Hastings Pier Hastings reviews by real event-goers

Review of Outdoor Tribute Festival comes to Hastings!

We was pick pocketed and security was involved please stay clear

Review of Outdoor Tribute Festival comes to Hastings!

This event was definitely not as advertised - very poor venue, food, refreshments and VIP tickets an absolute rip off

Review of Outdoor Tribute Festival comes to Hastings!

Beer on tap ran out less than halfway through event and left halfway through as Spice Girls & Beatles tributes could not sing in tune. On a positive note, Elton John tribute was superb and best I've heard.

Review of Outdoor Tribute Festival comes to Hastings!

It was Good event although not as advertised. My family and I were having a good time until a security operative was place on a platform centre stage. This caused a lot of anger and disappointment for us and many others. It actually caused more problems than it was supposed to stop. Leading to anger being directed at the operative. Leading several people who voiced there anger being taken out. This needs to be addressed as it spoilt our whole experience. I did discuss it with members of the security but was told if I didn't like it then I could leave. We were paying customers and should not be treated like criminals by your paid staff.
Very disappointed buy the whole situation. Would like to have our ticket money returned.

Review of Outdoor Tribute Festival comes to Hastings!

Fantastic bands but drinks and food was so expensive. Also you wasn't aloud to sit on picnic blankets in the pier which is stupid when it's a whole day event.
Please bring food and drink prices down as its extortionate

Review of Outdoor Tribute Festival comes to Hastings!

Acts were very good, though not the ones advertised and there was no schedule for the acts at the event when we got there.
Security was brutal and actually upset the pleasant family atmosphere of the day
VIP not worth what was paid
Shortage of both food and drinks at the event .. and not allowed re entry to leave to get any.
Sadly Badly organised, and therefore would not recommend

Review of Outdoor Tribute Festival comes to Hastings!

Bar ran out of beer before 1pm hardly any food stalls. We're not allowed back out the venue once in so no shade from the sun and we're not allowed to sit down.
Over priced and poor entertainment.

Review of Outdoor Tribute Festival comes to Hastings!

Ran out beer at 4pm over priced £6.50 FOR A CAN OF BEER security acting like thugs we left early as wasn't impressed waist of our time will not return

Review of Outdoor Tribute Festival comes to Hastings!

Not enough seats prices for beers and food far to expensive and they run out of draught beer

Review of Outdoor Tribute Festival comes to Hastings!

Total shambles the security staff were like the Gestapo ,just thugs .paid for VIP tickets & we were behind the stage & could see nothing & only hear base no vocals.I want a full refund our tickets as half the acts didn't show up.Don't waste your money comming to this event.

Review of Outdoor Tribute Festival comes to Hastings!

Rep off, End off

Review of Outdoor Tribute Festival comes to Hastings!

Didn't agree with people being asked to move their chairs halfway through the event to further back to create a dance floor vibe instead. Should've been better organised. Beth from security was ever so friendly, approachable and accommodating to us though!

Review of Outdoor Tribute Festival comes to Hastings!

Shocking event

Review of Outdoor Tribute Festival comes to Hastings!

The bands that were advertised to play, only 3 the other artists were replaced by ones I had no interest in. If I had known thus in advance I would not have booked. The sound system was awful, couldnt hear half of it properly. By 3pm the bar had run out of draft beers, only cans available for £6.50!
Yes the tickets were reasonably priced, but the experience once you got there was (putting it politely) naff. Will not be going again!

Review of Outdoor Tribute Festival comes to Hastings!

Music and acts were great. But the venue organisation was dreadful, the bars ran out of beer after just 2 hours, there was no wine till 3pm, there was no tap water, which is illegal. Then at about 4pm the security guards started moving people who were sitting down, either on the floor or in chairs, 6 large men surrounded a family with children and elderly people, it was very intimidating and totally unessessary. It spoilt the whole event and we and many others left.

Review of Outdoor Tribute Festival comes to Hastings!

This was the worst venue and festival I have ever been to. Lack of seating. The security people were over the top no food or drink aloud in the venue from outside but the bars had no wine, prosecco or beer, coffee or food that was not chips or doughnuts you were not aloud to come and go from the venue it was appalling There was 1 young lady that assisted us from the management crew and she was extremely stressed due to the mismanagement of the event. I took 6 guests with me who are outdoor music fans. I was embarrassed. Half the acts billed did not appear . I would never go again absolute rubbish

Review of Outdoor Tribute Festival comes to Hastings!

