Wickerman Festival Site Dundrennan reviews by real event-goers

wot a laff

What a laff i had this year.... on how to pull the wool over the "alcohol police's eyes"!!
The bands were great, especially UK Subs and Bad Manners. Danny Rampling was awesome. The DnD toilets were in general clean except on the Sat morning when seemingly the two guys who were "guarding" them fell asleep and they quite quickly desended into Porta Loo Land (minging).
Never went to the beer tent so can't comment on the "great token rip off" but missed my margarita slush puppy !!
Wickerman number 6 this was for me....i feel it's slowly changing and not for the better re: getting as much money out of us poor working class people.
Think the guys who run the Eden Tent need to be invited back next year as there wasn't the same vibe....who really wants a tank sitting in the middle of a festival arena. a bit inappropriate me thinks.

Fandiddlyastic!!

Well, this was my 1st WM and I had a ball! The campsite was fab, we paid for DnD toilet passes, but I only used them once or twice as the general loo's were so clean and had loo roll in them.

The magic numbers were amazing, as was Danny Rampling who we danced to for hours, barefoot and in the mud! We heard a few other bands too, all fabulous.

The atmosphere was so friendly, I didn't see any trouble at all, and even my friends mobile which he lost was returned to him the next day!

As with other reviews I found the beer policy far too strong. We spent longer than we would have back at the campsite drinking to save money, and even strapped 8 cans of cider to my mate with gaffer tape under his panda suit one day.

My only other gripe was the litter left by some campers, people right next to bin's too, disgusting.

I had the best time, and can't wait to get my tickets for 2010!!

Bass Camp Volume???

Did the volume in the dance tents get turned down on the Saturday?? Friday was banging in the Bass Camp, but on the Saturday it wasn't..

I think a few corners getting cut regards toilets and where was the usual chill out tent? Far too strict regards taking a few cans in to the arena. The beer was awful and the token thing is a money making scam, because so many don't get used..

Take a pause and a think before doing the same for next year..

Wickerman 09 review

This was my 7th Wickerman festival. I think that means I've only missed one which was the very first. For me it is the best festival in Scotland by a mile and I have to say it gets better every year.

Saturday nights line up of Dreadzone and the Zutons was as close as damn it to a perfect line up for me. Both bands are among the best to come out of Britain in the last 20 years and to see them back to back was a delight.

The Magic Numbers on Friday night were surprisingly enjoyable and the Human League were a treat. They are a British sensation and undoubtably pioneers in British synth pop. Phil Okea's baldy napper and the birds dodgy dancing, dodgy singing and dodgier outfits just added to the party. Let's face it, if Glastonbury can role out the old codgers like Springstein (and at one point I thought that Neil Young was going to do a Spinal Tap style re-union with Cosby, Stills and Nash)the Wickerman can role out the Human League any time.

For those people worried about the lack of showers this year, they should consider in future going to the swimming pool in Kirkubright. I've done this several times and the pool staff are always very accomodating. Moreover, a few festival goers over the years have had the same idea and I'm sure the staff of the pool are happy with the income that the festival generates for them. Otherwise, just get into the spirit of the mud ad dirt:)

Will I be back next year? ABSOLUTELY YES.

Feckin A!

The guy out of Dreadzone is a f**king star! And Rab McCahill did a no bad job n aw....apart fae that, its aw been said before....only saw about 4 bands (who cares aboot the bands at festivals anyway) hud a hilarious game of fitba at various points and despite the prices/beer in the arena sitch I'll be back....AND a met, ahem, the love of my life, at Billy Bragg, I think, we canny remember....its aw good! (apart fae the bad bits)

festival virgin

This was my first wickerman festival, and festival in general and it was awesome.....but was it worth the money....no.
camping site was good, loved how ppl jst randomly came over and spoke,and it was a brill atmosphere, everyone was so friendly, *cough* even the neds/chavs which was very random, i ad a brill time and pleased i never tripped over ny tent wires,but i did fall dancing...and no1 laughed at me, woot woot, only things bad bout the camping was the reggae tent going on till the early morning, ugh, and i was so relieved that the toilets were cleaned every morning, (but i still brought baby wipes).
it sucked that some of them werent put near the campsitre entrance from the arena as had to walk all the way up again just to use em.

