toilet facilities not all campervans are fitted with a toilet, No lights at all in this section, it was darker than a dark thing in there, No security to pass through to access campervan site we had to pay more for camping yet there was as many tents as there was vans, and my final concern was the fact that it was a bit of a free for all, park your van where you like, no fire lines, I was at T in the P where a van accidently caught fire if that happened here there was little or no access to some of the vans at the top of the field to get to by fire brigade.
Cant finish on a negative a few of my friends were there for the first time and loved it as much as me. Roll on next year

Bunnymen blow the crowd away!

Overall rating: 4.5  

ANOTHER great WickiWeekend! Weather great, every band a winner, Happy people singing and dancing AND Echo and the Bunnymen!
FAAAAAAAAN-EFFIN-TAAASTIC!

Wickerman 011

Overall rating: 3.5  

Need to sort the sound engineering. Time to get rid of the expensive drink tickets. They are a nuisance and always seem to come home with some because can't be bothered standing in queue for tickets and drink and they're not refundable. Rip off.Need more toilet cleaners.