Glastonbury am I the only one that hates it?

[Pumpernickel10]

What joyment is there to camp for 3 days in a mud pit, queue to use the toilet, stinking for 3 days and paying hundreds to see shit bands?
Or am I too old and like my conforts too much?

Why didn't that link work? aargh! hhtp in the title! try again

now thats odd. a mate of mine went one year ?87 88 and was realyl intimdated at night by gangs of men.
i wondered if it had been her but obv not

Great post Lovecat - your vivid memories make me feel so nostalgic. Never been to Glastonbury but have seen Julian Cope, and Attila the stockbroker (we must be about the same age)! Would love to have seen Johnny Cash though - lucky you. We have taken the children to Womad, which was lovely.

I started going in 95 - loved it then and love it now. Took my 4month old daughter there last year. Am currently 9months pregnant and so am not there this year (am very sad about this).

Quite glad to see this thread actually,every summer that goes by i think "oh we should do a festival this year before we're too old" but when i see the price of the tickets i think again as could have a cheap holiday for that,i also cant convince myself that portaloos,tents side by side and mud are all that appealing,i like watching it on tv tho,and always get a pang of oooo i wish i was there,but the mug of tea and clean toilet always sooth me

I would love to have gone when I was a teen in the 80's, my 17 yr old daughter is there with her friends at the mo, she worked hard to pay her dad off for the ticket and its her 2nd year there. Doesn't seem to bother her sludging through all the mud, last yr it was too hot, she has bumped into a couple of celebs already too, hope she's taken pics!

I rather watch it on tv with a Magners in my hand lol

YABU unless someone is forcing you to go there, but even then you're describing a general festival experience rather than a Glastonbury one specifically. Plus there are showers (I am always squeaky clean at Glastonbury), the loos are actually pretty good and there's no obligation to see the bands (DH and I don't really bother ).

Just wish we could afford it! (Oh, and being 37 weeks pregnant doesn't help either )

I was amazed a couple of weeks ago to see the front page of The Guardian's 'Listings' magazine was all Glastonbury, to be honest! I mean, with all due respect, isn't your archetypal Guardian reader likely to be a bit, well, sad to give a toss about what's on at Glastonbury these days? Wouldn't it be a bit- well, unseemly for someone in their say late 40s to even contemplate putting themselves through the experience?

I find myself thinking 'Oh grow up! This is counter-culture, at least what's left of it after The Corporates have got their hands on it, and surely we are The Establishment now!', and 'For god's sake leave something for the kids to enjoy without their parents!'

I go to Glastonbury all the time, it's one of my absolute favourite places. I mention this in conversation to acquaintances and you can guarantee some numpty will say, 'OOOh, Glastonbury, well, Earthy, i didn't see you as one of them Festival goers, all that mud, them toilets, too bloody noisy, can't sing without a microphone, them funny fags, blah, blah, blah' ad infinitum......

This happened last year when I went to celebrate the Winter Solstice!! It was snowing like buggery, the roads were closed but of course I'm off to camp in a field!
I do despair sometimes, maybe I need to leave the village more often.

I loved it when I went in the early 90's. It was like being in a different world for a few days.
Twas a bit shit when my sisters bag got nicked from her tent but we found it again dumped only a few meters away with nothing missing.
We did the solstice on the Taw (?sp) as well one year which was great. Just drums, whistles, camp fires, druids and a guy in a kilt with bagpipes. Was quite magic watching the sun come up! That was free as well!

There are a few camp sites around there and lots of B&B's, most of the film and news crews stay in the pubs in the town and go in every day on the bus, you would need to book well in advance though. My son always goes and jumps the fence every year and lives on nothing.
If you loose your tent (or dont have one ) Hare Krishna or Green Peace will put some canvas over your head and even feed you.
I lived in Glastonbury town for a few years and i hated the fest, because of the manic traffic and all the weirdos that stayed after it was over, begging and living on the streets

YANBU. I loathe the idea of festivals. I do not camp, for a start. And I don't want to watch a tiny speck performing from 10 miles away while being crushed by thousands of middle-class twunts crashing about off their tits.

My idea of a festival is Lovebox in Hackney. Reasonable size and you can get the bus home afterwards.

