Herrington Country Park Sunderland reviews by real event-goers

Review of Monument Festival

Headline act cancelled due to health and safety concerns. Main stage moved to be in a tent, horrible sound! Ground over saturated due to weather making it unsafe, yet decided to use a mixture of manure and chipping to soak some moisture up but the stench was horrendous and unhygienic! Took all day for them to decide to put large metal flooring down over the boggy ground, too little too late! Security allowing hoards of ppl to set up camp in their chairs right outside the tent exit, security hazard and bottle necking! 2nd stage floor was a swamp! Found out the area was actually condenmed days earlier!

Review of Monument Festival

Gets better every year. First festival for my son who loved it. Real shame the Kooks cancelled but the rest of the bands were great plus, I've wanted to see Badly Drawn Boy and the Coral for years and neither disappointed.

Review of Monument Festival

Has the making of a great festival. Good band choices although the headliner pulled out. Unfortunately the camping facilities were s**t. Drinking water taps didn't work and toilets hadn't been cleaned following a festival the previous week. The catering offerings in the venue were sold as improved on the previous year but were lacking in choice and very overpriced.
Luckily the people attending and overall atmosphere was great.

Review of Monument Festival

My name is Amanda Hewitson , although Mrs Elerby bought the tickets last year, I bought them this year . We took Mrs Elerby's caravan , parked it up, I wanted to use the portaloo, before I even got the door open I smelt a terrible stench , opened the door and was met by the most disgusting site, excrement , tissue paper , and urine spilling over above the toilet seat , it was all over the floor and either side of the actual toilet , the next 2 toilets were exactly the same . I told the security that were directing the cars and caravans where to park, about the state of what should have been clean , and hygienic toilets only to be told they hadn't been cleaned out since the weekend before . I could not believe that we had paid £166 to go to a festival that wasn't even fit for people to use . We got onto the festival site and was greeted by a pungent smell of cow manure, we were told by the festival staff that due to the weekend before being very wet the ground was boggy, so they had put loads of cow manure and soil, they had compacted it down so were actually walking on cow s**t. The 2 tents that had the bands playing in were fenced off due to the ground being far to wet for anyone to walk on , so everyone had to stand outside these huge tents . There was plenty of food Van's all charging shocking prices , £8 for a slice of pizza , not a full one but a slice !. £24 for 4 small cans of lager, not pint sized but half .
We have for the past 4 times been to the Kubix festival, got t-shirts and had a great time all brilliant 80s bands and new upcoming bands played . This year the line up was poor to say the least . We looked around but couldn't stand the smell of the cow manure any longer and we were not going to pay the shocking prices that the food and drink vendors were expecting . Exploitation at it's best.
As for it being called the Monument festival we'll let's just say we won't be back , it was disgusting over priced and not worth the money we had paid .

Review of Monument Festival

Review of Monument Festival

Review of Monument Festival

Review of Monument Festival

Family friendly. Toilet situation disgusting. The field stunk of raw sewage and I dread to think why. Worse near portaloos but suspect we were walking in raw sewage. Car parking was in a muddy field and shock horror wasn't fit for purpose so we had to push car out of mud. Tiny entrance exit gate for 000s of cars. No wood chippings metal grills or boards to attempt to make accessibility easier. Headline act pulling out was a disappointment and refunds should be offered.

Review of Monument Festival

Good: Great line up, reasonable food/drink prices, allowance for picnics, great value tickets

Bad: the delays in gate opening and schedules, there was a bit of a pong of horse poo on the site, and could something have been put down to dry up the ground after the previous festival?

Also, think that the main stage could have been open air.

Would definitely come again, depending on the line up

Review of Monument Festival

Not enough toilets. Very unhelpful and rude security staff. Don't get me started on the "no re-entry after 8pm rule" absolutely shocking.

Review of Monument Festival

The venue was far too muddy. Nothing was done to stop this eg there wasn't hay put down. The toliets were awful and all full when we arrived. Drinks were very expensive. Will not be coming back.

Review of Monument Festival

The toilet situation has to be the worst i have experienced, in both the campsite and venue. still un cleaned from the previous gig a week ago! as the night before had been cancelled. The volume or lack of tpilet was ridiculous for the amount of people attending. Unsanitary, un healthy to say the least. Lack of organisation for camping area. Price of drinks in the venue. Will not be purchasing tickets for this festival again it has declined in facilities and preformers over the years and i have been going for some number of years now. Considering we paid £50+ for caming in a van with an awning it was daylight robbery. As i am a camping and caravan member i could have stayed on the next field for £12 allbeit no toilet but that would been much more acceptable considering your toilets were unusable anyway. Very disappointed and let down.

Review of Monument Festival

First time visiting and still can't believe that line-up was so cheap! I'd pay that to see Jake bugg alone. Thanks for all the c**ktail bars too

Review of Monument Festival

Main act cancelled day of event no refund offered.

Review of Monument Festival

Myself and my friend were attending the festival to see Jake Bugg. We had been checking updates via Facebook as the headliners had cancelled and Jake Bugg's times had changed. We arrived 1 hour and 45 minutes early for him starting at 21:50. When we arrived we went to the gates to try and find out where to enter the festival and were told that we would not be able to enter as last entry was at 20:00 and we were there at 20:10. They had said that there was signs around the festival notifying this but I explained to the security that we had only just arrived so had not seen this. They stated that it was also on the fine print as you purchase your ticket. I have since checked this and it is not notified anywhere in the terms and conditions that the last entry was 20:00 and have screen shots to prove this. I think it is absolutely disgusting to deny entry before the last act has even began and will definitely not be returning or recommending. I believe that if this event has been put on to boost Sunderland that very few people will be returning as it was not just myself that was refused entry. I also think that for the artists playing it is such a shame that whoever planned this event enforced this rule as many people who wanted to see them were unable and therefore wasted their money.

Review of Monument Festival

A bit more background music between tents to liven up the atmosphere.

Review of Monument Festival

Real shame the headliners pulled out- this was the only reason we had booked. Left at 8pm.

Review of Monument Festival

Review of Monument Festival

I've been to every one of these local festivals. This year was very muddy (not their fault) but they could have put more chippings down, some places had it but there were still pockets of standing water. Too few toilets this year too. Always good fun though

Review of Monument Festival

The main band cancelled and we were given one hour notice. I was talking to people that had driven hours just to see that band. There also wasn't enough toilets so the queue was about two hours long. It's not like it's the first time they've done the event the mud and toilet situation is always an issue every year. Just all together really poor organisation.