Glastonbury - what's it really like?

[halfbakedkate]

After watching Elton John last night, DH and I had the annual conversation about whether we would want to go Glastonbury.
I love the idea of it but the thought of it being too suffocating and overcrowded, potentially a mud bath and a nightmare to get home from puts me off...not to mention the toilets. But last night there were so many people who looked like they were having the time of their lives, is it worth it?

I wondered if you have actually been, what's it really like being there?

This weekend was visit 6 for me, I really enjoy glastonbury, its quite relaxed for a big festival, its also big in space, so you can watch a main stage act without being in a big crush of people if you wish.

Toileta depend on where you are, I’ve always been in the hospitality or camper van area, so toilets and showers have always been fine. You don’t have to use arena toilets, I time 2-3 visits back to the camp site into each day to use the toilets there. The urinals are very clean.

I generally leave on the Sunday night, we left last night, avoided busy roads etc and woke up in our own beds this morning.

Glastonbury is very family friendly, our son was two on his first one, our daughter was eight months.

@Simonjt

Did you stay for Elton???

I just know my camper van would end up being as far from the stage I wanted to be at as possible!

9 mile perimeter. 😩

@halfbakedkate
when Elton started, I so wished I was there! But the Ariel shots, I know I'd be in the third paddock back, not the 3rd row!! And although the atmosphere would be great, I had a better view on my friends sofa with her cinema sized tv!

I'll find out later today, as my dd has gone for the first time and she absolutely hates roughing it. If she's enjoyed it, anyone could!

It's hard to appreciate the size of it without having been, it's absolutely massive so there are almost festivals within the festival.

I've only gone when I've been working, so had decent toilets and a secure camping area. It looks like people have the most fun when they have a good size group to hang out with, or flip side their the loner types who love to just get lost in the crowd and go with the flow. The wet years are not to everyone's taste, you have to embrace the mud. The hot years can be very very hot in a tent and out in the sun all day.

There's every type of music and entertainment you can imagine, so it's worth it. But it is really expensive so you have to go knowing the ticket cost a lot as will food/drinks etc. There is a "vibe", as wanky as that sounds, people are generally chill so it's nice to experience a huge group of people mostly all friendly and erm, wide eyed with the joys of humanity. You don't have to be high, but let's say it not a bad way to be.

I'd recommend it at least once for everyone, and if you can't afford it then volunteer. It's a gentle intro and you have a base, but you don't get to lose yourself quite the same.

I can't imagine being stuck in those crowds with no real respite.
This weekend I'm off to Lytham festival for the second time - amazing bands, atmosphere and get to stay in a nice hotel 5km up the road. Best of both worlds!

I’ve done it twice c 16 / 17 years ago. I don’t have a burning desire to return but if I did, I would only do it in the way I did back then. Either VIP camping area (clean loos and showers and a designated tented bar) or in a camper van as that year it rained constantly and if I’d been in a tent, well it would have been shit to be frank.

And we got stuck in the mud and had to wait for a tractor to drag us out. Took hours to get home, we were v hungover and the camper can hire place kept our 2k deposit as we fucked the hydraulics trying to get out of the mud 🙈

I have been once and it's amazing.
I went during the wet years and what made it hard work was the constant trudging through the different types of mud - we just have trudged for miles!

It's absolutely amazing though, it's a few days in a complete bubble of music, food and happiness.

There is so much to do and one of the best things was stumbling across various bands and stopping to listen as you walked from one place to another. We were walking past one stage and Suggs appeared randomly on the stage with another band - it was brilliant.

DS has been every year it has been on for the last 12 years but he is a very laid back type that doesn't fret about things, I went once many years ago and enjoyed it but it look very busy now, I'm also a bit of a worrier so would worry about toilets, showers, the crowds, weather, etc. which can take the edge off things.

When I went it was extremely muddy, the toilets were grim and the tent leaked but I was 20 so enjoyed it anyway. I shudder at the thought of doing that now, although the VIP area sounds a bit better.

One of my work colleagues has gone and stayed in the VIP camping area. As far as I can ascertain VIP means it has toilets and showers, so it doesn't sound like the Hilton. He is however at least 20 years younger than me, so his tolerance level should be higher.

You've got to really want to go. I got talked into it once. I enjoyed doing something different with my friends but I'd much sooner have done something else. It's busy and it's huge and unless you are ok to stand in the pyramid stage bit from the crack of dawn, you won't see much of the headliners. I also found a lot of very pretentious people "oh look at us we're at Glasto!" It's not for everyone but of course plenty people go every year so it definitely is for others.

