Wickerman Festival Site Dundrennan reviews by real event-goers

wickerman 2011

first time at a festival and camping!! It was amazing, even though stayed in the main campsite it was not so bad and the weather made the experience much more.... the crowds were small around the main stage so able to get close to the bands which was fantastic. Great to see families with young children and not much trouble .... me and my partner will definitely go again

Great first experience

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.

Fab Weekend

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 !

Wickerman 2011

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.

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

Great festival, nice atmosphere, and not too big. Having just been to T in the Park it was nice to go to something a bit more laid back with everything in easy walking distance. The hike from car park to campsite is very short indeed which means multiple trips are no problem and avoids having to load yourself down like a packmule to do it in one trip. The quiet campsite is actually quiet which was another welcome surprise.
The compact size of the arena makes stage hopping easy, which means more music. And the music... well I like rock so I was well catered for but I also took in a bit of country, ska and punk. I'm not into dance music but my son and his friends had no complaints. All in all, good variety with something for pretty much anyone.
All I can say is... I'll be back!

Very enjoyable

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.

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

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...

Good weekend

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.

WICKERMAN!!!

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!

Another Fantastic Year!

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!

after all these tyears

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.

Wickerman 2011

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?

Wickerman 2011

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 festival review-brilliant weekend!

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!

Family festival? Not anymore...

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 2011

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

Beer and Cider

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.

Awesome but some issues spoiling the fun.

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.

Review

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.