Incredibly poorly organised. Security were terrible. They were heavy handed, caused more problems themselves and absolutely spoiled what should have been an enjoyable day. Carrying people out. Walking around in gangs looking menacing. Exhortinate prices £6.50 for a can of beer of terrible lager and £3.50 for a c**e. Limited choice. No food outlets open but not allowed to take food in. Not even sealed bottled water. We were told by Security that there was tap water available there wasn't. They wanted you to pay £3.50 for water. Very little information beforehand and no band times. Not allowed out of the venue. Told at the last minute we could take chairs and then had an issue where they were. Originally, I booked the tickets on the premise that David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac and Oasis tributes were appearing. They weren't on! People paid for VIP area and couldn't see the bands. Toilets were a mess nobody monitoring them and replenishing paper. No hand gel. The bands were mediocre. If you want to see real professional tribute acts go to Glastonbudget. Interrupted Elton John tribute (who was good) to tell everyone to move back. Could have waited until the end. The whole event was a disgrace and Skiddle should not be selling tickets on behalf of dodgy events companies such as Jaly Events. The only plus - I thought was that the sound system was good.

Review of Outdoor Tribute Festival comes to Hastings!

The fact that you couldn't go out of the venue once you showed your ticket was poor no reason given why ?
You couldn't take food in, but there was not enough sufficient food stools,
to cater for the amount of people.
No wine at the begin of the day then all Draught beer was off from 3.30
Cans of larger over priced and not much choice
The whole venue would have been more enjoyable if it was better managed, everyone i spoke to in venue were disappointed with the points i have given in my review

Review of Outdoor Tribute Festival comes to Hastings!

This event was poorly organised, it was hard to get any information in advance. There were long queues to get in. There were only 3 food places and I had to wait 45 mins for a burger. The music was OK but the acts advertised were not all there. Security was moving people around later in the day...the beer ran out at 2pm. The VIP area didn't even have a stage view....would not bother again!!!

Review of Outdoor Tribute Festival comes to Hastings!

The Hastings Outdoor Music Festival on the pier was nothing short of a disorganized, poorly managed event that fell well below even modest expectations. From unclear policies and blatant profiteering to shockingly inadequate logistics, this festival managed to turn what should have been a pleasant bank holiday weekend into a frustrating endurance test.

Firstly, the festival's lack of transparency regarding food and drink policies was inexcusable. Nowhere on the website or when booking tickets was it clearly stated whether outside food and drink were allowed. Many attendees, myself included, were blindsided when security confiscated basic items like bottles of water, unopened crisps, and snacks - all of which easily totaled over £10. Even worse, there were no visible signs while queuing to warn people in advance. This raised a disturbing question: what exactly is being done with all the confiscated items? One can only hope they were donated to a food bank, but in reality, this smacks of cynical exploitation to force attendees to spend more on overpriced festival offerings.

Speaking of overpriced, let's talk about the catastrophic failure that was the beverage situation. Despite the event running from 12 pm to 11 pm, by 3 pm - a mere three hours in - they had already run out of all draught beer. The excuse given was that they "underestimated demand," which is absurd given that they knew the number of ticket sales well in advance. Any competent event organizer would have planned adequately, especially when dealing with draught beer, which has a long shelf life and could be used at future events. Instead, festival-goers were extorted with £6 cans of beer - an outrageous price given the circumstances. Running out of draught beer across a bank holiday weekend, by Sunday afternoon no less, is an unforgivable oversight and speaks to the sheer incompetence of those in charge.

The food situation was equally dire. There were only three food outlets open, while I counted at least four closed - a baffling decision given the number of people present. The limited choices were bad enough, but the service was abysmal. One outlet ran out of burgers by 5 pm, and I personally waited 45 minutes in a queue, only to give up due to the painfully slow service. This left many people, including myself, queuing in the exposed, windswept area of the pier, freezing in the cold. The lack of seating and shelter exacerbated the discomfort, and it's no surprise that several attendees simply left the venue to find food elsewhere, a stark indictment of how poorly managed this festival was.

To make matters worse, once you were inside, there was no re-entry permitted. This "all-day ticket" was essentially a trap, forcing people to either endure the subpar food options or miss out on performances while stuck in endless queues. The rigid no re-entry policy combined with the slow service meant missing out on acts - hardly what one expects when purchasing a day pass to a music festival.

Lastly, the quality of the acts varied significantly, with some clearly more suited to a local pub than a festival setting. While some performances were enjoyable, the overall lineup was inconsistent and did little to salvage the day's experience.

In conclusion, this festival was a shambolic experience marked by poor planning, greed, and a complete lack of consideration for attendees. I, for one, will not be attending any future events on the Hastings pier, and I would strongly advise others to steer clear unless serious improvements are made. This event was an exercise in frustration rather than a celebration of music, food, and good times - exactly the opposite of what a festival should be.