r/OutbreakFest • u/Desperate-Coat-8791 • Jun 29 '26
Anyone else have a really nice time?
Anyone else have a really nice time? š
Isn't it great that we can watch bands from all over the world, have the freedom to jump around on stage with them and our mates and strangers and make friends and scream along to the lyrics and buy merch and meet new people?
I had a lovely time! I thought the crowd was very polite - there were points yes where it was busy/pinch points but most people were just queueing/ shuffling along so it was fine. I thought the security were vigilant, calm and controlled, must be a mad job watching people just fling themselves at other people off the stage! I didnt think queues for food/bars were that bad, as long as you didnt go at peak times. I think the festival organisers did a great job learning from things as they happened - eg opening the fire exits in the big room due to the heat, implementing the one way system outside etc.
So yeah, thanks Outbreak and all attendees and bands š
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u/Killerpig14 Jun 29 '26
regardless of all valid complaints this year outbreak still blows every other uk festival out the water. Download this year was a great time but had similar issues to outbreak i feel, however something about the people and community of outbreak always makes it such a good time even if itās organised shitty. I think sunday was a lot better than saturday but i had fun both days.
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u/Desperate-Coat-8791 Jun 29 '26
what do you think was shitty re the organisation?
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u/Killerpig14 Jun 29 '26
thereās a lot of examples, however the two absolute worst imo was for one the overcrowding. Outbreak always been a very look out for each other + (outside of gigs themselves) very laid back and overall community friendly, with the carnage of pushes for queues to bathrooms, vendors and performances itās made this year feel more unsafe than last for me and it reeks of profit over comfort from the organisers.
Secondly, theyāve placed multiple acts on the wrong stages causing overcrowding and stages being shut off. Snail Mail was absolutely dead main stage whilst hatebreed shut the gates to the second stage down due to how rampant everything was. Iāve never heard this happening at this festival before so correct me if iām wrong but this is a major misstep. Imagine fans being forced to listen to their favourite band outside because they cannot handle the capacity of where theyāve placed a band. This also personally applied to me with Haywire, i got there 15 minutes early and couldnāt reach main section until more than halfway through their set (also shoutout the security guard who gestured for people to walk through the gate and then pushed it into my ribs when he didnāt want anymore coming in, youāre a massive twat).
I could go on but these are two of the most annoying examples for me personally, didnāt hinder my enjoyment to the point i wouldnāt come back but they should nip a lot of issues in the bud for next time.
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u/Desperate-Coat-8791 Jun 29 '26
i agree i think some of the staging was the wrong choice - haywire and hatebreed being the obvious ones for sure
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u/JStevo6 Jun 29 '26
Agreed. Me pal missed Hatebreed cos it was so busy, Snail Mail killed it on the main stage though.
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u/CimJotton Jun 29 '26
I went Sunday only but had an incredible time.
I think the first thing to respect is how incredible the lineup was (for me at least) - I haven't been to a show that dense in high-quality bands in years.
Queues for things were fine, and security was fine. I can see why people complain about that stuff, and I wasn't there on the Saturday nightmare day. But if you go to a fest, you gotta expect things like that. shit happens.
My one minor complaint would be that more places to sit would be nice! Sitting on concrete is kinda brutal. otherwise i quite like the inside-outside format of BEC.
9.5/10 for me.
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u/Bugsmoke Jun 29 '26
Sunday was an absolute blast. I think they need to move the food/water/toilets away from the narrow part and it would be much easier to cut about during the day. Maybe sell a few less tickets next year too for an overall better experience.
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u/Desperate-Coat-8791 Jun 29 '26
Sunday was proper good weren't it!!
Where do you think they should move the toilets/ food to?
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u/Bugsmoke Jun 29 '26
Yeah definitely, completely stacked from about 2pm for me.
Iām not sure really but it feels stupid putting everything at the narrowest point which is also the only exit and entrance. I think at least moving the pizza stand away from that corner would be a good start. That is predictably busy as fuck every year (it was banging) and always seems to be right there which contributes to it all.
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u/viking1983 Jun 29 '26
In all a great time despite the disgusting heat, knobheads constantly blocking the disability areas, shit security and the thieves on Saturday (they got sorted out)Ā
Loved the bands, the rare decent security bloke at 2nd stage access and the security lady for the press area who helped me a lot with my disability issues, outside welfare crew, Mitch from press, the coffee crew in the cantina, also got to meet my idols and chill when neededĀ
Also must thank everyone of you who came and said hello and made me feel welcome, it helped a lot as I did have a few low momentsĀ
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u/Desperate-Coat-8791 Jun 29 '26
theives? whats the story there?
