Glastonbury Festival

It's now been over 1 month since Glastonbury 2017 closed it's gates; and I think I'm just about ready to talk about it. This year would have been my 10 year anniversary at Worthy Farm but moving to Australia kind of got in the way this year. For me, Glastonbury has always been a special, magical place and I find it hard to describe exactly how amazing it is to people who have never been. But I'm going to try.

The worst thing about the festival is getting there. It's tedious. I'm sure you've heard about the infamous Glastonbury queues and if you haven't, let me enlighten you. Glastonbury festival is pretty big, think 175,000 people, and the Somerset roads are pretty small. This is not a winning combination. I once queued in my car for 11 hours, so I don't know why the queues surprise me anymore. When you finally make it into the car parks, you could be forgiven for thinking you've finally made it. But sadly you'd be wrong. Depending on which car park you've ended up in and whereabouts you're planning to camp, you could have a hefty 1-2 hour walk ahead of you. And you have to carry all of your stuff. Tent, backpack, chairs, food, alcohol, the lot. People seriously take wheelbarrows with them to help ease the pain. The moment I finally pitch my tent I usually reward myself with a slightly warm can of cider and the memories of the hideous journey slowly slip away. Only one thought dominates: I'm home. 

Wednesdays and Thursdays at Glastonbury are all about exploring. Every year I discover something new and there's never enough time to see or experience everything. The traditional way to spend the Wednesday evening is at the Stone Circle. So as the sun sets over the festival, we usually make our way through the Healing Fields and up to the one of the most iconic spots of the festival. There is always so much going on in this area of the festival and one year we got slightly side tracked by a choir, who were encouraging people to join in and harmonise with them. Another year we stumbled across a man playing a piano, taking requests and had a good old sing-along. In the random spirit of Glastonbury we always get involved and usually find ourselves in the centre of a circle singing, dancing, feeling very hippy and at one with the world.

By Friday morning the festival is in full swing, the majority of the music kicks off and everyone is in a fabulous mood. However last year the Friday morning was possibly the worst, most depressing couple of hours I've ever spent at Glastonbury. Brexit day. I just honestly never thought it would happen - but it did, and I was devastated. I, along with many at the festival, felt a sense of helplessness at the decision that had been made. A decision that was based on lies and false promises, that was now beyond any of our control, yet would shape our futures forever. There were so many mixed emotions; anger, sadness, loss, confusion. There was such a subdued atmosphere during that Friday morning, something I'd never experience before at Glastonbury. It seemed that the majority of the festival was in shock. Despite this, I didn't want it to ruin the rest of my time there. Glastonbury is a place of happiness and positivity, so I slapped on some glitter, grabbed a pint of Brothers Cider and went about enjoying my day. And to be honest, there really was no better place to be to distract me from the fact my country was (and still is) going to the dogs.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Glastonbury are all about the music. With so many amazing bands and artists on the lineup every year, it's impossible to see everyone you want to. I'd imagine that planning who you want to see is pretty much identical to planning a military operation. Timing is king. I usually have a rough idea of exactly who I want to see before the festival, so I can loosely plan timings and know where I need to be and when. Getting between stages can be a nightmare. It can literally take you over an hour sometimes, depending what stage you're at and where you need to be. Getting stuck in a crowd that is just leaving a set is also a pain in the arse. Hence why a bit of forward planning can never go amiss. If I was at the Pyramid Stage and wanted to watch someone at The Other stage, I'd know to leave the Pyramid set at least 10 minutes early, to avoid the crush and get a good spot. I'm not usually one for pre-planning, but at Glastonbury it's essential. 

The nightlife at the festival is pretty insane. If you wanted to, you could literally party all day and night and never sleep. And there are probably A LOT of people who do this. The South East corner is by far my favourite area of the festival for nighttime activities. This area is pretty much dedicated to after-dark antics and is host to the infamous Block-9 and Shangri-La. There is so much going on there, it almost feels like a mini-festival itself. The queue to get into the SE corner is usually monstrous, and they often close entry at different times during the night due to over crowding. However, there is a sneaky way in if you ever find yourself stuck at the back of a very long queue. Head up through the Craft Fields, in the direction of the SE corner and you'll find a sneak entrance to the Unfairground.. ta daaa you're in! The Blues Stage in the Dance Village is also an awesome spot to go and gets seriously busy, as does the silent disco which is another favourite. All in all the nightlife at Glastonbury is pretty sick and one of the main reasons I love going every year.

I'm still not over the fact that I didn't get to go to Glastonbury this year and I will not be making the same mistake again. Ever. I just cant handle the fomo. Sadly the festival won't be on next year, as it's the fallow year to allow the farm time to recover. There are also vicious rumours that the festival might not carry on in it traditional home at Worthy Farm and could be moved to another site. This genuinely fills me with dread and sadness, so for now I'm going to live in blissful ignorance and countdown to Glastonbury 2019. Bring it on.