seen, is it pearl and the puppets? she was ace, totally reccommend, and she stopped b4 a song 2 point to a guy jst wearing a bowtie and a pouch.... funny stuff

my mate is a sound engineer on the main stage this year so i got a bk stage pass which was even more awesome, i got to see dreadzone which i rly liked, they were awesome, zutons were good to, drummer had his eyes closed during most his drumming, (i shall put up pics of bksatge) and i left bkstage to see wickerman burn, so prettiful,and when headn back to campsite me n 2 of gd mates heard utah saints come on and headed 4 the mainstage where i got 2 see em dance madly, so much fun, got elbowed and got apurple bruise to show, lol.

sucked they didnt let ny1 in booze, even plastic bootles, even tho the icecream vans were selling em, so me n sum mates my snuck in lil plastic bottles o booze, and bribed stewards wiv cans o beer to let us through the campsite entrance to get 2 arena :-).

i rly enjoyed maself, but i dnt fink it was worth the money.but ill def be bk next year.

A VERY DISAPPOINTED WICKERMAN FAN

This was our second time at the Wickerman and I must say it was very disappointing compared to last year, not being able to take your own drink cans in and children's bottles being taken off them if opened was nothing short of appalling.We always spent money in the arena regardless of taking in some drink cans but found our selves spending more time on the camp site. What really annoyed me was the amount of people drinking out of GLASS bottles around the site and nothing was done to stop them but if you had an open PLASTIC bottle of c**e on entering the site it was taken off you. Come on wickerman!! there was 18 in our group last year and 21 this year,most of our group have been to the festival since it began, if the alcohol policy is the same next year we will be looking at other festivals for 2010. The quiet camping area was another BIG disappointment surely placing a music tent that had music blasting out of it until 5am must have been someones idea of a joke!! not one that was very amusing. The showers were another sore point, two hours in a queue, 18 showers for how many festival goers you really have to think about putting in more showers. The flushing toilets were great but surely there could have been some placed nearer the main area they really were well out of the way, if you were watching bands on the main stage by the time you went to the toilet and back you basically missed the whole set. why offer these services and site them out of the way, is it just another way to rip off festival goers!! GET RID OF THE NO ALCOHOL POLICY! MOVE THE MUSIC TENT AWAY FROM THE QUIET CAMPING! AND ADD MORE SHOWERS.

Wickerman 09

First time to the Wickerman this year and I thought it was great. However, last year apparently there was many more showers and this year I was very disapointed with the LACK of showers. We waited roughly 2 hours to get one.
Also, not being able to take drinks into the arena was not very good. The drinks at the bars were a fortune as well as £14 for 5 ice-creams. Prices were scandalous.
Furthermore, I would go back next year as I did really enjoy most of it.
C

Thanks for a great festival!

Thought there was a HUGE improvement to the loos this year. Am disabled and the last three years we have been the loos were too awful to bear! This year they at least got emptied - what happens to folk that they leave such a mess in the loos and dumping their rubbish anywhere? They surely don't behave like that in their own homes???
Felt sorry for the WickerPickers as they had some truly horrible things to clean up - well done to them!
The festival was fantastic - Scooter and Solus tents being favourites! Saw loads of brilliant bands.
Not much of a drinker, but agree with the other comments that this year the rule of no drinks a bit over the top, especially since the beer tent was so expensive! Bet their sales were down this year!
Would like to see a few TeePees in the disabled area - they are too far away for anyone with a disability - would definitely book a TeePee if they were closer!
Thanks to all the organisers and workers at this event - you should be proud of the fabby weekend festival.
Well Done!

No sleep till 5am then up at 7.30am with kids!! Quiet camping! Your having a laugh

great festival but could not sleep with the dance tent!
the dance tent should be moved as far away as possible from the quiet camping so the quiet campers can sleep!
please please please change the lay out and get more showers or sell less tickets for them!

SECURITY POLICY FOR TAKING DRINK INTO ARENA A JOKE

Wickerman Festival goer for many years.

First time I am considering not coming again because of ridiculas policy on not taking cans / wine etc into arena area..
To have security smell and taste drinks in plastic bottles is ( well words fail me )
even the youngsters could not take in plastic bottles of C**e.

Our party in total 12 Adults 4 Teenagers, in Camper vans and Caravans.
We spent a lot more time this year in camp site area and drank / ate in the sun shine.

We would normally spend quite a lot of money in the Beer Tents and Food Outlets, whilst taking into arena area small quantities of our own booze, thus spending all day in Arena area.
Financially the Arena area lost a few £100.00 quid in spend from our group by well over policing on drink.
Other families we met and new also had the same view as our party ( spent a lot less in the Arena area. I notice from other comments in this review other people have the same thoughts.

