To think we CAN actually do Glastonbury?

[hmmisthatright]

Glastonbury tickets on sale soon

I'm a single mum to 2 dc, one is autistic, one neurotypical, 8 and 9

I assumed it was something for the future, but actually, the tickets are £400 each for the weekend, i might be able to go as autistic dc's carer, costing me £800. And I can pay £100 as a deposit

I can stay at a hotel with dc and then drive us all in. I would meet friends who have kids.

Is the drive in difficult, does anyone know? I would rent a traveloge or similar 20 miles away.

Can we do this?

Real life timings don’t really apply at Glastonbury. As others have said, it can take ages to move from one stage to another. If one of you needs a wee, you’ll prob all want to go to save losing each other- that could take ages to leave what you’re doing, all
go the loo and then return. You definitely all need to be completely on board with how physical it is and how much hard work it is. To illustrate this, each time I’ve been, my clothes are hanging off me by the end of it, despite eating and drinking loads when I’m there. Better than any boot camp 🤣

It can also get really busy if you’re moving from and to really popular acts (I’m talking feet not touching the ground as you’re carried along by crowds) so if you want to see the big acts, you’ll all have to keep hold of each other and all be sensible if you do get split up.

I do absolutely love Glastonbury so, for me, the effort is worth it. It depends how much you all want it. Not interested or only half enthusiastic wouldn’t cut it if I was taking kids.

Yes fine that i want to see

They would theoretically get the benefit of seeing green day live

I'm wavering now anyway

Forget disabled buggy and tablet. You won't be able to get it anywhere on site.

Go alone and get someone to have the kids.

Agree with this

Unkess your kids are particularly into the acts playing (which you may only be able to see from a long way away if you’re looking after them) I would save it for them until they’re another 5 years older or so.

Not sure I’d enjoy it aged 8. My son (autistic) certainly wouldn’t at that age.

You've no idea who the acts are, don't bother. You would just be fueling the Eavis' families egos and the hype served up by the tabloid press.

Can you, perhaps.
Should you, I am not sure.

Accessible camping might be an option?
Good luck trying to get tickets. It is not easy.

Why would you drive in and out every day??

That's a really bad idea...

Why wouldn't you camp?

I took my DC 3 times between the ages of 8 and 12. It's good to have a base on site to retreat to.

The site is huge, you easily get swallowed up in crowds, it take ages to walk between the stages. There are quieter spots too though, so it's not like that all the time. It can potentially be overstimulating, there is crazy stuff going on all over the place.

But it's so incredibly awesome, I love Glasto and would happily go back. In my motorhome now I am older though 😂

I would think if you do go and don't want to tent, you would be better off with a camper van. Driving in and out every day sounds like a nightmare. The scale of Glastonbury is vast and would be so easy to get lost, or have a constant whinging about walking child. Plus if it is like this year weather wise, it will be utterly roasting with no shade.

I took my kids to a much smaller local festival and vowed never again! Any activity was insanely expensive and then I got sulked at for refusing to spend 15 quid on a glitter tattoo. One didn't like the band and one didn't want to leave, so cried all the way up the hill to the car park.

I took my child for the first time when they were 8. We went 3 times between the ages of 8-12 (there was a fallow year). They had an amazing time and they still talk about it with friends and we reminiscence about the bands we saw there from time to time. It massively impacted on their experiences and development, and they went on to be in a band themselves and started doing gigs in pubs at age 14.

I did 4 or 5 Glastonbury trips on my own with small DCs. It was never about the music. More about spending 4 days in a bubble, far away from real life. Staying onsite or in the camping right next to the site was key. DCs were given a daily allowance and planned which stalls they were going to eat at. Hot doughnuts for breakfast on a muddy Glastonbury tasted wonderful.

We mostly stuck to the circus tent, green fields, kids field, leftfield, tiny tea tent and the odd foray to see specific bands on the pyramid or other stage or random bands / musicians on smaller stages. It wouldn't have worked if I wanted to prioritise seeing headline acts on the main stage.

Something like Greenday is going to be headlining the Pyramid late at night. Trying to get into a good position for that does not sound fun with children unless (maybe) they are huge Greenday fans. But if they are, why not just take them to see Greenday at the o2 or similar .

