Tickets went on sale at 9am on Sunday 17 May.
The website registered over 50,000 people trying to get tickets via the website at exactly the same time - in addition a queue of people had grown over night for the over the counter tickets.
We stand up and give a 'folk salute' to the people at the front of the queue who had queued over night braving some pretty awful Cambridge May weather - we'll see you at the Festival.
About Me
- The Co-operative Cambridge Folk Festival
- The Cambridge Folk Festival is one of the premier music events in Europe and one of the longest running and most famous folk festivals in the world. It has become hugely popular and a regular sell out attracting ten thousand people, many of whom return year after year. The Festival is renowned for its eclectic mix of music and a wide definition of what might be considered folk. The best traditional folk artists from the UK and Ireland rub shoulders with more contemporary acts, the finest American country, blues and roots artists, acclaimed singer songwriters and even the odd pop star. Bluegrass, gospel, cajun, zydeco, jazz, world, klezmer and a ceilidh are also regular features. The line up has reflected the many changes in the music scene from the 60s to the present and is always a hotbed mix of the old and the new. The list of performers who have appeared reads like a who’s who and the Festival has been a launching pad for many now well known artists.
64 comments:
I got mine at 9.05
Yipee
Can't believe it's 9.44 and all weekend web tickets have gone?! IS this right - We want to bring our camper for the whole thing. Is there another way to get weekend camping tickets?
just received ticket confirmation for 2009 festival and noticed that it is confirming 2008 dates! I hope its not just me. anyway, one would think that using online facilities (and being charged for the pleasure) would take the stress out of the competition for tickets by getting the basics right.
Just got confirmation from seetickets and it has last year's festival dates. this is very confusing while I really enjoyed last year's festival I am really looking forward to this year's. I hope the tickets will be this year's when they arrive!!!!!
I bought my tickets online and the confirmation had the dates for the 2008 fest. I hope my tickets are secured for this year's festival because my time machine is broken.
I've just checked mine and it's the same, what's that all about
Just spotted last years dates as well - always something given that the on-line system this worked SO well with my tickets purchased by 9.05! I like the rest of you look forward to receiving confirmation that we have this years tickets.
I am so p......ed off been going for 25 years and couldnt get a tickedt managed to get 2 friday and sunday tickets but now cant camp because i couldnt get full festival sorry not happy about this at all why cant we camp????????
They only allow camping with full weekend tickets
Is anyone pals with "the Doctor"?......
really worried now. Still no sign of an email confirmation. :o(
online booking seems totally messed up, booked 4 adult tickets and 1 child for friday...email confirmation says friday for last years festival...when i used reference lookup system at seetickets it tells me I have 4 adult tickets and 1 child for sunday 2009?????
perhaps you should have ticketmaster manage this for you next year, you may make less money but at least people would get the tickets they paid for?????
I'm sorry but this is disgusting. I've been going for ever and we were told you couldn't queue, so the web's now saying the 'brave people who queued' got tickets. I always queue but did what I was told and now don't have a ticket.... very disappointed considering I put my credit card details in and got to the last screen to no avail.... gutted.
got on to web site at 9:15 and sold out by then...what do you have to do to get tickets? tried phone all morning and that includes my daughter trying as well. 2nd year i've had this and shant bother again. Heaven knows how you folks got tickets at all as i started at 9:00am prompt
Anybody else get any joy by phoning Seetickets? I've been holding for an hour to check if my details have registered or not...
So is it sold out?
they'll be on ebay this afternoon - you watch....
Had a problem with the booking page first time did'nt register told to go back did again and guess what now have 2 lots of tickets!! So folks anyone looking for 2 full festival tickets plus camping Cherry Hinton.........
yes please 01246 563020
We have been trying all morning and my friend just got through and bought tickets on the phone. I know it's little comfort but there are still tickets available on the phone so persistance is worth it.
Must have done something right - all booked and confirmed by 9.15am!
Justed book by phone with cherry hinton camping
The Cooperative good with food cr...p at festivals. We have got 3 tickets for Friday and 3 tickets for Sunday cant find anywhere to stay now anyone want to buy them who lives nearer to festival??? e mail me at linda@cullen123.fsnet.co.uk Sad Sad been going for 25 years think maybe I have to stop now.
The postal system was much much better Cambridge.
