Glastonbury Virgins - Give us your thoughts.

[Pinhead]

Really interesting reading everyone's comments - brings back vague but welcome memories of my first (1994).

Nervous - really, don't be - nothing to be worried about at all in a million years, especially now its so safe.

Glasto is like a 5 day trip these days - abandon convention and reason and go with the flow . . .

[ChiefPooBaker]

This will be my first Glasto, I'll be 17.

I've wanted to go for years, but it's slightly complicated as I've lived in Greece for the past 7 years and haven't had anyone to go with. My parents finally caved, and I'm going on my own this year. Glastonbury has barely been out of my head for more than 5 minutes since I bought my ticket.

Everyone's told me just how immense the site is, and the thought of 180k people on the same site is fairly hard to get my head round. There's so much I want to do there. My main worry is regarding when I'm going to get time to sleep.

[ChiefPooBaker]

Hey Glasto virgins should you ever need a helping hand, friendly face or bit of welfare feel free to visit us at Comfy Crappers. We're usually in the Green Futures fields, by the gate onto the railway line where the track up from the jazz world stage crosses over en route to the stone circle. There is usually a queue for the loos although we're aiming to cut that alot this year with more facilities but shoud you just need help or a friendly face come to the front and we can try to sort you out. Comfy Crappers runs the cleanest and greenest festival toilets ever. The loos are cleaned after just about every second or third visitor and we compost all the poo at the end pf the event to grow flowers in it two years later. We use no water or chemicals. Aside from this we offer friendly face, space to chill, first aid, welfare, a listening ear, drink of water whatever we can do to help. So don't feel lost or on your own come find us. be safe have fun

[Chazeboy]

Reading these has been good, im excited for you all aswell now, i remember my first time thinking, wow this is huge, but its not overwhelming, and basically beleive all the stories, and have fun!!!, and if you are wandering around, or camping beside the Team Watson flag, stop by and say hello,

[Ashaz42]

Excellent thread. I've never been to Glasto before, only Reading Festival a few times (I'm from Reading so it made sense) and after the disappointment of Reading 08 (violence, abundance of arseholes etc), I decided to go for Glastonbury. I'm irrationally excited about it (if that's possible), but I have a few worries.

I know Reading Fest like the back of my hand, I know where to camp, where everything is etc, but Glastonbury's a lot bigger and I have no idea where to camp, how to get anywhere etc. Should make it interesting, but are there any recommendations on where to camp? Is it like Reading and each campsite has its own almost personality (i.e. Yellow being insane and dangerous, green being safter but still insane, brown being deadly etc) or does it not really matter?

Secondly, I booked my tickets in October, none of my friends have got them and it looks likely I'll be going alone this year. I'm 18 years old and I have no idea about the festival. Am I screwed?

Thirdly, I don't know what to do there, from what I hear there's so much to do and so little time! How do I choose what to do when? (Apart from see Bruce Springsteen if he plays).

[the_lost_girl]

Hola..! This will be my first ever Glasto and I can't wait because I've wanted to go for years!

I am looking forward to the music but realise that it's about much more than that. I'm looking forward to the atmosphere, the art, the drinking haha, the freedom - just the people really.

I'm going with a friend, my sister and her boyfriend and meeting up with others when we arrive. I love my mates to bits but they seem pre-occupied with not getting dirty, showing as much flesh as possible and making sure their hair stays in place.

Anyway - each to their own.

xoxo

[bertieb73]

I couldn't think of a better way of marking my 20th Festival appearance than attending Glastonbury for the very first time this year. Must admit, I'm as excited as I was when I attended my first ever Reading Festival as a 17yr old in 1990. I think the fact that I won't know where the heck to walk, eat, sleep, drink and party just adds to my excitement. I've become a bit too familiar with V over the last few years so it doesn't surprise me anymore even though I still enjoy it. I'm going on my own to Glasto (although hopefully travelling down with a fellow 'virgin' thanks to the carshare forum) so should be meeting up with new friends along the way. The line up isn't as important at Glastonbury as it is at other festivals but I do like the sound of the possibility of Blur, The Specials, Orbital & Sonic Youth playing. A nice coincidence is that Sonic Youth played at my first ever Festival and it's quite possibly the best set I've ever seen performed in the great outdoors.

Look forward to meeting as many of you as possible, and you will be able to identify me by the puzzled look on my face as I try to work out where the hell I'm supposed to be walking too next...

Cheers

Bert

[Joshuwarr]

Impossible!!! You cannot see everything Glasto has to offer in 5 days, not properly anyway!

[LadyP]

I'm going with a friend, my sister and her boyfriend and meeting up with others when we arrive. I love my mates to bits but they seem pre-occupied with not getting dirty, showing as much flesh as possible and making sure their hair stays in place.