We are all going to the EDEN FESTIVAL especially the Chill out Zone ( where was it this year ) you have no problem with your own drink at this Festival.

If drink restriction is in force again next year 2010, this party of 12 Plus others we no will not be going to the Wicker Man Festival.

Would I recommend Wicker Man Festival ( YES ) WITH WARNING OF YOU CANNOT TAKE DRINK INTO ARENA. ( A put off straight away ).
Other wise great 4 days out.

**WOULD LIKE A REPLY TO MY THOUGHTS FROM THE POWERS THAT BE.

Ian + 11 others.

Another Superb Weekend

Each year it changes a little, some for the better some for the worse. Some previous changes remain while others are dumped. I liked the fireworks but would have liked to have a lone piper playing through the display.

Cool Wickerman this year, I think Robert Burns would have loved the event!

More toddlers this year which was great to see but the drink police were a pain and meant that I had far too much of my prebought drink to take back home. I simply can't afford to buy EVERY drink inside!

Great to see the sausage stall back again - lovely people, proper tea, coffee, hot choc etc. and the sausages were the best ever! Everybody chould buy atleast one a day!!!

The Scooter tent was, in my opinion, the best place for Kid British. Those who were there experienced a wonderful atmosphere that would simply not be possible on the main stage. Personally I thought Utah Saints could have interacted with the crowd alot more than the odd glimpse upwards - maybe they would have been better in the Skiddle Arena. After the likes of the Orb, Eat Static and the likes their "show" was a little weak (although we all loved it). Overall I think Dreadzone won the day for me - the way the crowd was worked was a pleasure to watch and participate in.

I was surprised that the Zutons were not their usual chatty selves. Technically you could not fault them but I got the feeling that they were a little too distant. Having seen them live before I know how great they can be when at their very best.

Human League were the big surprise for me. I am an old sod who never really got over the split so I was chuffed to pieces to hear a couple of the old classics performed so well. I even have to admit that I also enjoyed them with the girls singing ;-)

The Sound System - WOW, WOW , WOW and WOW again. The decision to go with this sound system made the festival for me this year. True High Fidelity with a MASSIVE punch that cut through the air far beyond much more powerful systems (RMS wise). The main advantage of this sound system was that the high quality sound was consistent with no dead zones (ie areas where you could only hear certain frequencies). So everyone got perfect sound wherever they stood, sat or danced.

One thing that always gets me at Wickerman is the protection of the kids. Great to see many wearing ear protectors but the standout moments for me were when the kids were allowed to take over the whole front row against the barries while the "adults" stood a few steps back with a clear space behind the kids.

The toilets were better maintained this year but I still paid the extra for the D 'n' D as, at times, it is well, well worth it. So pleased to see the return of the "unlimited" showers. Even though we only used them twice each (so saving little cash) the idea that another would not cost us more was nice!

Security/Policing - Police were as cool as ever and when I asked a couple if there had been any trouble reported they said none other than the usual lost items. They then proceeded to "hard sell" the Wickerman festival to me. Even though I have long been converted it was wonderful to hear our police rave about how great the festival is and why I should come every year and tell my friends! Security was, marginally, better this year with staff as friendly as ever. The only problem being the searches which actually caused me some minor discomfort having to remove my backpack to open it then close it to put it back on.

We had a problem getting off the site this year (car trouble) and every now and again somebody would come over. We were expecting them to tell us to get shifted but it was always to ask us if we had had a good time and was there anything they could do to help us.

Leaving later than usual allowed us to see the true miracle of the wicker pickers - they really do clean up 100%. Overall the camping site seemed a little more messy than usual though the disabled and quiet camping seemed cleaner. Why do people insist on just dropping their rubbish within yards of a bin? I saw a group of lads drop their rubbish 3ft from a bin!

I know I have written alot but I could go on and on even more.

Role on Wickerman 2010 :-)

Thanks guys you did yourselves proud again this year.

being searched for booze a step too far

Have been several years in a row - and the "security" has just got sillier and sillier :(

I draw the line at having my bag searched several times a day - especially when the aim of this is to *suposedly* boost the bar profits. Will not be back...

Other gripes and praise much as expressed by others.

Acoustic tent - brilliant as usual,also loved Phil Kay, fabulously chilled on Saturday morning....shame about the bagsearches and the overpowering volume of the dance tent.

