Time to throw the towel in?

[lukemack]

I'd rather leave early Sunday night, than sacrifice the Wed/Thurs there still my favourite days. 

Wasn't the worst Glasto I've been, the weather pretty much saved it, along with great Wed/Thursday nights and all of Friday, but definitely not one that will live great in memory, still trying for tickets next year but if I miss out I don't think I'll be that bothered tbh

[Matt87]

I think I’ll almost certainly skip 2023. The queuing in the heat on Wednesday caused me to feel rubbish for most of the weekend. I stupidly thought I could drink through it. We really struggled with the camping too; barely slept the first few nights. I’m considering camper van or another alternative in the future, but it won’t be in 2023. I’ll see how envious I am this time next year and go on from there. 

[Jackmypie]

I only went on the Saturday and Sunday this year, I don’t feel like I missed out on too much at all. I had an amazing time but it all felt so overcrowded this year. I feel I will probably invest in a camper van or pay for the more expensive camping next time.

[Zoo Music Girl]

1 hour ago, Mr.Tease said:

Yeah, this is the first year I didn't go since 2003- wasn't ready physically (due to a recent op), or mentally (still processing the past two years with a ll the covid, death, loss and change). I'd been dreading not going for years, but it wasn't as bad as anticipated- had more pangs of wanting to be there rather than a burning desire. I think I had it my brain that if I didn't go once, then I would never allow myself to return for some reason! Which is daft when you think about it😂 It is alright to not go and see how that feels, it doesn't mean you're banned for life

I completely understand that feeling. Your run was longer than mine, but I really had it in my head that if I broke the run then that was it. Which is just ridiculous. What happened was I didn't go one year and the next year I was back and it was all still there waiting for me! So yeah I think absolutely fine to take a year off now and then. This is my second year of missing out and I've coped better than expected.

Sad to see so many people talking of bowing out but I do get it. I'll be interested to see how people feel come T-Day. I'm more keen than ever, especially as I have mates coming back in who haven't been for years, which really reinvigorates the idea for me. 

I do remember coming away from 2019 feeling like I'd not made the most of it (mainly cos of the heat) and having anxiety about not doing it right, missing out on stuff etc. But I need to get over that stuff and just have a more relaxed time if that's what needs to happen.

As a side note Primavera completely exhausted me. My feet have never been that sore. I think it's partly walking around on concrete all day, plus getting to and from the site, but I think actually the lack of sitting and chilling was the hardest part. There was nothing to do there but the music so we just walked and stood for 12 hours a day. Glastonbury is about so much more than the music for me and I need to be prepared to sacrifice that a bit I think. Watching the BBC footage this weekend has been great so maybe accepting a more hybrid approach - watching fewer bands at the festival but doing more non-music stuff/chilling and catching up on sets at home - is the way forward.

[willgooneday]

Hope someone's noting down usernames of people saying their not going come the ticket day thread. You'll have forgotten all the stuff you're moaning about in 6 months. 

[Zoo Music Girl]

39 minutes ago, Metal Monkey said:

Definitely not the end of the line for me but I’m glad I broke the tradition of having to go every year in case I missed something. 

This is a good thing to do for all veterans I think. People tend to have this view of you either go every year or you don't but it can just be a year off, as said above. It's good to have a year out and try something else I reckon.

[4AssedMonkey]

3 minutes ago, willgooneday said:

Hope someone's noting down usernames of people saying their not going come the ticket day thread. You'll have forgotten all the stuff you're moaning about in 6 months. 

Maybe. Never felt like this before though, even after a disastrous 2016.

[MEGATRONICMEATWAGON]

2 hours ago, JoeyT said:

How do you know when it’s time?

I left during Diana Ross yesterday and being lucky enough to live fairly close was home / showered / fed by 6pm.

Legs / feet in pieces and by that point felt I’d hit my limit with the place.

I’m comfortable with the thought of only doing Friday - Sunday next time around but have a nagging in the back of my mind that perhaps it’s just time to knock it on the head.

Confused by how I feel due to how excited I’d been in the build up only for it not to 100% click.

Any others feeling the same?

I'd say there's always a bit of a low feeling after something so wonderful. I've had that feeling after a night out. Woken up the next day, swearing I'd be off the booze, the fags, why I bothered putting my body through it all etc.

Then I have a nice long chill, remove myself away from it, time moves on and then I think a bit clearer about it.

I'd recommend thinking about it again in a month or two and see if you feel the same way. It might just be a first reaction.

Also, think about if you can change anything in your prep, how you handle clashes, whether you dart around from field to field or stick to a few must-sees every day, buy an extraordinarily expensive pair of comfy walking shoes, make sure you take more rests or sit on the benches for acts you're only half-interested in.