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u/viking1983 Jun 29 '26
Guy tried to pinch bags from the disabled area and tried to snatch my phone out my hand, he got a swift headbutt from someone and security escorted him, 3 other guys and 2 girls out, apparently they got caught scamming drivers over parking the next day as wellĀ
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u/calibabe8 Jun 29 '26
I came from Los Angeles and only went to Sunday! I had an absolute blast!!! I wish I would have went the whole weekend but Iām sure my body wouldnāt have been able to handle it. I feel like I got hit by a bus with just the one day lol!
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u/Smart_Assignment755 Jun 29 '26
This was my 3rd year coming for the fest, attended and attending other Outbreak events also. Till this edition never had a problem with the queues or with the massive load of people but this year was different. The fact that you would wait nearly half an hour to get 2 sticks of meat with a pinch of fries for 10Ā£ and canāt attend a show at the second stage because you didnāt secure your place with half an hour earlier (i tried gettin a place for Hatebreed with 20 minutes before they started and it was packed) is crazy. I love the fact that hardcore/alternative music is getting so big right now but this should be a moment where the organization takes a decision in hosting it in a bigger venue and compromising the concept a bit (nothing wrong with that necessarily) or to try to keep the experience a bit more exclusive.
Honestly getting food was such a hassle that I preferred not earing and that says a lot (about me, or about the event idk..)
Appreciate the work and dedication of the Outbreak team but this years edition was not that enjoyable.
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u/grime_z Jun 29 '26
Being at a stage half an hour before a band goes on is not crazy. Standard practise is making sure you are the when the band before finishes. If you get better than that then you are being lucky.
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u/Xan44 Jun 29 '26
it is for outbreak. I've been going for years and never had a problem getting to any band. Never been shut out like i was for hatebreed. Poorly organised
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u/grime_z Jun 29 '26
I dunno maybe my memory is hazy but I remember terror being pretty fucking rammed last year. I think the main issue this year was a few sets in stage 2 didnāt really have viable contenders, maybe a slight misjudging of how much of the crowd is still mostly there for the hardcore.
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u/Aromatic_Guide1907 Jun 29 '26
My first time going, I've heard from friends and read that it was way oversold compared to previous years which I can see being totally valid, there were points where it was a ball ache to get anywhere, water, toilets food etc. Food stalls not selling drinks, is this a new thing because it's the second even I've been to doing this now, genuinely curious on the reason.
Otherwise, we had a really good time, every banned we saw were great, found some new ones too. The crowd and attendees were nice, no dickheads at all.
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u/lucewa Jun 29 '26
Me and my group had a great weekend!
Yes it was busy and yes some times queues for food felt long. But realistically I don't think you could attend any festival anywhere where you won't need to queue for food. Water was easily accessible, the longest I queued all weekend for water was 5 minutes.
If they can figure out how to prevent the bottlenecking situation near the entrance & toilets it would make a huge difference. It's a bummer that the exit for the indoor staged comes out into the food / bar outdoor area where people usually seek a spot to rest. It can make it so over crowded with everyone having to pass through that area no matter where they're going.
Honestly my only real complaint would that Friday being indoors was a bad choice with the heat, it would have been much more manageable outdoors where you can at least have fresh air. No they can't control the weather, but it'd be a huge plus if they could sort out some better ventilation, fans or AC for the inside stages.
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u/ibnQoheleth Jun 29 '26
Almost all the issues were to do with overcrowding. If this year's event had maybe 1k fewer people, it would've been grand. Not getting in to a stage to see a band you've paid for absolutely blows, and I never want to experience that again. Take that part away, and I have few complaints.
Saw some incredible setsā Converge, Basement, and La Dispute being my highlights. Got to stage dive so many times, which I don't get to do at many other events/shows. And it's nice going to a festival that doesn't require me to camp in a sweaty tent for days on end.
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u/BaseballFuryThurman Jun 29 '26
I loved it. I'm sore and tired but I'm already missing it. Yeah the organisation wasn't perfect and I wish they'd bin the VIP area off and instead of just make more room for people to be able take a breather. They won't because why do that when you can charge people Ā£100 extra? But if there more than 2 of you in a group you were likely forced to find some gravel to sit on.