The 3 times I've gone we've packed up during the day and left after who we've wanted to see on the Sunday night.
Yes it's huge, but there's so much to see and do, I've only seen one headline act on the pyramid stage, my preferences are usually on the other stage/dance area.

I actually lost weight/toned up one year due to all the walking, no idea of step count!

Yes. Lots and lots and lots of walking.

A muddy year can be challenging as you are on your feet constantly and many people don't seem prepared at all. We first went in a muddy year but are farm kids and went prepared in a landrover with proper wellies and raincoats.

The crowd are great generally (although Mr Monkey's first Glastonbury the vert early nineties at the end of the lawless years and a very different experience to these days - tent thieves, people scaling the fence, bad drugs etc.. he was not impressed )

We prefer smaller and one day festivals these days (we go to one in France that is about 3000 people max).

Please do go if you can. Maybe a camper van if you’re not into roughing it a bit.

The crowds are always really polite and friendly, I’ve never seen or had any bother there.
The toilets 😵‍💫 I mean they are what they are, there’s no denying they’re gross but if you go in a campervan you can avoid them as much as you can.

The thing I love the most about it is you are literally in a little glasto bubble. You have no idea what is going on in the outside world - no constant negative news on the TV to watch and complain about. Just spend the day exploring and trying all the amazing food stalls and in the afternoon/evening the music starts.

I loved it, but I did find it very "fashionista-ish", which I'm not really, so I thought I'd feel out of place but these model goddess types were so kind and not at all mean girl types, that even without me wearing daisy dukes and hunter wellies, they were all nice and chatty etc, I also met some really nice celebs! Just doing their own thing.
The people in general are kind, there is so much to do you can't possibly see it all and the food/entertainment is wonderful.
The music, most importantly for me, is worth every penny.
I loved seeing families there, lots for kids to do. I didn't take my DC as they'd have hated the heat and the travel (8 hours it took) but had I had a shorter journey I'd have definitely considered it.

It's a wonderful experience.
The downside is the heat is too much and its very expensive to replace water constantly.
The other thing is the toilets. I saw some things that over 10 years later make me feel sick still, people at festivals are fucking grim.
I'd love to go again but DP hates the idea and I've not got friends who'd enjoy that.
I've been to other festivals and they've been excellent, but Glastonbury is world class.

If I was a millionaire I'd buy a house in Glastonbury because I did enjoy the area so much. Even though I went the once it just seems a lovely place to be!

If you can afford it, if you can have a decent tent with some comforts, have plenty of cash for things like water and iced lollies, can cope with the toilets giving you a mild dash of ptsd, then I'd say do it!

Went 20 years ago - great atmosphere, absolutely it's a bubble and feels like nothing else that I've experienced. It was lovely and warm / dry which I'm sure made a difference. Couldn't afford it now, with kids in tow and wanting a bit of a better tent than the one man dome I took back then.

I’ve been 5 times, and it is amazing…but it’s hard work particularly the walking, lack of shade and if it’s muddy you can’t really even sit down. We stayed in the pre pitched camping last year which really improved the whole experience, much quieter and had showers and nicer toilets. You have to accept you won’t sleep much, and will be exhausted. Worth it tho!

I went several times as a teenager. Amazing but I couldn’t do it like that again. Pre-pitched with showers, maybe. I was watching the sparkly people watching Elton thinking, you had a reasonable bed and showers.

How much is it?

i went in the 80's back then you could park next to your tent. looks too busy now.

£340 for a basic ticket.

It really is like nothing else. I’ve done Glastonbury (from when I was teeny, my Mum took me) but not since having DC. Have also done reading/Leeds, V Festival and Knowsley. There is a different feeling at Glastonbury.

I honestly think you need to be relatively fit and well to go - you walk so far - 30,000 steps a day easily. And you do that on no sleep, and it’s cumulative - by day 3/4 you are hungover-hungover, dehydrated, you’ve probably eaten crap for days. Even young and healthier than I am now it took me days to get back to normal and every bit of you aches!

in the wet years the worse bit is that you can’t sit down - standing and walking constantly is really tiring.

But it’s hugely enjoyable and joyful!

@CharityJane Per person, for how long? What does the basic ticket include, do kids have to pay full price?

You could easily have typed that reply into google and received all the info you need 😂