Silverstone "Festival of Entertainment"
Discussion
Hi
I'm a long time F1 fan and have been to Silverstone and Barcelona. Barcelona in 2023 for 9 nights meals included, flights, 4 day general admission tickets (Thursday pit lane walk) and transfers was £699, currently 4 day General admission tickets for Silverstone are £409.
However Silverstone is hosting a "festival of entertainment" at the British GP this year starting on the Thursday with some singers, DJs and comedians.
Am I the only one that thinks this is pointless, get rid of the singers, djs and comedians as we aren't there for that and drop the prices. Or have reduced ticket prices for the people who are only interested in the racing. Silverstone has all the support races unlike some other races so it's not like there's nothing on in-between F1 sessions.
I'm a long time F1 fan and have been to Silverstone and Barcelona. Barcelona in 2023 for 9 nights meals included, flights, 4 day general admission tickets (Thursday pit lane walk) and transfers was £699, currently 4 day General admission tickets for Silverstone are £409.
However Silverstone is hosting a "festival of entertainment" at the British GP this year starting on the Thursday with some singers, DJs and comedians.
Am I the only one that thinks this is pointless, get rid of the singers, djs and comedians as we aren't there for that and drop the prices. Or have reduced ticket prices for the people who are only interested in the racing. Silverstone has all the support races unlike some other races so it's not like there's nothing on in-between F1 sessions.
Had an email through yesterday advertising for the few remaining apartments!!
Cheapest was 18 grand for 4, dearest was 48 grand for 8! This late, if they are still not sold is not great. And quite a few still seemingly available.
Tickets are crazy, but mostly sold out, so why blame the venue, what I blame them for is parking, and this really is a joke, 170 quid for 4 days if you want to park at the venue, I am sorry but that is almost inhuman profiteering. Park and ride is far better and obviously what they prefer you do.
Cheapest was 18 grand for 4, dearest was 48 grand for 8! This late, if they are still not sold is not great. And quite a few still seemingly available.
Tickets are crazy, but mostly sold out, so why blame the venue, what I blame them for is parking, and this really is a joke, 170 quid for 4 days if you want to park at the venue, I am sorry but that is almost inhuman profiteering. Park and ride is far better and obviously what they prefer you do.
bergclimber34 said:
Had an email through yesterday advertising for the few remaining apartments!!
Cheapest was 18 grand for 4, dearest was 48 grand for 8! This late, if they are still not sold is not great. And quite a few still seemingly available.
Tickets are crazy, but mostly sold out, so why blame the venue, what I blame them for is parking, and this really is a joke, 170 quid for 4 days if you want to park at the venue, I am sorry but that is almost inhuman profiteering. Park and ride is far better and obviously what they prefer you do.
£18k is ridiculous, no wonder they aren't sold out. Cheapest was 18 grand for 4, dearest was 48 grand for 8! This late, if they are still not sold is not great. And quite a few still seemingly available.
Tickets are crazy, but mostly sold out, so why blame the venue, what I blame them for is parking, and this really is a joke, 170 quid for 4 days if you want to park at the venue, I am sorry but that is almost inhuman profiteering. Park and ride is far better and obviously what they prefer you do.
That £170 for parking is a joke! People will pay it though.
nordboy said:
My lad is doing the weekend at Spa this year and he says it'll work out cheaper than Silverstone was last year, even including travelling, Ferries and accommodation.
Don't blame him, I've seen quite a few people go abroad cheaper than Silverstone. I'm tempted by Hungary and Austria as they are usually good races and the tickets are dead cheap. Spa and Monza are top of my list though. I wonder if Spa tickets will go up with it only being alternate years going forward. Honestly I do not blame the venue for doing this, I don't actually think they do this extra price ticketing anymore, such was the outrage a year or two ago, very sought after events are like this, mainly because there are scores of people out there who are legally able to buy large numbers of tickets to sell on on the second hand market as their actual job, the venues, companies know all about it, but can't really do anything.
