What's New

2013 saw some very big changes for Galtres - our move from Crayke to Duncombe Park, the switch to a cashless payment system, and the introduction of the Galleon Stage among them. But the emphasis for 2014 is more on fine tuning - learning from the 2013 experience, listening and responding to your feedback, and introducing a series of small changes designed to improve the festival experience for everyone.

Here's a summary - follow the links on the right for more detail on some of these.

Bars - an additional bar over by the Duke stage > read more ...

Layout - we're going to modify the layout of the main arena so it doesn't feel like such a huge expanse. We're working towards re-creating the busy, bustling feel of the Crayke site, with more stalls and attractions as people walk between stages.  > read more  

Site lighting - more of it in the arenas, campsites, and especially more on the road down to riverside.

Toilets & showers - more of them, and serviced more regularly. Extended opening hours for the showers.

Payment system - on the whole it worked pretty well in 2013, but we recognise there were problems. We're reviewing everything fundamentally - the cards themselves, the readers used by the traders, the load points, the network, and the support team. We promise to do everything we can to make it better and smoother in 2014!

Green Galtres - We're continuing to operate in as green a way as possible, but looking to develop our eco-credentials in new ways in 2014. One of these is to explore the viability to switch from mineral diesel-power generators to bio-diesel power - and we're hoping also to introduce solar power. And as well as offering great public transport to our event we're going to improve facilities for cyclists, with the addition of decent bike parking where people can secure their bikes.

Lost property - there'll be a lost property stand at this year's festival, which will be run by the Rucksack Project.  Unclaimed items will be passed on to Hull's homeless.  > read more

Caravan / campervan electric hook-ups - We're going to number these and allocate specific hook-ups to specific people. We've had problems in the past with people who haven't paid for them sneaking a hook-up, depriving someone who has paid. The cheek of it! It will be monitored by stewards, who will unplug and remove cables plugged in without authorisation.

Affordability - We're introducing a ticket deposit scheme for 2014, enabling you to spread the cost of your tickets over two instalments as well as guaranteeing you a healthy discount. And there's a freeze on ticket prices for the third consecutive year (despite rising costs), ensuring Galtres is even better value than ever.

This section is updated with many other new things too, such as ... new collaborations, improvements to camping and transportation arrangements - all arising from listening to your feedback, and also ideas coming out of our festival Forum, a creative think-tank which meets monthly to inject great ideas into the planning.  If you'd like to join the Forum, do get in touch. Click on the links on the right for more about What's New.

Meanwhile, have a wonderful festival!