Your first time....

[Divein]

Mine was in 2009, I'd got a ticket on the recommendation of a mate from uni who'd been the year before. He was with his mates from back home but was more than happy for me to tag a long. I got a lift down with some people I knew from back home, but it turned into the journey from hell after hitting every traffic jam in the uk. Finally got pitched up at around half 7 ish. I had a couple of beers and then set off to meet a friend from back home. I walked from Pennerds to the old chi wallah bar that use to be by Williams green but obviously being on my own and a newbie got lost. I walked down through the traders and food stalls and also walked past the cider bus.

The atmosphere walking down there was electric. I felt a buzz going through my body and I instantly knew that I was onto something special. I met my friends and her mates and we walked up the hill. But by now it was dark, and I got to the top of the hill, and obviously those who've been know the rest.

The rest of the festival was magical. East 17 on the Thursday was funny, then Jacko dying. I went to see filty dukes and during that set I logged onto the net and got my degree result ha! By that time it felt like I'd been there for a week. Then the music started, I remember the Blur after set tender sing a long and then the boss coming on with gaslight anthem in the john peel the next day. The boss also amazed me during his own set. The whole weekend was magical.

And to top it off me and the friendI went to meet in chi wallahs got together that night and have been together for 5 happy years since It will be my first time without her this year as she's a teacher, so I'll miss her. But I'm just as excited as every other year.

On the subject of 1st times, I told a frend the other night how jealous I was of him going for the first time I'd love to experience that all again.

[Thearg]

My first time 93 was a complete culture shock for me and my first festival,I was used to the London club/rave scene in dodgy warehouses etc it was like being transported to another world,never forget getting out the back of that Transit at night and seeing the lights that seemed to cover the whole horizon and the boom boom from all the parties,

Had the time of my life that night and then the next day walking round what seemed to be some makeshift medieval city,lots of giant wooden sculpturs,bizarre circus acts,the markets,healing stuff etc,I walked round all day probably in circles,intoxicating stuff.

Loved every minute of it.

[rubenz]

First time 2008, Mind = Blown. Second time 2009 discovered all the late night stuff Mind blown x20!

[UEF]

Sat up at the stone circle with guitar and playing songs with people who were enthusiastic about doing so!

[captain reido]

The cider bus meet on Wednessday had a fair few NFL fans in attendence .

Now for my ramble about my first time

My first was 2010, so not to long ago...I remember not being impressed with the entrance system at first Stupidly even having the car , we took everything with us on first entrance...big mistake and spent a a good couple of hours in the queue on the hill leading up to Gate D in the baking sun of that year....collapsed in Diary Field once we got in and gave up trying to make it anywhere else. (Was going to head to the Camp who must not be named ). After that I soon got the bug for it, it just seemed great everyone was already in party mode all afternoon and the music stages hasn't even started yet!

On recomendation from here, after watching the England game on the Pyramid , one of the first things I done was done was to walk up to the top of Flagtopia and take it all in. Its truely breathtaking when you first see it. (Hell I still love that view now! It's even more impressive if you get the chance when the mainstages are on and you can see the hordes moving about). Spent the rest of wednessday/thursday ambling about taking the whole place in, sitting up at the stone circle for a sunset for the first is also great! (Not done sunrise yet! ).

I think I'll always remember as my first "glastonbury moment" being up at the stone circle and seeing Orkestra Del Sol randomly playing to a small crowd of people dancing around them. It was a just a bit ah, this is what everyone on the forums/dvd was talking about I think!

Think I spent to much time seeing bands that year, spent most of saturday afternoon from Dead Weather onwards in the Pyramid , waiting for Muse To be fair we was only a row back from the front barrier by the time they got on...but never again the crushing and waiting around in the same place just isn't worth it really but I did really enjoy Muse, the other hightlights over the weekend being Kele in the tent, Dizzee Rascal was suprisingly good that year, Ray Davies after leaving the 2nd England Game and ofc Faithless into Stevie Wonder was just fantastic!

The heat was the other thing from my first time, I am not really one for it at the best of times and the lack of shelter was hard work at times but after the little bit of rain in 2011 I soon learn't which was the best one to have

EDIT: Just remembered, being randomly offered poppers by a couple of 30 year oldish women during Vampire Weekend. I did decline but was a nice thought from them ... we was off to the just to the side and not really in the crowd and their group was just dancing around on their own, offering them to anyone nearby

[JGP]

It's hard to name a few things!

I remember the food being incredible which I was really shocked about and I was really pleasantly surprised by all the smaller fields and tents which have so much random stuff going on. I made my own smoothie by cycling in one of the green fields and then moved on to a Karaoke thing which was powered by a treadmill (I think). Just all the little things you'd never expect and the people you meet doing it is just brilliant.

[rischbrit]

Just how friendly, chatty and approachable everyone is. For such a large site and around 180,000 people I was amazed how people would speak to you even though strangers!!!!

Edited March 13, 2014 by rischbrit

[Gnomicide]

Loving all these, lots of people I have seen in other threads have also said about the hill near the stone circle what's this about?

Edited March 13, 2014 by Gnomicide

[monkey1989]

I arrived first and 4 hours earlier than my friends , first thing I did was wander up to the park and then walked round the healing fields and climbed a hill I was like wowwwww at the view , couldn't wait till the others arrived so I could drag them up , it was last year such a lovely sunny day

[ian the worm]

The first time ever that I passed through the fence was on the Wednesday in 2008. I had to drive my crappy little car from west to east (Pyramid to Acoustic). I was trying to look like I knew what I was doing.

