So, what is Glastonbury Festival?

Glastonbury Camping Guide

Glastonbury History 19/9/1970 to Present

Guide to Glastonbury

Confused and bewildered by the whole prospect? Or do you just want to find out what's going on? Then take heed from those who have been there and done it. All you could desire to know about the finest days of your summer

Glastonbury Festival is unique!

 

It's the largest Greenfield music and performing arts festival in the world.

It's like going to another country. It involves travel, and probably a queue to get in. Then you enter a huge tented city, a mini-state under canvas. The Law still applies, but the rules of society are a bit different. Everyone is here to have a wild time in their own way. The site has distinct socio-geographic regions. The more commercial aspects are around the Pyramid, Other and Dance stages, like the West End on a Saturday night has been removed to a field, beautified, and you're on every guest list, including the night time cinemas. And then there are more relaxed areas like the Jazz world and Acoustic areas, and the family oriented areas like the Kidz Field, the Theatre and Circus fields, and an increasingly alternative aspect as you pass the Field of Avalon, the Tipi Field, and the Green Fields before you reach the hedonistic madness that is Lost Vagueness. And at the top of the site is the Sacred Space - its stone circle being a modern construction, and yet perhaps it has already seen as much celebration and ceremony as some of its foregoers.

The site is in a beautiful location - 900 acres in the Vale of Avalon, an area steeped in symbolism, mythology and religious traditions dating back many hundreds of years. It's where King Arthur may be buried, where Joseph of Arimathea walked, where leylines converge. And the site is ENORMOUS - more than a mile and a half across, with a perimeter of about eight and a half miles.

 

Then there are the people, in all their splendid diversity! There is only one common characteristic of a Glastonbury-goer - they understand that Glastonbury offers more opportunity than any other happening to have the best weekend of the year or even of a life-time, and they are determined to have it! You'll meet all kinds of people, of all ages, backgrounds, nationalities, lifestyles, faiths, concepts of fashion (or lack of it), musical taste; some will undoubtedly wear silly hats, or buy shirts that they'll never wear again. Until next year. The vibe is mellow and friendly.

Of course there is also the scheduled entertainment: music (probably more bands than any other weekend event, with lots of smaller stages which you might not read about in the press!); theatre, circus, cabaret (more fringe theatre shows than any other weekend show in the UK); the Festival that is the Kidz Field; markets selling everything you need, a lot of things you want, and those shirts and hats mentioned before; an enormous menu of food...

 

There will be moments when you ask yourself the inevitable "why can't life always be like this?" There will be enlightenments, awakenings, surreal happenings, people doing the strangest things and you'll be wondering whether they were booked to do this as an act or whether that's just how they feel happiest being... There is so much to see! No two people's Festival experience will be the same unless they're tied together (in which case they're probably a theatre company).

Don't come with too many preconceptions. If there are one or two particular bands a day you want to see let your day revolve around them, and go with the flow. Hurrying between stages so you can tick off a list of things you feel you must see is not the best way to enjoy Glastonbury. If you can't get a good vantage point, or aren't enjoying a show, move on. There'll be something else in the next field! You might not have heard of it before, but often your best memories will be of new things that startle you with their brilliance, rather than checking whether idols live up to expectations.

 

Have a good look at the Performance Area pages on this site, the Festival programme when you are on site, or ask at Information points, and realise just how much there is to see. To get a well-rounded experience of the Festival don't just hang out by the main stages but visit all areas of the site at least once. All those other stages and attractions wouldn't be there if they weren't worth taking in. Whether you are at the Festival in person, one of the television or radio audience or attending virtually you will have just the best experience. Enjoy!

Glastonbury Camping Guide

Glastonbury History 19/9/1970 to Present