Glastonbury Festival ticket sales go live later this week, with millions of people around the world trying their luck to get their hands on them. As registration has now closed, all the focus will be on the best plan of actions to score those all-important tickets.
Some people even venture into offices to use faster broadband, switching to less busy 4G networks, fast and reliable broadband is crucial for success. New analysis from National Broadband revealed the best and worst spots in the UK for getting a sought-after ticket.
The Glastonbury Ticket Scramble Matrix looked at median broadband speeds and estimated network traffic to highlight where the best and worst spots are to bag a ticket to Glastonbury this year. Over 2.5million people tried their luck last year, with 135,000 up for grabs. This gave the average person less than a six per cent chance of successfully purchasing a ticket.
Dalrymple in East Ayrshire topped the list of ultimate ticket buying locations followed by Weeton-with-Preese in Lancashire and Burgh-by-sands in Cumbria which all combine high broadband speeds with low estimated network traffic. While at the other end of the spectrum, the Glastonbury Ticket Scramble Matrix revealed Ringway, in Greater Manchester, as the worst place in the UK to try for tickets this year with median broadband speeds of just 4.69Mbps and high estimated network traffic.
Ringway was closely followed by Argyll and Bute in Scotland, and Corsley in South-West Wiltshire. 428,000 properties across the UK join the likes of Corsley and Ringway, as they are unable to access speeds of ten Mbps according to Ofcom's latest figures.
Despite ever increasing network traffic, London still came out on top of the UK regions, as its high average broadband speeds see it nudging out Northern Ireland and the North East. But it was bad news for Scotland as it ranked as the worst region in the UK - over 60,000 homes don't have access to usable broadband and so have virtually no chance of getting their hands on Glastonbury tickets this year.
And only just ahead of Scotland, ironically the second worst UK region for having a chance of getting tickets is the South West, where the festival is held. Below is a look at the lists in full.
Best places in the UK to buy Glastonbury tickets
- Dalrymple, Scotland
- Weeton-with-Preese, North West
- Burgh by Sands, North West
- North Weald Basset, East of England
- South Normanton, East Midlands
- Hessle, Yorkshire
- Bingley, Yorkshire
- Clapham cum Newby, Yorkshire
- Wilsden, Yorkshire
- Syston, East Midlands
Worst places in the UK to buy Glastonbury tickets
- Ringway, North West
- Argyll & Bute, Scotland
- Corsley, South West
- Temple Sowerby, North West
- Bowmore, Scotland
- Bilbster, Scotland
- Narberth, Wales
- Portree, Scotland
- Pomeroy, Northern Ireland
- Kilvington, East Midlands
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David Hennell, Director at National Broadband says: "Come June, Glastonbury is the place to be and for festival fans these findings are somewhat alarming. With some places in the UK having median broadband speeds up to 40 times faster than others, many people aren't even in with a chance of securing the sought-after tickets. This hugely popular and iconic event brings the UK's digital divide into sharp focus.
"Decent internet is now an essential service for everything from banking and retail, being able to work effectively from home and stream TV, to contacting friends and loved ones. But that's not all, it's also crucial for experiencing and planning entertainment.
"The speeds in places such as Corsley, Temple Sowerby and Ringway are simply unusable and there are well over 400,000 properties across the UK in the same boat without access to speeds above 10Mbps. These areas that are left behind on the wrong side of the digital divide need immediate solutions to provide them with the fast and reliable broadband we all need to conduct our daily lives."
National Broadband looked at the median broadband speed data sourced from the Fair Internet Report. To estimate network traffic on the Glastonbury sale date, it used the latest census data to find the percentage of 25-34 year olds (the most likely demographic to attend festivals according to Ticketmaster) living in each location/region.
The Glastonbury Ticket Scramble Score is ranked out of 100 and combines median broadband speeds with demographic data. The town or village most likely to get Glastonbury tickets across these two factors is awarded a score of 100, with all other locations awarded a relative score.
It also used the latest Ofcom data showing the number of homes in each region unable to access usable broadband of over ten Mbps. The regional Glastonbury Ticket Scramble Score was ranked out of 100 and combines median broadband speeds and Ofcom broadband data with demographic data. The region that was most likely to get Glastonbury tickets across these three factors was awarded a score of 100, with all other locations awarded a relative score.
