My friend and I purchased tickets with the ferry pass, as suggested. When we got to the ferry at 8:50pm on Friday night, the men working the entrance had said that the last boat had left early because all day there hadn't really been people taking it. We asked them how we were supposed to get up to the show since we weren't from NYC and had been told the ferry would leave at 9. They said they didn't know.
So that was our first experience with Farmborough.
We finally made it up to the Island with about 5 minutes to spare before Dierks. The girl gave us our wristbands and when we made it to the gate, the scanners kept rejecting them. A couple different people tried to scan and one said that it was because their batteries were low. Dierks started playing in the middle of this fiasco and after all we went through to get up there, this was the last thing we wanted. Finally one of the girls said that they'd just let us in because nothing's been working right all day. You're telling me!
Dierks was amazing as usual and we were so happy to have finally made it. On the way home, I was excited to get on the ferry with the bar and country music they had advertised. 3 days and 7 ferry rides and I never once saw this supposed ferry boat.
Day 2 there were torrential downpours which was no fault to the creators but there were only a few covered areas. At every other festival I've been to, there have been lots of activities and just plain covered tents for people to hang out in. Not well planned, Farmborough.
Day 3 we tried to get on the ferry and they wouldn't let us on without a paper ticket. When we got our wristbands the first night, she had told us that we didn't need tickets anymore and had easily gotten on and off ferries throughout the weekend without proof of payment. So this was obviously a shock. They made us go to a tent and have someone print a physical ticket but when we went back, they weren't checking tickets! 30 minutes spent to hassle for no reason! And on the island, after 3 days, those port o potties...good lord :(
The music was great but the planning and execution was so far under par that I wouldn't go back again. For $285, I could've paid for front row seats to see Dierks, Brad, and Luke play in my hometown, and had money leftover for some of the openers too. We had bought our tickets as soon as they went on sale, excited to see who they'd pull in but as the months went by, Big Barrel kept adding great acts while Farmborough dwindled. Everyone else we talked to over the days had similar experiences, with the only bright spots being the performers.
Get it together Farmborough if you want to make it a success.