Glastonbury 2009 - tips needed for a Glastonbury virgin!

[sweetcat]

I am celebrating my 40th by going to Glastonbury for the first time this year. To say I'm excited would be putting it mildly.

I would appreciate any tips for things to take etc, how much money and any other useful info.

I can't wait to see the full list of bands. Already I want to see the fleet foxes, Blur, Neil Young and Kasabian.

Plus 4 days just looking out for me for a change without the DC's will be fab!

Ooooh fantastic, you lucky thing!!

My top tip is to bring something really really warm for being out in the evening as it gets really quite cold at 3am while you're waiting for the sunrise at the stone circle (a must do Glasto moment ).

Heres my list of what I take to The big chill festival:

Tent (a very waterproof one!)
sleepings bags
couple of rugs for each person
pillow
one extra groundsheet (otherwise I find I get very cold)
Camping cooker & gas
At LEAST 4 changes of clothes!!
Extra underwear and socks
Lots of babywipes!!
Pack of bottled water
Deodorant (in excess, lack of showers remember)
any other toiletries
dry shampoo
Big pack of toilet roll
Some food such as bread so you can make yourself a snack but I would buy most food there.

I spend a lot at festivals, but most of it goes on food. About £80?

oooh I am going for first time too. But I am totally cheating as FiL has got two caravans for the family and there is room for me. (DH has been every year since he was tiny and is currently refusing to sleep in caravan and will be camping elsewhere apparently

I am defo taking some of that alcohol handwash stuff!

Don't eat a bag of truffles from the hippy section thinking, 'well these aren't very potent' and spend the rest of the night paranoid by all the laughing in the cabaret tent.

HTH

oh and the composty toilets are actually much less smelly than the portaloo type which get blocked and stink. just don't look down.
put your hand under the door, hold on tight and lean back, then aim.

Oh yeah the pit toilets are good and you get a nice breeze!

If there's a group of you it's quite a good idea to have an inflatable thing on a pole (garden cane) to wave so you can follow it in the crowd and avoid getting split up.

Also if there's a group of you, have a base 'camp' during the day - eg a spot on the pyramid field where you can regroup between bands/food/loo trips.

Oh and, and, it takes longer than you might think to get from one stage to another so don't try to do too many moves otherwise you'll spend all your time going from A-B.

And to follow up on dragonbutter's point, you know you've slightly overdone it when on returning to the camping field at the end of the night the "banging bassline" you think you can hear is the generator powering the floodlights by the gate...

I want to go

Take wellies.

Go to The Tiny Tea Tent for breakfast.

Ooh, thanks, lots of great tips there. LOL at dragonbutter!

At the risk of alienating you lot, will I be OK taking some grass with me or do you get searched going in?

God, I can't wait.

Humphrey, the tiny tea tent sounds great. I shall def go there.

ok, so you might be needing paranoia advice.

1. your rucksack is not following you.

1. they are laughing at the comedian

don't know the answer to whether you get searched though.

arf, at the anybodyhomemcfly's banging baseline.

oh happy days.

dragonbutter

I don't generally suffer with paranoia but thanks for the advice.

Yeah Ruby, it's on mine too, and unless I croak before going I can cross it off!

I once got in without a ticket by hiding under my boyfriend's band's drumkit.

I used to be a groovy chick...

lol Humphrey, I'm sure you are still a groovy chick.

Could have done with a freebie myself, £175 for the ticket, ouch. Sure it will be well worth it tho

Definitely loo roll and baby wipes, if nothing else. I'm sure you won't need to take the kitchen sink if without dcs. Sounds obvious but...don't take valuable stuff and definitely don't leave anything worth nicking in your tent. Ah, those were the days (my 2 Glasto trips were back in the day 93 and 94). Have fun

Make a trip to the cider bus a priority

I always take a packet of Immodium to festivals, just to bung me up a bit - stops me having to use the cesspits toilets

No searches 4 weed but they do sometimes have a bit of a look in yr car 4 alcohol in glass bottles. We've brought both in no probs b4 now.

Thanks anybodyhomemcfly!

Notnowbernard - good idea, thanks. Cider bus sounds good, a fav tipple of mine.

(just make sure you have a plentiful supply of Senna for your return home though!)

Ooh, my ticket arrived yesterday

I'm on countdown now!

A luxury that I found very useful was a 'TravelJohn'. It is a funnel with a resealable bag attached that when you pee in it turns the liquid into a solid gel . It is great for the middle of the night. No spoils, mess or smells, you just throw them out in a normal bin in the morning.