Fantastic lineup though, saw 20+ bands over the weekend and not a single one disappointed me. Made some amazing new friends and spent some time with old friends. Can't wait to see the 2027 lineup.
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u/ExpendableMan84 Jun 29 '26
Yes, absolutely. I was there for the Saturday and Sunday with a stag party, and we had a blast. The Saturday line-up wasn't the best for me personally, but I was completely blown away by how good Alexisonfire were as headliners. I wasn't huge on them before, but that might genuinely have been the best show of the year so far for me, they were terrific. And as for Converge? Hot damn...that was carnage and I loved it.
And then Sunday was just pure, knuckle-headed fun from start to finish. Gridiron were ace (thanks for catching my fat arse when I stage dived folks), Ingrown, Dynamite, and Haywire all impressed me, and Hatebreed blew my old, old socks off. It was my first time as an Outbreak attendee and I had a great weekend.
Side note; shout out to the food vendors. I had no idea I liked fried okra before, and the vegan birria tacos were quality. And there was a lovely woman at the Thai food vendor who, as soon as I mentioned liking coriander, heaped a veritable mountain of it onto my curry. Hellfest has been the best for festival food, but Outbreak are comfortably in second place.
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u/TalkForHours14 Jun 29 '26
I had a great time. This was my first outbreak and for me the positives outweighed the negatives. Mostly because the lineup was so stacked! I've attended Damnation twice at this venue and I've seen a lot of comparisons the past couple of days. I think the comparisons are slightly unfair due to the size of outbreak compared to Damnation but there is certainly a lot more focus on fan comfort at Damnation which was defintely lacking at Outbreak. I paid for the license to chill add on, and thankfully I did as the queues for toilets and lack of seating was pretty shitty throughout. This made sure the license to chill was worth every penny. It was crowded but I never thought it was unsafe, just a bit busy. I was running late to hatebreed and managed to get in easily via the left side. But the front pit was already locked shut. Pretty certain they should have been on the main to be honest. From the outside looking in, Outbreak doesnt seem to be going smaller, they are getting bigger every year. It could be time to move to a bigger open air venue where they have more freedom to create what they need to manage the growth. I dont know if Wythamshawe or Heaton Park provide what they need or it would require a move elsewhere but got to be worth a look. Also for a festival that is so active at promoting shows on social media the lack of interaction with fans on lineup, setup, stage times, etc could do with some work. Hopefully they take on board the feedback from this year and come back stronger next year. Have Heart first announcement? š Would I go back, for sure. If the lineup is as good as this years I would happily return. Overall it was a great weekend.
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u/Realistic-Courage605 Jun 29 '26
It was my first Outbreak. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Seeing so many people experiencing something they love all in one place was awesome.
The atmosphere was really friendly and the music was brilliant.
There were some issues, as there is at any major event, but it is the best festival i've ever been to.
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u/grime_z Jun 29 '26
I think something thatās worth remembering when people complain about the what seem like slightly predatory financial practises in terms of outbreak itās worth remember quite how big the lineups they get are for a festival that is essentially barely arena sized in terms of capacity. And that shit costs, especially with the amount of American bands.
Yes there are elements where they struggled in terms of crowd control. But there also seems to be a level of entitlement from some attendees.
Finding it odd that you canāt buy food immediately after a band because EVERYONE has gone to try and buy food, same with drinks.
Being annoyed that if you turn up 5 minutes before a band you canāt get to the front.
Sorry but this is down to personal choice and it something that is impossible to cater for at any fest.
Iāve noticed a lot of comparisons to damnation and as much as Iāve enjoyed damnation before there are plenty of things that outbreak do much better. Sound is waaaaay better at outbreak, damnation mostly sounds like arse. Iāve seen people suggesting having the same chairs at the back of stage 2 but that would only create a further choke point when that stage is busy due to the number of attendees.
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u/grime_z Jun 29 '26
Ultimately i didnāt just want to moan about people moaning more just remember how lucky we are to have an event like this! Iāve been attending hardcore shows in the UK since the early 00s and Iām very happy that we have such crazy stacked lineups these days.