[Gnomicide]

You will see lots of posts saying to climb the Ribbon Tower. I'm not saying it's not great but you can save yourself a lot of queuing by just climbing the hill behind The Park or Flagtopia (my favourite place in the world!).

This is from the hill behind The Park, not even close to the top but you can see that it is as high as the Ribbon Tower....

Edited March 13, 2014 by Gnomicide

[grumpyhack]

Lots of different first times. What I consider to be my first Glastonbury was called the Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music at the Bath & West Showground at Shepton Mallet.

For me it was Glastonbury -1 and at the time I was working as a reporter and was covering the festival for several national newspapers. So I was expected to churn out the stories about babies being born under hedges. But by the end of the weekend I'd gone native, had taken off my reporter's head and just fell in love with it all.

The line up was amazing. Pretty every one who'd played Woodstock, except Hendrix and The Who.

The high spot was Pink Floyd doing the first ever live performance of Atom Heart Mother. Just lying on my back, looking up at the stars and hearing the music floating over it all.

After that a new first for me was going solo just as a punter. I had been planning on going with my daughters but they ended up going off to Spain with their mates, so I went alone. Met loads of new people, who welcomed me into their encampment.

After that it was the start of going with our current gang of six. There was the group bonding of what have now become firm friends. The sitting and chilling and putting the world to rights started to take on more importance and it was the beginning of understanding the oft-repeated comment that Glastonbury isn't just about the music.

Now it feels like coming home but the great joy that keeps things fresh is walking round with 'newbies' and seeing the the looks of amazement and astonishment on their faces at the sheer scale of it all.

Edited March 13, 2014 by grumpyhack

[Nudda]

My first time 93 was a complete culture shock for me and my first festival,I was used to the London club/rave scene in dodgy warehouses etc it was like being transported to another world,never forget getting out the back of that Transit at night and seeing the lights that seemed to cover the whole horizon and the boom boom from all the parties,

Had the time of my life that night and then the next day walking round what seemed to be some makeshift medieval city,lots of giant wooden sculpturs,bizarre circus acts,the markets,healing stuff etc,I walked round all day probably in circles,intoxicating stuff.

Loved every minute of it.

[Gnomicide]

Lots of different first times. What I consider to be my first Glastonbury was the Shepton Mallet

[yehbutnobut]

I remember never ever to go near Ketamine ever again...

[grumpyhack]

Once again Grumpyhack puts us ALL in the shade.

[TheJackson]

That view looks incredible! Bet the sunset mentioned is fantastic..

Excitement levels have been amped even higher after reading all these.

[NewloveGlastonbury]

these comments are making me way too excited. ive done festivals before but last year was my first glastonbury and wow what a festival!! started off driving up tuesday nights and getting in the queue all nights(worst night ever) but from that moment you pitch your tent up everything is amazing. my first expereince of glasto was the view from the stone circle....WOW. im not one for views and scenary but that was just mindblowing. experiencing shang ri la on the thursday night was amazing, i wasnt even on drugs but i felt like i was with all the weird amazing things going on people talk about the atmosphere and how friendly everyone is, when you have been to other festivals and then come to this one you notice the difference massively, its like glastonbury is one big family, the love you feel is huge. roll on this year

[balti-pie]

2005 was my first Glastonbury. I'd wanted to go for about a decade beforehand, but finally sorted my shit out when I got together with my (who still is now) missus, who'd already been a couple of times - we drove down on the Thursday, she got the raging hump with carrying everything in the ridiculous heat - it was 30 deg - and sat down in the shade, giving me the tent and telling me to go stick it up somewhere and then come back and get her.

Well, I remember looking at a map, and seeing that the place was bloody massive, and we'd barely even covered a bit of it. I walked through the green fields, the stone circle and Lost Vagueness, and down into the back of the Other field - found a whole pile of room for tents - and bunged up our £12 Tesco effort. I went back and got her, and told her that this place was frickin amazing, there's brilliance everywhere, and that I already love it. I'm at home!

She cheered up after carried our stuff over, I'd stuck the tent up and gone and bought her a pint, and that very night we had 3 inches of rain in about two hours

[AStormInHeaven]

Working before the festival starts has its benefits. Namely getting a clean photo in a place that would otherwise be filled with people. This was day one of the festival and after arriving in the evening, we set camp and wandered up to the sign to chill out with a smoke. The sun broke through and we realised the epic week that was about to unfold.

Edited March 14, 2014 by AStormInHeaven

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

I remember being able to buy HMS Prison Service rizzlas off a bloke who'd set up his own small thing at the side of a road. There may have been trade licences you had to have, but not for the likes of these people. The one who ran the rizzla stall also did tea. You'd get back there about 8am and have a cup of tea off him, feel refreshed and then go administer more pharmeceuticals, until Bagpuss decided it was bedtime.

[TheJackson]

Those 80's photos are great, and the one with the sign in it too, amazing.

Thanks for sharing your experiences everyone

[Chimps in Balaclavas]

I decided to go to my 1st Glastonbury on a whim, I think I was having a beer with my mate when we decided we would go.

We hitchhiked down there, half way down we realised we had left the poles to our tent at the side of the road.

We arrived there, scaled the fence and for the next few days I had the best time of my life.

That was 2000, I've been to 6 more since then, this year will be my 8th and even though I hadn't discovered a lot of the places (like stone circle, late night areas) I'd still class 2000 as my best one.

[glasto-worker]

Those 80's photos are great, and the one with the sign in it too, amazing.

Thanks for sharing your experiences everyone

[Spindles]

The smell of fires and a dusty deep orange sky. People trundling their kit with the now familiar rattle of wheels on tracks, with laughter and shouting breaking through the dull beat of sound systems.