I can think of nothing worse tbh, Better in the comfort of my living room

Glastonbury by far the best festival for atmosphere and general all round entertainment - just so much going on all the time. Thought I would hate it in crappy weather, but still had a fantastic time.

It is stupidly expensive now, which is off-putting. But most of the trouble with people being robbed was when anyone could get over the fence. I think it is a lot safer now that you have to pay loads as the gangs who went just to rob people of money and drugs aren't there now.

Wish I was there despite the weather. But due in 2 weeks so probably for the best I am safely sat at home.

Personally I don't really get watching it on the tele. Just a bit depressing that you aren't there. If you like the band just play the album

Love it, love it, love it. Been 3 times - only camped for 3 nights in total as I live fairly near. Can't wait to take dds when they're older. Not sure why people take young children in buggies.

Also, I'm not a camping person usually and like my creature comforts but the music and atmosphere is like no other festival I've been to.

Oh and people of all ages go even in their late 40s - people in their 40s aren't quite ready to start knitting by the fire, some like to have fun. I know loads of people over 40 going this year. (I'm in my 20s btw but hate the assumption that 40 is old).

we have been to 'glastonbudget'

a 3 day festival in leicestershire.. has a main stage with tribute acts, and 4 or 5 smaller stages with unsigned artists. about 8 thousand people go, so it is tiny in comparison to glastonbury.

very family orientated, we camped on the 'quiet field' amongst the cath kidston floral tents and boden clad children

unfortunately, dd (10) has now gone festival crazy and wants to go to v and to glastonbury..

YABU - if you don't like it don't go.

I went in 2000 and it was wonderful - £100 a ticket (and i did buy a ticket, to see all those bands and camp for 5 days...excellent value. I thought worse on those that didn't - i mean, if you think its that great, you pay for it...)

Much better in terms of atmosphere to Reading (where at 21 yo i was ancient..it had a much more rowdy feel) ..i certinly felt the love. spend most time round the 'World' stage.

frankly i think the price still represents excellent value. although i don't think i would bother with U2..it just isn't about the main act at all. it was Bowie when i went. didn't bother to go and see him.

i would probably prefer a smaller more relaxed festival these ays, like Cambridge Folk, or Womad. But i have kids and stuff.

AFAIK the Guardian has sponsored Glastonbury for years and it's for all ages imo, from tinies right up to proper wrinklies (and not just the over 40s).

"jumps the fence every year and lives on nothing" = lives off everyone else. Twat

Did anyone see Jessie J's performance where she invited a child up? I was in floads of tears- what an experience! The little girl was really good- so good that Jo Whiley said that she was sceptical that it was a chance 'plucked from the crowd' moment but that it actually really was! Jessie J seemed like a really nice woman too.

The first Glastonbury I went to was in 1979, and the tickets cost £5. I went to every one after that till 1992 At some of them I was revising for O and A levels.
They were great you could drive your car to where you camped, have camp fires. Camp right up to the main arena so you could sit outside your tent round the fire listening to the likes of Peter Gabriel and Jackson Browne. Wander down to take a listen nip back to the tent for a cup of tea. Lovely! What stopped me going? The size you have to walk miles and miles now, and a toddler who had just! learn't to walk and wanted to walk and the mud! Toddlers and mud, DS1 spent whole time in a bin bag up to his neck. I completely lost that calm chilled out hippy love sort of feeling, and became a neurotic wound up parent. Going to the End of the road festival this year now the kids have grown up.

I would love to go back to Glastonbury, I had such a good time the years I was there. The problem is my husband would hate it so I can't see us going any time soon :-(

I love camping but wouldn't pay to see U2 rolling out the same old bollocks.

I'm also a short-arse and am fed up with being trampled on no longer go to festivals where I can't sit down with a beer .

thats a shame nefret, could you perhaps go with a friend.

glastonbury is a great british institution, it bowled me over in 1993 so much that my mum thought i'd lost my virginity which i actually hadn't!

last went about 7 years ago, since kids been going to smaller events... but i get the envy every year

Well I watched it lastnight on BBC3 and thought U2 were ok I've seen them
perform better, I thought Biffy Clyro was good and Primal Scream