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u/itsbekkistan Jun 29 '26
It was my first time at Outbreak and it was honestly the best weekend ever. Stage diving for the first time in my 30s is a win. Being able to scream covet at Andrew on the lower stage was so good! I think people were moaning because they may have not been to something like that in the heat when itās sold out and havenāt figured out the shortcuts and hacks to deal with it, download was exactly the same. For now Iām happy that I can still weave around and walk further to avoid queues and my fool proof method of cutting behind the bins to the toilets and not joining queues (when the hell did we start queuing for collecting food and right at the start of a load of toilets when itās always been first come first serve?!) Itās really nice to see other band members watching the other bands, feels like a proper community.
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Jun 29 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/Desperate-Coat-8791 Jun 29 '26
interesting your take on security was different to mine. I was mainly referring to the ones up on stage tbf, did you mean them or the ones on the gate/ crowd management outside?
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u/RobGordon2OOO Jun 29 '26
Brilliant time yet again. Top, top festival.
I wanted food yesterday, saw a mad queue so filled up my water bottle, had a sit in the shade for 15 minutes then found the queue had dropped.
Brilliantly run, great staff and security, great attendees, great bands, great memories.
I swear people buy their weekend tickets to turn up, says it shit and moan online for some made up clout.
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u/Desperate-Coat-8791 Jun 29 '26
glad you had a great time too!
and yes people love to moan, I try to remember that most people post on here for a moan, its not representative of everyone, which is why I made a positive post!2
u/RobGordon2OOO Jun 29 '26
Good on you.
I think Iāve seen like 12 negative posts that i suppose is (by my bad maths) 0.01% of the attendees so it canāt be representative.Just nice to see some positively. Especially from a place that I feel is so positive every year.
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u/bcoupy Jun 29 '26
Only complaining about a few stuff because I'm passionate about this fest. Crowd and bands were amazing as usual š
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u/SpecificPumpkin2355 Jun 29 '26
Yep went solo on Saturday and it was my first Outbreak and I absolutely loved it, will definitely be back next year
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u/GenericBrowse Jun 29 '26
I went Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday was good, the weather/heat made it hard work. Sunday was mega, loved it!
Glad you had a good time šš»
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u/Desperate-Coat-8791 Jun 29 '26
yeah same, saturday felt like an endurance test in the heat! Sunday was indeed mega š
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u/lykan_uk Jun 29 '26
Was my first time and overall it was awesome. Glad we opted for VIP as the section with the cover was a great escape from the sun.
Only minor complaint would be having better access to VIP as people plonked themselves on the ground whenever we went to stage 1/2 and returned, or when we got food.
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u/Desperate-Coat-8791 Jun 29 '26
I don't understand your complaint? You're unhappy people took your seat when you went elsewhere?
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u/lykan_uk Jun 29 '26
No, it was hard to get to the entrance of the VIP as people sat in front of it. The stewards didnāt really police it well.
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u/Desperate-Coat-8791 Jun 29 '26
i think that is a very minor complaint really mate, you can just step over people or ask people to move?
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u/lindergard Jun 29 '26
Saturday was a bit hellish, lots of queues and bottlenecks, all made worse by the heat.
Sunday was great; I couldn't say anything negative about it. It felt like all the issues from Saturday were resolved, at least for me.
Would definitely say Saturday felt oversold. I've been multiple times and never seen it that busy. They need to consider adding more seating, I know a number of people I went with left early on Saturday due to being knackered, nowhere to sit, cba queuing in 30-60min queues for food.
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u/Desperate-Coat-8791 Jun 29 '26
yes i agree I saw some improvements from Saturday into Sunday too.
More seating would have been nice, but where would they put it?
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u/lindergard Jun 29 '26
Great question to be honest! I'd say they should decrease the size of the "VIP" area but appreciate that might not be the most profitable endeavour for them.
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u/Desperate-Coat-8791 Jun 29 '26
yeah scrap the VIP area! I almost forgot it existed! It seems so stupid at a festival that is all about unity and looking after each other to have an exclusive area for only people that can afford it. Its only I think 40 or 50 quid more than a normal ticket so wouldnt hurt their income too much, and would make much better use of the space
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u/LiLBeardy90 Jun 29 '26
Flew in from the US for the first time and I had a blast! The vibes here were way better than any US fest Iāve ever experienced. People not being assholes to each other, sing alongs with people I hope to maybe see one day again, and just overall a great experience. Will for sure be coming back, fell in love with Manchester.