As for the roadworks it is slightly improved on earlier in the year.
As for the roadworks it is slightly improved on earlier in the year.
I wouldnt pay to go anymore, i think F1 has become more of a tv sport rather than a live one now, it use to be the noise that made it for me. and at silverstone the viewing isnt great either.
And the prices they charge is mad, but they are selling so what do i know.
Ive been most years in the last 30 or so, but have never had to pay, and i dont think i would.
And the prices they charge is mad, but they are selling so what do i know.
Ive been most years in the last 30 or so, but have never had to pay, and i dont think i would.
The whole reason for the “Festival” is to get people to arrive early and leave late, in an attempt to reduce the impact of getting so many people in to and out of the venue. They want thousands of people turning up to camp on Thursday and Friday, making weekend of it, because they’re people who won’t all be trying to get in just before the F1 race starts on Sunday. They’ll also be spending more of their money on F&B.
Same with the concerts, which are primarily there to try and stop 160,000 people, the largest single-day ticketed audience for any event in the UK, from all trying to leave at the same time after the on-track action finishes. I don’t particularly know pop singer Becky Hill, who’s headlining the concert on Sunday night this year, but I suspect that Fatboy Slim on Saturday night is definitely going to be worth hanging around for.
Also, don’t forget the support races. This year the track action starts from 8am on all three days, with F2, FIA F3, and F4 races featuring alongside F1, as well as historic F1 demonstrations. On Friday and Saturday, the race programme continues long after F1 has packed up for the day.
Full track schedule: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/formula...
Full concert schedule: https://oversteer48.com/f1-silverstone-concert/
Don’t confuse the F1 entertainment with the “Silverstone Festival”, which is a separate event in August, similar to an on-track version of the Goodwood FoS with loads of old cars and displays. https://www.silverstone.co.uk/news/silverstone-fes...
Same with the concerts, which are primarily there to try and stop 160,000 people, the largest single-day ticketed audience for any event in the UK, from all trying to leave at the same time after the on-track action finishes. I don’t particularly know pop singer Becky Hill, who’s headlining the concert on Sunday night this year, but I suspect that Fatboy Slim on Saturday night is definitely going to be worth hanging around for.
Also, don’t forget the support races. This year the track action starts from 8am on all three days, with F2, FIA F3, and F4 races featuring alongside F1, as well as historic F1 demonstrations. On Friday and Saturday, the race programme continues long after F1 has packed up for the day.
Full track schedule: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/formula...
Full concert schedule: https://oversteer48.com/f1-silverstone-concert/
Don’t confuse the F1 entertainment with the “Silverstone Festival”, which is a separate event in August, similar to an on-track version of the Goodwood FoS with loads of old cars and displays. https://www.silverstone.co.uk/news/silverstone-fes...
Sad as it is, watched a ticketing docu recently, very interesting, there are people who make a very good living bulk buying tickets for gigs, and events like F1, and selling them on, it's why dynamic pricing exists, it's why even minutes into a 50k stadium opening it's bookings they sell out, these guys have 20 pcs buying10 at a time,
It's beyond crazy, but there are no laws.
It's beyond crazy, but there are no laws.
bergclimber34 said:
Sad as it is, watched a ticketing docu recently, very interesting, there are people who make a very good living bulk buying tickets for gigs, and events like F1, and selling them on, it's why dynamic pricing exists, it's why even minutes into a 50k stadium opening it's bookings they sell out, these guys have 20 pcs buying10 at a time,
It's beyond crazy, but there are no laws.
Yes the whole ticket “resale” industry is a racket, and with the exception of football match tickets not illegal, although plenty of campaigners are trying to get that law changed to include concerts and other sports. It's beyond crazy, but there are no laws.
The only genuine attempt to actually shut down inflated resale, as opposed to quietly profit from it, is the Glastonbury Festival. Their system works really well at tying tickets to individuals, with returns only allowed back to the event at face value, which totally shows up everyone else in the entertainment industry who claims it can’t be done.