You'd think they could update the website a bit more frequently to let people know whether it's worth keeping on trying the phone line. With no update since 10.45 they're just asking for their lines to remain jammed up.
I am very sorry, but obviously something went absolutely wrong with the Internet-booking.
Never received an answer after having put my mail-address on the mailing list,at 9 am the server was not available , after a cup of coffee the tickets were sold out BUT available in the internet on a black market for 215 Euro each .
Hoorah!Hoorah!Hoorah!
Got my tickets on the phone after seetickets decided my order at 9.04 am didn't exist.
There's still hope people!!!
Where on the internet?? I need to sell 3 Friday and 3 Sunday tickets as I cant find anywhere to stay that is charging less than 150.00 per night AArgh... I will put mine up but not for profit as despite not being able to get tickets I love Cambridge.
There's till hope on the phones folks keep trying, I got mine 10 minutes ago 12.30.
Message to Linda above, Try Travelodge there are two ,one within 15 minutes drive of Cherry Hinton in Abington and One Just up the top of Cherry Hinton road.
Very lucky this year, tickets bought online, ,hotel booked would say to people try hotels near airport., Michelle
I've just had the phone to my ear constantly redialling for 3 hours and I've not managed to get through once... It's not my day today. I usually get tickets for my friends each year and this year they all managed to get their own, so I'm a very sad person right now....
Hi,I booked 2 tickets but have received another email saying I have booked 4...confused!! Now the worry starts on whether they actually arrive...I live in Ireland + last yr, they never turned up! Why oh Why don't they allow e-tickets like Ticketmaster? Love Cambridge and wouldn't miss it for the world but they do really need to improve their online process!
hip hip hooray!!!!!!!!!
At last I got through on the phone and they have everything left. That was at 1.30pm
After not getting through on the phone until about 11:30 we finally managed two full festival tickets and camping at Cherry Hinton...chuffed as a bunny.
Had the same problem as Jacey, booked 4 full fest tickets and now have two confirmation e-mails with 2 different reference numbers!! The credit card bill could be horrendous next month!
Double Room in 2 bed flat for rent over festival weekend. 10 min walk from site.
Includes use of kitchen and broadband if required
email: hope_street@msn.com for interest.
Max 2 people
Don't give up. I just booked 4 full wekend tickets with 2 camsites on the phone at 1.50
How did you get through? I've been trying the number on the website (01223 357851) every five minutes since 9.30 and got an engaged tone every time.
Don't give up guys...been trying the number for nearly 5 hours constantly and finally I have got through...what a relief!! I asked if they were selling tickets fast and she said they have a lot left!!!!!
Please don't take this as a boast as it's a sickening feeling when people have got their ticket and you are still trying. Just tried for 20 mins by phone and got the full ticket and CH pitch. There doesn't seem to be any strategy to getting through - just luck and perseverance but they are still there.
Paul
PS; I got through at 3pm. Good luck
I just got some at 3.10 thank you all for your positive postings as thats what kept me hanging on and redailing. She said there were only 6 taking calls hence how busy it was!
Just got an answering machine, at 404pm saying "the phone lines are now closed". sigh.
Cheer up guys after a totally stressed day I got through to possibly one of the most helpful peopole in the world, now got excess tickets as soon as I booked them online thinking I might still be able to camping they do have them though so try again tomorrow it might be easier because more people at work. If you want to buy I now have two spare tickets for Friday two spare tickets for Sunday and 1 Full festival with camping all at face value Im not a tout. Let me have your numbers and I will make arrangements with you. Good luck tomorrow.
Some food for thought...
Seetickets make a packet out of this (they seem to be the new 'ticketmaster'
Although I got on-line straight away, my application screwed up three times after which it had sold out.
We probably rang the box office 500 times, engaged every time (yet by some fluke got through just before closing time).
I voted with my feet last year and went to the Big Chill - no probs getting tickets, but sadly not the same as Cambridge (which seems to have it's own unique niche).
When I start seeing tickets on e-bay I will start gettng grumpy - having said that chances are they will drop below face value by the time of the fest.
Glad to see genuine fans are offering them at face value here. Don't blame people for trying several avenues.
AND MY CONCLUSION? BACK TO POSTAL APPLICATIONS (WITH WIMBLEDON TYPE CONTROLS) - OLD FASHIONED BUT THIS IS GETTING DAFT.
