Festival review by : Helen & Keith Alcock

Glastonbury Festival 2000

Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th June 2000
Worthy Farm, Pilton, nr Glastonbury, Somerset, England
£89 including booking fee and postage

Daily capacity: 80,000

We, my husband and I, arrived at our 3rd Glasto on Wednesday 9 am.

My first disaster was ........ as we were queuing to get into the Caravan field I held my ticket up at the car window and let it go! It slipped down between the window and the door and disappeared. In my frenzy I ripped the door panel away only to be confronted by metal. I then broke the plastic grab handle. My husband was well pleased .... a lost ticket and a damaged car! I was not flavour of the moment.

We were shepherded into the left hand side of the E14, the holding car park, and eventually got someone to look through the crack of the door (the ticket was clearly visible at the bottom of the door .... and still is!). We were let into the field.

We entered Glasto Gate 2 on Wednesday pm. We were told to hang on to our ticket stubs .... these would allow us in the next day. We had a good look around, bought some goodies and then went back to E14 through Gate 2 vehicle entrance.

Thursday pm we entered Glasto by Gate 3 ..... or at least tried to. We were stopped because we didn't have our 'PASS OUT' tickets. What bloody pass out tickets? I was frantic my husband was furious. If we needed pass out tickets why weren't we given them when we left? After my husband had an almighty row with the security guards we were eventually allowed in ..... but had to suffer the indignity of their loud stage whispers saying that we were DEFINITE scum bags who had bought our 'stubs'.

There were definitely touts selling a. a push over the fence, b. a crawl under the fence, c. an arm band, d. a ticket stub. We heard one gate warden saying she'd seen at least 3000 people climbing the perimeter fence (the number is probably an exaggeration but you'll get the point that there was illegal entry right under the noses of those who were presumably only allowing those who were legal to enter!). My husband and I were innocent, but there were a huge amount of people who were selling their illegal wares just outside the gates and within ear shot of the gate staff. So why spend money on security if it's so bloody useless? Fifteen thousand people got in for nothing (or after giving the touts a 'tenner' ...... very lucrative for a weekends work!).

Anyway, the climax of my sorry story is that at 2am on Saturday morning I trod on some glass by the Pyramid Stage. I waited 2 hours for an 'ambulance' to take me to the Medical tent where I waited for another 2 hours for a nurse to clean up and bandage my foot (I was only attended to then because my husband complained that although doctors were busy drying out the drunks and drugies, the nurses who could help me were standing around chatting). I was then left to hobble back to the caravan - it took an hour!

That afternoon we asked at Gate 2 vehicle access if we could be allowed access through as I could hardly walk ...... we were told it was for vehicles only! Thanks Glasto for your concern.

review submitted by
Helen & Keith Alcock