I haven't been to a F1 race for a few years now, but 'twas always thus. Flights/accom/tickets to a Euro GP often worked out barely any more expensive than Silverstone train fares and tickets, plus the Euro tracks tended to be in the same postcode as the viewing areas.
I go to WEC races now which make F1 look a total rip-off, particularly Le Mans.
I go to WEC races now which make F1 look a total rip-off, particularly Le Mans.
Josemartinez said:
Am I the only one that thinks this is pointless, get rid of the singers, djs and comedians as we aren't there for that and drop the prices. Or have reduced ticket prices for the people who are only interested in the racing.
Personally, I feel it can add to the atmosphere and making a pleasing way to round each day off.Ditching the stage entertainment wouldn't make any difference to the ticket price. It could even add to the cost as their intent is to retain people in the circuit after the track activity has finished and whilst they're at the circuit, they're buying beer and food and more merch which means Silverstone can charge more to the traders who are happy to pay more because they're selling more.
Music is about lots of things, families, profit, retention, traffic, glamour, PR, marketing. Loads of GPs do it.
This is one of the biggest sports events in Europe let alone Britain, so trying to squeeze as much as you can from every person there is a priority, it is the modern British way big events are done. Punters have made their choice and decided this is worth it, possibly more here than anywhere else in thebworld, so as an event you exploit that as much as you can, personally I think the events tickets are fair, it is the other costs that are crazy, parking, food, drink, camping etc.
Other countries have a different approach to large events. But for most that is not an option.
This is one of the biggest sports events in Europe let alone Britain, so trying to squeeze as much as you can from every person there is a priority, it is the modern British way big events are done. Punters have made their choice and decided this is worth it, possibly more here than anywhere else in thebworld, so as an event you exploit that as much as you can, personally I think the events tickets are fair, it is the other costs that are crazy, parking, food, drink, camping etc.
Other countries have a different approach to large events. But for most that is not an option.
I'm a huge supporter of Silverstone.... But this year the car parking is just ridiculous and i'm staying at home. £170 to park in a field that is at least a 1/2hr walk away from the Circuit is a big step backward.
Last years parking, due to the ever expanding nature of the place, the car parks near to the dual carriageway access roads have been built on (or about to be built on) and as such, rather than the the traffic flowing naturally from the road through the many gates into a grass field, you were dragged around a back road single file, through a tight gap in a fence to park on a big field, then had a 30minute walk to the gates.
The whole process has gone from a naturally flowing, quick easy process where Brackley to Silverstone Gate was about 30mins, to a huge great big bottleneck that makes the point of the dual carriageways redundant. It's gone back 20-30 years to the 80-90's with 3-4hr delays to get in.
I know they want every to get bussed in, but I don't particularly want to sit on a bus with loads of other people breathing down your kneck.
The biggest piss take was that whilst we were all shuffled off round the back fileds, passed the industrial estate, the hard standing car park in front of the main gates was empty!!!! Reserved for hospitality and easy access passes.
If you have a motorbike.... use that!! It's Free!!
Last years parking, due to the ever expanding nature of the place, the car parks near to the dual carriageway access roads have been built on (or about to be built on) and as such, rather than the the traffic flowing naturally from the road through the many gates into a grass field, you were dragged around a back road single file, through a tight gap in a fence to park on a big field, then had a 30minute walk to the gates.
The whole process has gone from a naturally flowing, quick easy process where Brackley to Silverstone Gate was about 30mins, to a huge great big bottleneck that makes the point of the dual carriageways redundant. It's gone back 20-30 years to the 80-90's with 3-4hr delays to get in.
I know they want every to get bussed in, but I don't particularly want to sit on a bus with loads of other people breathing down your kneck.
The biggest piss take was that whilst we were all shuffled off round the back fileds, passed the industrial estate, the hard standing car park in front of the main gates was empty!!!! Reserved for hospitality and easy access passes.
If you have a motorbike.... use that!! It's Free!!
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