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home » festivals » Glastonbury Abbey Extravaganza » Glastonbury Abbey Extravaganza 2008
crowds aren't put off by the rain at Glastonbury Abbey ExtravaganzaGlastonbury Abbey Extravaganza 2008 ReviewTuesday 19th August 2008 The Glastonbury Abbey Extravaganza has been an annual event since 1996. Set in the grounds of the stunning Glastonbury Abbey, over the years the two day festival has hosted acts as diverse as The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Van Morrison to Nigel Kennedy and Joss Stone. This year, the festival was held over the weekend of Friday the 8th and Saturday the 9th of August. Unlike its big sister festival at Worthy Farm, this is not a camping event. Gates open each day at 17:30 and the entertainment finishes by 11pm. When we entered the site we were both taken aback by the scenery. The illuminated ruins of Glastonbury Abbey and the mist rolling around the surrounding hills, with Glastonbury tr in the distance, gave the place a magical feeling. Rumour has it that Joseph of Arimathea once visited the abbey and that the bones of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere were once buried there. The rain on Saturday hadn't seemed to deter many from attending. Groups of people donned in waterproofs were huddled under giant fishing or golfing umbrellas, and even lengths of tarpaulin, desperately trying to protect their picnics from the elements. These people had come prepared and were in for the duration. 
As the rain started to subside and the clouds began to clear we took a walk around the site. At one end was the main stage that, over the course of the weekend, was to host Lulu, Squeeze, Kate Nash and The Feeling. Amongst the refreshment stalls was a well-stocked, reasonably priced bar and a stall selling cakes and brandy coffee. We walked around the duck pond and passed the corporate hospitality area where we found a covered area suitably furnished with picnic tables. Next to this were the toilets. Those of you with a nervous dispostion to festival toilets can rest assured. The facilities were spotlessly clean and plentiful! After the night's entertainment on the stage was over, the sight of the abbey ruins lit up against the night's sky provided a beautiful backdrop for the closing fireworks. Roll on 2009. review by Louise Birbeck photos by Gareth Graham 
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