Some of these is how I handle the long days and nights. It can't be all go all the time, you've got to be strategic about it.

Breaks on the benches, take that extra half an hour in your tent to snooze, refuse to queue for anything - unless toilets/water if you're super desperate, but food and drink - always eat and drink at places where you're not on your feet a lot waiting...

Hope you feel different in a few weeks time or come Oct!

[Euphoricape]

I had an amazing time, but Wednesday and thursday weren't great. Everything was so busy, couldn't get anywhere near stonebridge for baggy Mondays and got stuck in a ridiculous crowd at williams green. Thinking I will skip the Wednesday next time, maybe arrive Thursday afternoon to get set up then just go all out for the festival proper.

[MEGATRONICMEATWAGON]

15 minutes ago, Euphoricape said:

I had an amazing time, but Wednesday and thursday weren't great. Everything was so busy, couldn't get anywhere near stonebridge for baggy Mondays and got stuck in a ridiculous crowd at williams green. Thinking I will skip the Wednesday next time, maybe arrive Thursday afternoon to get set up then just go all out for the festival proper.

You're def not alone disliking the Wed and Thurs this year. Maybe take a year off, watch on iPlayer, put your feet up, then go for it again in 2024. Do what's best for you, body, mind, and soul, either way!

 

[Wakey321]

This is my 7th time and is certainly up there in my top 3 ever. I had a lot of "Glastonbury moments" this year which were emotional and meant a lot to me. 

I didnt see as many bands as i usually do (although friday was stacked!) but the other days were more chilled out just enjoying being back there. Im not that active usually but coped ok this year and could probably have done another day. 

I will be trying for tickets again next time as we are hoping to take my sister for her first time.

[grumpyhack]

I came away thinking I've done my last Glasto - though come ticket time I may yet change my mind.  Mt thinking is that there is something for everyone at Glasto but much of it I'm not interested in.  Maybe I need to hunt out some smaller festivals that more closely reflect my tastes. Loved the Greenfields and Croissant Neuf.  I was also so cold in the evenings that I couldn't wait to climb the HoD (Slope of Mild Inconvenience), to get back to my caravan for a warm mug of drinking chocolate.

[august1]

If its going to become a festival for young people to go to 2-3 times then jib it off then thats fair enough.

Feels like its going that way without them actually saying it. I think the fest needs to decide what it wants to be, its a too broad church at the moment.

[dotdash79]

I’m still in on next year. 
 

this year was hard and I think that the ground being so hard was a challenge, 2019 ground was dry but bouncy. 
 

also 3 years since doing the last biggest event for most people with working from home so fitness isn’t tiptop. It was hard but still a load of fun. 

[FrankieX]

4 hours ago, JoeyT said:

How do you know when it’s time?

I left during Diana Ross yesterday and being lucky enough to live fairly close was home / showered / fed by 6pm.

Legs / feet in pieces and by that point felt I’d hit my limit with the place.

I’m comfortable with the thought of only doing Friday - Sunday next time around but have a nagging in the back of my mind that perhaps it’s just time to knock it on the head.

Confused by how I feel due to how excited I’d been in the build up only for it not to 100% click.

Any others feeling the same?

Yeah, maybe. I think this is probably one of those things where after a few weeks I remember the good bits and not the aches and pains. I missed out in 2019, so it was my first Glastonbury in five years and I wasn't entirely prepared for it. I even was getting lost, which surprised me as it was my tenth time there. I've certainly put some weight on in the last few years (a lot of it over lockdown), so travelling further than necessary wasn't great for me.

I'd been to the last three Latitudes instead (2018, 2019 and 2021), and the significantly smaller site had left me not thinking about the sheer physical requirements of Glastonbury. I think I'd want to get fitter if I was going next year.

[Luigi]

3 hours ago, henry bear said:

We’ve stopped camping. I no longer particularly enjoy it in any situation, and am no longer interested in/capable of staying up all night. And we don’t spend that much (compared to some of the other options). We got an Airbnb barn conversion a short bus/taxi ride away. Makes the festival far less of a physical ordeal. So each night we came back to this, for a nice warm shower, and catch up of Glasto on the TV, with a nightcap 

So tempting.... Where's this and how much did it set you back? Was getting a taxi a pain?

[sedra]

Due to mobility issues we booked Sticklinch- always camped in Kidney Mead before but I couldn’t face the walk from car parks. So pros were car park in the next field and people to help carry your stuff to your tent and flushing loos. Cons were it being so far out so we didn’t go back to tent for a rest, a drink and to get warmer clothes when it got cold and had to take stuff with us all day. I only just about made it back and forth with my stick and wasn’t able to carry chair etc. ended up cold and exhausted every night plus I got ill with Covid. So didn’t enjoy everything Glastonbury had to offer and  not sure I could manage it if still incapacitated. Will probably try for tickets but may opt out nearer the time. 