Couldnt agree more, I found out that there were only six people on the phone lines all day no wonder no one could get through, they were very helpful when I did get through though. Must have been hell for them as well. and thanks to the lovely lady who offered to let me camp in her garden earlier on, when I couldnt get the camping tickets. It is a special festival but the last few years have been murder getting tickets and getting on the festival site.
My first attempt to order online ended with a page timeout while waiting for the confirmation page. Going through the process again appeared to be successful, but said that an email would be sent to confirm within four hours... but ten hours later it hasn't arrived (or been caught by a spam filter). The reference number retrieval option on the seetickets.com site claims that it cannot find my order, so I am a bit worried that I have either not got any tickets or been charged twice. :-(
THouky. I had the same problem as you, sadly I suspect seetickets have conveniently lost you too. When I used the link to get it to send my details through to me initially it found three orders and said it had emailed the details to me. After a while and noticing people on here were getting their email confirmation straight away I got suspicious. Tried to get the site to email my tracking ref again and this time it said no orders were found. I then spent the next 2 hours hitting redial before being lucky enough to get through and getting my tickets from a very friendly chap at the Corn Exchange. If there were only 6 people manning the phones to sell 40% of the available tickets you might be lucky in the morning and get them on the phone.
Ticket day is always my least favourite and most stressful day of the year.
Agghhh
Just checked my e-mails to find that although it said words to the effect that there was "an error with my order" - it went through. And later I bought tickets through the box office....
So at face value + the Seetickets booking fees and the postage :
Two Saturday tickets
Two full adult tickets
One CH camping
Two children's tickets.
Firsts to post below with contact details will get, obviously pending some sort of agreement.
Leave e-mail or tel number.
Or if it's an all or nothing job then I'll do that?
If you can't get tickets for Cambridge why not go to the Stokes Bay Festival in Hampshire the same weekend? Many of the same artists. Cheaper tickets. Longer Festival (5 days) meaning better value. And it's by the seaside! See http://www.stokesbayfestival.co.uk for details.
Well we were fortunate enough to get ours online, and looking at the comments on here I'm beginning to realise how lucky we were. Keep trying the phones, people, if you didn't get them on the web, and good luck.
Question for the organisers: Last year, you were allowing returns up to the beginning of July. Which sorted out the problem of people ending up with too many tickets, and was a big discouragement to touts as there was another batch of tickets available after that. This year, the policy is "no returns". Why the change? Shouldn't you be doing everything you can to discourage touting?
Help, have no contact from see tickets since I "booked" my tickets yesterday, no confirmation received.Have been trying to contact customer services team all day and tel numbers fast disappearing of contact page so I'm guessing I'm not alone, any advice.....?
Sounds like what happened to me. Not wanting to take a chance and suspecting that it's highly unlikely that my order went through as they said you would get a confirmation in 4 hours, I persevered with the phone and got tickets through the box office.
seetickets seem to be as bad as securetickets were last year sadly.
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LATEST TICKET INFORMATION - 18/05/09
Following some Folk Festival ticket types selling out online within an hour on Sunday 17 May, a limited number of the following tickets will be available online from 12.30pm on Tuesday 19 May:
Full Festival tickets
City residents Full Festival tickets
City residents Friday tickets
Friday and Sunday day tickets
Children 0 - 4 tickets
Children 5 - 13 tickets
For all the latest information, please visit www.cambridgefolkfestival.co.uk
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Notwithstanding the above I still have two Friday tickets and 1 Full Festival with camping to off load at face value, thanks Linda
Have tracked order with seetickets and has been put through twice - so unless can sort out will still have 2 Full Fest. + camping CH.Please log interest to jancyom@hotmail.com.
Thanks and see you there!!
Am interested in the Friday tickets if you still have them
Please email dot.ward@ntlworld.com if you would like to sell them
Here's wishing and hoping you still have them
Dot
x
We were in Greece after the Festival crew re-arranged the date the tickets went on sale!!! (we originally booked our holiday to make sure we were at home). We had no internet and a time difference of 2 hours to contend with on ticket day. At 9.00am UK time we were on a mock pirate ship cruise around the remote Greek islands. My husband dived off the ship into the sea, swam to a small remote beach and sat on his i-phone to the Cambridge Festival ticket line. We got our tickets at 9.40 after calling 200 times in the blazing sun! Now I call that a Cambridge fan!!! See you all there :)
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