Free festies are the best festies
I've never paid for a ticket to a festival yet have been to many. This is mainly due to my older brothers who made an art of getting into festivals and gigs for free for years by jumping the fence, getting on guest lists, blagging etc. So I followed the family tradition and soon was doing every festival and gig I could get away with. It always makes for a more exciting festival when you make the huge journey there and don't even know if you'll get through the gates.

One such occasion I went to T in the Park with a mate (who already had a ticket), convinced that I'd be able to get over the fence or something. I'd never been to that particular festival so didn't know the set-up but was sure I'd manage it.

On the Saturday morning my friend and I wandered the entire circumference of the festival trying at various point to scale the fence but to no avail. The first bands were starting up so I told my ticketed friend to get herself in and I'd meet her in there somehow. Long story a bit shorter, I met a band who gave me a (Glastonbury!) wristband that I got in with, met my friend and had a great day.

Leaving for the campsite that evening we were stopped by some wasted guy who needed help finding his car. We duly laughed at him pointing out that there were tens of thousands of cars spread among several car parks and the chances of finding his, in the dark, while drunk, were slim to none. He said he was the guitarist from Texas and if we helped him he'd give us access all areas guest passes. Well, I didn't know if he was bullshitting as I had no idea what the guitarist from Texas looked like (do you?) but the chance of getting a free pass to get in the next day was too good to miss so we set off on our hunt.

I still have no idea how but we found his car, he opened the boot and produced 2 of the most dodgy looking passes you've ever seen - Obviously made on his home computer, printed and laminated with a hole punched in the top, through which was threaded a black shoelace:
TEA (yes, TEA not T)
IN THE
PARK
ACCESS ALL AREAS
GUEST PASS

In Times New Roman font on plain white paper, approx. A5 size.

Naturally I was disappointed as this crap wouldn't get past the wily scrutiny of the gate staff but he insisted that he'd gotten through earlier on the same pass. He said it helps if you have a back-up story (like being the guitarist from Texas) to convince the gate staff so off we went, unconvinced.

Next morning we toddled off to the gate nervously sporting our dodgy passes, we walked up to the gate and waved our passes. The gate staff didn't blink and let us through but then there was a shout from security behind them "Oi! you can't go in with that!".

He came running over, took our opened cans of beer off us and chucked them in the bin.
(antigen is running away from something, Thu 11 Jun 2009, 1:11, 3 replies)

You ever gotten into leeds?

(King Baby Duck more than a ceiling, Thu 11 Jun 2009, 1:35, closed)

Nope
Never tried Leeds festival, lived closer to Reading and got in there a few times though.
(antigen is running away from something, Thu 11 Jun 2009, 2:15, closed)

Huh.
Maybe the typo was so security could identify the real passes. :)
( Bats, Thu 11 Jun 2009, 8:53, closed)