[lebenski]

Despite thinking I'd ruined my own festival by Saturday morning (sleep deprivation, hangover, normal stuff) I realised that you actually need to just get into and embrace the Glastonbury mindset.  Your brain is a bit fuzzy, you think a bit slower, you're tired and it's a bit of a shock to go from the alert/productive state to the monged-out/fuzzy one (no hard drug taking even implied) but once you embrace it, you'll have the best fucking time.  That's what I did anyway and despite being old & tired it was great and I will absolutely be going for tickets next year.  Time of my life.  Again.

[Dark Star]

On Wednesday morning, when I was supposed to leave, I woke up feeling like crap and with mega anxiety. The reduced train service had me nervous about queuing etc given the expected heat. In the end, I stayed home, got up stupidly early on the Thursday and caught buses from Exeter to the site, was in and tent up by 9:45. I definitely felt like I'd missed a bit, always liked the fireworks etc on the Wednesday, and just the chance to wander about in a little less of a rush. 

Whoever's idea the larger woodchip, for want of a better term for it, it definitely did it's job in so far as that the little rain we had didn't cause any issues, but it seems it did for a lot of peoples feet. I was in walking boots all weekend, and had horrendous blistering from the wood and stones (boots fully worn in with lots of miles). 

The lack of crowd control around the Pyramid field when Diana Ross was on was appalling. The track across the top toward The Woods was solid with people, nobody could move on or off the field with any ease, and the crushes in times must have been quite scary for children, there's clearly a limit to how many can get on the field at any given time. 

Is the festival attracting too many really big acts, resulting in there being more pinch points as more of the crowds want to see the same stuff? 

Can't wait for next year.

[Wherethewildthingsare]

4 hours ago, crazyfool1 said:

there's a few more versions of my hat to come .... 

spotted you walking up the side of the Pyramid before DiRo! Superb, too far away to say hello 

[henry bear]

35 minutes ago, Luigi said:

So tempting.... Where's this and how much did it set you back? Was getting a taxi a pain?

Not telling you exactly where just in case…

Worked out about £110 a night, although I wouldn’t be surprised if prices have gone up quite a bit since I booked it. Taxis worked out ok, used a local firm to take us in, and they usually came within 15 minutes of the phone call. Going back we joined the queue at the festival taxi drop off/pick up point. It’s quite a trek to get there, but once there we usually only waited 10-15 minutes for a taxi, a bit longer last night perhaps, as all the locals had pre-booked taxis

[Pinhead]

My main issue now at neary 50 is my back - standing at each gig for and hour (or 3 hours for McCartney) is taking its toll...

[Radiochicken]

20 minutes ago, lebenski said:

Despite thinking I'd ruined my own festival by Saturday morning (sleep deprivation, hangover, normal stuff) I realised that you actually need to just get into and embrace the Glastonbury mindset.  Your brain is a bit fuzzy, you think a bit slower, you're tired and it's a bit of a shock to go from the alert/productive state to the monged-out/fuzzy one (no hard drug taking even implied) but once you embrace it, you'll have the best fucking time.  That's what I did anyway and despite being old & tired it was great and I will absolutely be going for tickets next year.  Time of my life.  Again.

Nailed it. 

[al_coholic]

I actually had a really good festival, especially after 2016. I always wanted to do 10 and now I have. I stayed in Sticklinch and the walk home at night was hard and my ankles/heels are fucked. Friday was probably my single best day in 10 festivals. Truly an amazing music day and so much fun. I haven't decided if I will go again, but I won't have FOMO anymore if I don't go. 

[Mark E. Spliff]

3 hours ago, admscott said:

It was beyond crowded, but this was my first time going properly solo. Did not enjoy it. Really missed the social aspect of it, but that coupled with the fact that everyone who said they would hang out with me either stood me up or cancelled made me feel quite isolated and caused a lot of self-doubt.

Thanks for reporting back on how going solo worked out for you.  This forum has got a real problem with everyone chanting received wisdoms like mantras without seemingly thinking about what they are saying.  One of these mantras is 'don't have any second thoughts about going solo: just do it and you'll have the time of your life!'  I think this is downright thoughtless - who knows how a stranger on the internet is going to react in a situation where any self-doubt or reticence about troubling strangers could result in a week of loneliness?  Over the years, I've noticed that the people giving this advice have often only actually made solo excursions from their friends/family group, which is a completely different proposition to going there alone.

You don't need to be despondent about it though.  Going as a worker on a large crew is one possible strategy that might be more successful for solo fliers.  Being thrown in to work with a big group of people is one of the most effective ways to establish camaraderie, work out who's on your wavelength and make friends.