Have you done any festival before? It doesn't sound like it. I'd have used the summer to experiment with smaller, cheaper festivals to see how they manage them. Honestly, with kids especially a ND child, I wouldn't do Glastonbury with no experience of it.

People try yearly and never get tickets so it’s not a given btw you’ll even get them.
It’s a huge festival with so much on besides the main stages and a huge site so i’m not sure your plan of driving etc would work daily. Also it’s a very long day for the kids to get to wait for a headliner: meltdowns, tired, hungry, weather, buggy gets stuck in mud, ipad loses charge/gets lost, need a toilet that’s ages away and smells bad, sensory overload etc. You can’t guarantee anything with festivals of that size especially when you’ve never been. You sound a bit naive to it all.

Maybe try a smaller one?

This would be absolutely awful for your children, OP. Wouldn't it be more sensible for you to find someone to look after them for the weekend, and then you can go to Glastonbury on your own?

Glastonbury is amazing - nothing you see on telly can show you this.

BUT, it’s huge, I think 8 miles across? We went when our kids were little (and you could still get tickets), and drove in and out each day. It was exhausting, but I don’t regret it.

We had babysitters on hand at home, as the kids couldn’t sustain more than one day really, and ND DC didn’t enjoy it at all. As others have said, I think trying a smaller festival first would be a good idea, plus the chance of getting Glasto tickets is pretty slim, so would be good not to get hopes up.

Why would it be awful? My kids love this sort of thing (both autistic) ear defenders at the ready and we're all good. I think OP knows her kids.

Absolutely not.
As someone who has family who live a (usually) 15 minute drive from the festival site - we camp at the festival as to drive home each day would be utter madness!! On the last day it took us two hours to get from festival site back to their house because traffic was insane. It’s only about four miles.
the site is huge, the roads are heaving, the car parks are huge fields - if it wet and you don’t have a four wheel drive good luck!
Also, ditch the kids. We sometimes take kids in on Weds/thurs and then they go home so adults can enjoy the rest of the weekend.
like others said, it can be an hours wait for the loo, hours walk between stages that look close on map, long waits for food at busy times, very very easy to get lost if you’ve never done it before.
I love Glastonbury and have been many times but would never go in these circumstances!

Also I’m an adult with autism, and love it but need a week to recover after!

I don’t think she knows Glastonbury festival that well tho!

Ok so have had a think

I could camp at the spring ground place with dc, rather than the hotel. Will have to look for an expensive tent and make sure we can get wifi

Apparently I can drive and park at the disabled section and then its not too far from the main stage - would still have to use buggy for dc2

Sorry, but I’m on the side of those who say go by yourself. At least the first time. I’ve been four times and yes, it’s incredible and the best place on earth, but it’s also full on and vast in every aspect imaginable. It can take a good hour between the main stages and would take considerable effort to leave and get back in each day! I’ve been in all weathers and the mud year I still talk about years later…it made everything 10 times harder.

I’d try a smaller festival first. And see Green Day at a tour gig. I hope you’re right about them headlining though!

Driving in and out is an awful idea! The car parking is a good hour walk away from the gates. You’ll miss so much of the actual festival it’s more than what you see on the tele! You could go and not go to the main stages.
you couldn’t just time going for the acts you want to see, it can take an hour to get to a stage.
getting tickets will be the biggest challenge cos about 3% of people trying to go them get them.

taking buggy’s/trolleys it take one day of rain and the ground is that torn up you wont be able to use it!

I take my kids to festivals they are 10 & 6! We love Glastonbury but the youngest one is still a bit too young in my opinion so we won’t be trying to get tickets! But we would camp/campervan cos travelling on and off site is not a good idea

No mention of green day headlining/playing OP. Infact Emily Eavis has said all headliners confirmed and greenday have said they've not been asked. So before you spunk £600 I'd wait for the announcements.

Green day isn't very Glastonbury anyway? More likely to be someone like Harry Stiles or Taylor Swift?

Especially if it's wet and everyone's knee deep in mud.

Getting a buggy around the site will be very difficult. 200k + people and if the weather isn't on your side it's difficult to walk, never mind push anything (I lost a good trolley one year to the mud).

Have you been to a big festival before?