[superdry]

I know Reading Fest like the back of my hand, I know where to camp, where everything is etc, but Glastonbury's a lot bigger and I have no idea where to camp, how to get anywhere etc. Should make it interesting, but are there any recommendations on where to camp? Is it like Reading and each campsite has its own almost personality (i.e. Yellow being insane and dangerous, green being safter but still insane, brown being deadly etc) or does it not really matter?

[the_lost_girl]

Within the first 24 hours you will develop the "Glastonbury Glow" - and everyone looks beautiful with that!

It's Glastonbury - you will get dirty, you will smell, you will love it!!!! x

[disasterplan44]

Thirdly, I don't know what to do there, from what I hear there's so much to do and so little time! How do I choose what to do when? (Apart from see Bruce Springsteen if he plays).

[Dave F.]

Wow, thanks for all these replies. It's been an uplifting read.

It's so good to hear many people went on their own & had a great time.

I camp with a group but during the day spend most of my time wandering on my own. There's no arguments about who you want to see.

[paulo999]

Any virgins (or experts) should check out Paul's excellent Google Earth 3d festival map.

It will give you a detailed view of the full extent of the site. Just click on the footer in his post.

Paul, will you be updating the map to '09 as & when the info becomes available?

Did you get my email about the location of the square pie company?

Cheers

Dave F.

[jo (without an e!)]

2008 was my first Glasto and as I went with people who had been 7 or 8 times I had heard so much about it and wanted to see as much as I could! I spent most of thursday wandering around trying to orientate myself and just taking it in and then I started to relax and properly enjoy it.

The best moment for me was Sunday morning laying in the Jazz field reading the paper and drinking strawberry cider whilst listening to a jazz band playing (I don't remember who they were) - that was the moment when I thought "this is what life is all about!".

Am heading back this year and aside from picking out two or three must see bands, I'm making absolutely no plans - just taking it as it comes!

[Ashaz42]

Thank you very much Superdry. Much appreciated reply there. Good to find an internet board where I don't get people shouting at me for not going to "their" festival. *cough* Reading Festival official forums *cough*

[somecoolusername]

Gonna be my first time, aged 16....

I'm very excited, I've done Reading/V, and by all accounts they have nothing on Glasto atmosphere-wise.

I've got a week or two after the end of GCSEs to get stuff sorted, then we're away.

And I'm quite the Blur fan, so having my favourite band of all time reform for my first Glastonbury would make it all the more special.

Can't wait.

[TomfromStroud]

I still remember my first time in 1999 vividly. When we came bouncing over the hill in a double decker bus through Pilton and saw the tents for the first time it was absolutely awesome.

Oh to be going for the first time again!

Edited February 1, 2009 by TomfromStroud

[Joshuwarr]

I absoloutely can't wait. Just thinking about an amazing 5 days that will culminate in mass singalongs of The Universal and Out Of Time. :')

I don't care if it rains. I don't care if theres a heatwave. I don't care if its too muddy to sit down. I don't care if I need to use gallons of sun cream. I don't care if the lineup is shit. I don't care if I don't get to camp where I wanted. The important thing is that I WILL BE THERE.

SOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!

[bunchy]

...started going in 1992, which was the first year that ME stopped the free access for 'travellers'. It was bloody boiling hot and I can remember thinking how big the whole sight was.

...I was the only one in our group not taking mind expanding drugs and I must have had the best time out of everyone!!

...looking down the site in the evenings when the sun was setting and seeing layer of smoke over the whole place was just amazing!!

...the smells

...the contsant sound of people cracking firewood and tapping on little drums

I AM SOOOOOOO EXCITED!!

[tylerdurden]

first time this year, cant really wait, going down on the wednesday, hoping to meet loads of new people, no real worries i suppose, just getting the balance of staying consistently drunk for the 5 days, so that in theory i should avoid a hangover at any point

waking up still drunk is always good times.

Edited February 3, 2009 by tylerdurden

[Dave F.]

... just getting the balance of staying consistently drunk for the 5 days, so that in theory i should avoid a hangover at any point

waking up still drunk is always good times.

[Bradders]

Hangovers at festivals are terrible. Going trekking to a hot tent to watch a live band is the last thing you wanna do. Luckily I've now perfected the art of perpetual hangover-less drunkenness!

[laid back in the sun]

the trick is to get some alcohol into you as soon as possible after waking up (strong brandy coffee works a treat!) some grub and then keep drinking steadily until bedtime with regular doses of chemicals throughout the day increasing in strength as the week goes on, this postpones all hangovers and comedowns until monday night followed by detox horrors on the tuesday and wednesday

[Litts]

1st time to Glastonbury this year and in fact its my 1st camping festival

I can't wait to go!

Huge group of us going but gonna try and explore as much as possible.

Hoping that the weathers pretty good, don't mind a bit of rain but not so much that you have to wade through the mud.

I don't mind what the line up is, know it's gonna be good regardless but hoping for Blur and maybe a bit of Daft Punk.

Planning on arriving on the Wednesday morning, what time will most of the "I have to be one of the 1st in" people of gone through the gates?

Edited February 3, 2009 by Litts