Glastonbury Survival Guide

Hello Wonderful People

It's nearly that time of year again.. You've forked out over £200 for a ticket, sorted your wellies and tent, mentally prepared yourself for the mud, rain and porterloos, prayed for sunshine and dreamt of music and cider. This can only mean one thing: festival season is upon us. And what better way to open a summer full of festivals, than with the worlds best? Glastonbury Festival is hands down, without question or doubt, the best place on earth. This year will be my 7th at Worthy Farm and I can't bloody wait! However, if you're a Glastonbury virgin there are probably a few things you should know before entering this magical land.  

 

Pack light
Glastonbury Festival is a stupidly big place, it has to fit over 150,000 people after all. The walk from car to camp site will take you a ridiculous amount of time.. I'm talking hours here people. So the last thing you want is to be lugging a huge backpack, tent, gazebo, chairs, 10 crates of beer, 2 boxes of tappy wine and a blow up air bed. Trust me, it ain't worth it. I've seen so many things ditched in the car parks because people have lost the will to live while carrying them. Don't go overboard and just pack the essentials. A tent is the obvious one. Waterproofs and wellies are also a must. Alcohol is a given. As is loo roll, baby wipes, bin liners and hand sanitizer. Make sure you have a few clothes for different weather conditions and BAM.. that's all you need.

Plan, but not too much
I know I've already said this, but Glastonbury is bloody massive. It could easily take you over 2 hours to walk from one edge of the festival to the other. With this in mind, some prior planning will come in handy. Have a look at what areas interest you the most, and try to camp near there. Check out what bands or artists you 100% want to see and plan how you'll get between stages. If you do some of this beforehand you'll save a lot of time aimlessly wandering and hopefully won't end up missing your favourite acts. However, don't fall into the trap of over-planning the festival. Accept that you won't be able to see and do everything and go exploring. Get lost in the Healing Fields, dance around a fire at the stone circle, admire the views from The Park and lose your mind in Shangri La. Glastonbury is a crazy place and there's always something new to discover.

Try a bit of everything
Glastonbury isn't just about the music. You could happily spend the entire festival avoiding any music and not get bored. There is just so much to see and do. Go to the circus field for childish fun, get a massage in the healing fields, head to the craft field to get hands on, chill out in The Park and go crazy in Block 9. There will be so many huge acts playing at the festival, that you're bound to see a fair few of them, and it will be amazing. However, make sure you go for a wander to discover an unknown artist. Sit with a cider in the sun, by a small stage and soak up the atmosphere. You also have to sample all the weird and wonderful food that's on offer at the festival. You could sample a different cuisine 3 times a day for each meal and still be left wanting to try so much more by the end of the week. Glastonbury is a heaven for veggies, there's so much good food on offer! And considering it's a festival with a captive audience, the prices aren't too bad. My personal recommendations, that I'm already looking forward to this year, have to be; veggie pie with mash & gravy, falafel and halloumi wrap, any and all types of Mexican. YUM.

Don't freak out
If you're the kind of person who needs a daily shower, hates the thought of being covered in mud and freaks out at the thought of a porterloo, then you may want to reconsider going. However, if you're prepared to GET OVER YOURSELF, then you'll be fine. I'm not going to lie, the whole hygiene situation at the festival isn't great.. but that's all part of the festival fun! Remember, the majority of the other 150,000 people also haven't showered or washed their hair. You won't be the only one, so don't freak out about and go with the flow. Copious amounts of baby wipes, dry shampoo and deodorant is all you need to keep fresh and (kind of) clean throughout the 5 days. And if you just can't face going that long without a shower (hello princess) then you can always queue for several hours and pay a ridiculous amount for a hairdryer. Possibly the worst part of Glastonbury is the toilets and, unfortunately, there ain't no way of avoiding them. They stink, they're dirty and you'll want to vomit every time you go near them. Always carry loo roll with you, always have hand sanitizer at the ready and try to hold your breath throughout. Good luck. 

Enjoy every moment
Hundreds of thousands of people try every year to get a Glastonbury ticket, and you're one of the lucky few that did. So don't take it for granted. Explore as much of the site as you can. Eat too much food and drink too much cider. Watch your favourite artist and discover someone new. See the sun set from the ribbon tower and watch the sun rise from the stone circle. Stay out all night and have an ice cream for breakfast on the way home to your tent. Dance all day and all night in fields with people you don't know. Lie on the grass and watch the world go by. Whatever you do, make the most of the 5 days in this magical little corner of Somerset. After all, it's only 70 days till Glastonbury Festival opens its gates... but who's counting?