Wickerman 3 (for me)

Same comments as many others regarding the very enthusiastic searching for alcohol - even to the extent of sniffing a bottle of water. This was my 3rd Wickerman on the trot and I think there was some searching of bags for booze last year, but this year there had clearly been an instruction to get tough. Very much at odds with the rest of the atmosphere of the festival and I add my plea - please reconsider for the future. I think even major cricket venues let you take a reasonable amount of booze into the ground - is Wickerman so much different? The more noisy/lively tents did seem to be a bit close to the campsite but after a few ciders you don't notice so much!!
Less toilets than last year (?) but kept clean and the urinals help make sure us guys don't take up loos too much.
Not so many people this year - or was that because people were staying in campsite for longer?
Musical highlights - Human League, Dangleberries, Zion Train and the fiddler and banjoist from O'Death. I enjoyed Billy Bragg and his reminder of what's going on although my 19 year old son hated him!! Young people nowadays!!!
I only wish the timings could have been better so that I didn't have to decide between seeing the Zutons and Bad Manners. And what's happened to Captain Jack - I used to love his intros of the bands?
Booze tokens - not a great problem but the non-refundable bit is a bit much.
Word is that the land has been sold and Wickerman will be in Dumfies next year. Anyone know if this is true? And will this mean higher prices and even more draconian security?
Still, a great weekend and will be back all the way from Suffolk again.

4th Wicker continued....

also the only really gripe was the security bloke who told us we could have 3 inch gas stove but werent allowed a 5 inch one even though they were selling them in the venue...Sort youre facts out and stop thinking you are god cos you have a flourescent tanktop on!!!!!!!
anyway your boss Chris sorted it out for us...

My 4th Wicker.....Best yet but.......

This was a great wicker...great weather and everyone so friendly,chilled and having a great time...Disappointments 1. however were the alcohol-ban hitlers..I have always only taken bout 4 cans and small plastic wine in for the day..I have always bout my fair share at the bar as well.This was clearly to make you spend more money in the bars...The reason we love it so much here is it is not like the Glastonbury of today..Over commercial and a rip-off..
2.Where was the cool tent with the log seats and log tables.PLEASE PLEASE bring this back.It was a great place to chill to some sound beat music...
3. outdoor tyres were cool but please dont paint them next year.Lots of paint covered trousers:(...

Wickerman Virgins

This was our first year at the Wickerman Festival, We usually attend Rockness & Belladrum. This festival we have to say was very good lots of things to do and see, the music line up was ace, we especially enjoyed, Kid British, Human league, The Zutons, The Kadeebies, Dreadzone, Magic Numbers most of the bands that we seen, only disappointment was the Casiokids cancelling (line up wise) & i thought the actual burning of the Wickerman was a bit of a let down too. all in all thought it was Excellent festival though. suggestion is to get a Electronic board to keep people up to date with Changes to line up somewhere, security staff very unhelpfull.

Will be returning again though

blast of a time

well what can I say we all had a bravo time again this year 3rd year in a row,I agree with some of the comments mind u dance tent needs to be moved with the silient tent.also dissapointed with having to pay £2 to get my 3 kids into the childrens area then pay to do other things inside it soon mounts up.
enough moaning loved the dangle berries/human league/uta saints food not too pricey.
but overall we will be back next year as the kids already askin.

Good as Ever

This was our fourth Wickerman and as usual it lived up to our expectations. Only fault is that there were too many band clashes - due to too many really good bands!!!! Highlight for us was The Xcerts/Bad Manner/Isa & Filthy Tongues. Have been to many other festivals and none let you take your own drink into the arena - obviously previously spoilt at Wickerman by being allowed to. Prices were average for any concert/festival and tokens solve a lot of problems with queuing (if you had been at Oasis at Murrayfield you know what I mean!!). We'll be back next year - can't wait. Thanks to comment from D-Gray - we were your neig*bours - it was great to meet you and Anna. Hope to see you next year.

wicked festie!!

Third year at the wickerman had fab time, fri night was the best enjoyed human league!
Brilliant atmosphere although not happy about alcohol ban into main arena! Hence we spent more time sitting in camping area!!
Didn't bother with D'n'D wristbands as with a family of 3 it gets expensive and a strip wash in tent was just as good no queuing for showers. The portoloos were kept very clean!! My son did want to get wrist band for the showers but when he went on saturday morning to get one they were sold out!!
Loved the wickerman burning and the fireworks!!! Definitely back next year.