So first timers what did you think of that?

[Justcalledtosay]

I’ve been trying to get to Glastonbury for around 10 years and it didn’t disappoint.

The size of the place is colossal. Me and the wife tried to see as many places as we could…on the way home we realised we still hadn’t been to the stone circle, Glastonbury-on-sea, the healing fields, the acoustic tent, cineramageddon etc etc. We thought we did well to get around what we did but it absolutely knackered us especially with the drinking as well. Lack of sleep didn’t help and we’d go about that differently next time.

Friday was by far my best day. Saw some incredible music back to back, had great food with top top people, unfortunately the crush down by Arcadia on Friday night put a blot on the day. It ended our night early after what was just shaping up to be a big night. Hope crowd management is improved next year, as we didn’t see anyone co-ordinating. The signs were broken or giving incorrect information.

We both feel like we’d be much much better prepared next time and we’d definitely spend more of our time actually investing our attention in the areas we visitors rather than ticking them off.

Finally our party used the word ‘vibe’ an awful lot over the weekend but it was the best way to describe the atmosphere. Everyone was just really happy to be there and it showed. You can’t help but feed of the energy even when you’re tired or a little down.

an incredible place that I can’t wait to return too.

[TownesMR]

I've dreamt of going to Glastonbury since I was about 13 and am 26 now. It totally lived up to my expectations. Everyone I met was beyond nice and helped make the experience extremely memorable. Seeing the bands is one thing, but it's really the audience which made the festival for me.

[Ed90]

Been wanting to go since I was 16, I'm now 39 and finally went this year. Surpassed expectations. Cried at least 4 times with delight. Sound quality was one of the things which pleasantly surprised me, as was how generally nice people were.  Sure, drugs help with that, but I saw little to no aggro throughout the weekend, which shows that, generally, people are nice!

I'd done a fairly good job of learning the map, so was fairly efficient and only had a few minor regrets in terms of stuff I missed (I sort of expected to miss a lot more than I did). I did a fair bit of exploring, but forgot to try pushing/going into random bits of wall/doors, especially around Shangri-La.  Tried to meet up with perhaps too many disparate groups of friends which was nice, but to be fair I can see them any time.  Couldn't have asked for more weather wise, and to be honest I'm considering never going again as I wouldn't want to sully what was basically a perfect experience.

That said I've picked up a nasty cold which isn't helping with the comedown

[Levitz]

3 minutes ago, Ed90 said:

Been wanting to go since I was 16, I'm now 39 and finally went this year. Surpassed expectations. Cried at least 4 times with delight. Sound quality was one of the things which pleasantly surprised me, as was how generally nice people were.  Sure, drugs help with that, but I saw little to no aggro throughout the weekend, which shows that, generally, people are nice!

I'd done a fairly good job of learning the map, so was fairly efficient and only had a few minor regrets in terms of stuff I missed (I sort of expected to miss a lot more than I did). I did a fair bit of exploring, but forgot to try pushing/going into random bits of wall/doors, especially around Shangri-La.  Tried to meet up with perhaps too many disparate groups of friends which was nice, but to be fair I can see them any time.  Couldn't have asked for more weather wise, and to be honest I'm considering never going again as I wouldn't want to sully what was basically a perfect experience.

That said I've picked up a nasty cold which isn't helping with the comedown

Glastonbury flu is all part of the experience 😀

[moonhunter]

Been wanting to go since I was a child watching it on TV (so much so that when I got tickets my Mum was hugely excited for me and kept messaging me all the way through saying she thinks she’s seen me on TV 😭). 

It definitely lived up to my expectations! I posted on here about being worried I wouldn’t be able to physically manage it with my disabilities but I surprised myself and managed to see a lot of the site. Saturday was a write-off bc I way overdid it the night before but at least I got my SEC late night!

The people you’re with can make or break a festival but this is multiply true when you’re disabled. I’m still struggling with my desire to be totally independent - I’m used to doing many events and even festivals completely alone, so needing to rely on others has been a hard pill to swallow and it gets harder when you don’t share much music taste etc. The scale of it and FOMO definitely got to me quite a bit over the weekend too. None of that the festival’s fault, but important lessons for me to take forward. 

Obviously there were logistical issues. I had nothing to compare it to and thankfully didn’t get caught in any of the crushes but things like lack of water points, toilets and food queues were worse than any festival I’ve been to. I’m very grateful for the facilities at Spring Ground that made me feel a bit more human! 

Four Tet @ Park, Fontaines DC, PSB, and some beautiful moments in the Healing Fields will be moments I remember forever. I found people to be super friendly too. 

I’ve caught the bug and will definitely be trying for tickets again! And feeling extra prepared for the rest of the festivals I have this summer. 

[HyperTechnoHorse]

If there are any first-timers who felt the experience didn't quite 'take-off' consistently for them, I'd encourage you to go again (and again).  Each time gets better for me, I get more comfortable with the site and the culture and I get more and more out of everything.  First time I left with a lot of guilt and shame that I didn't quite 'get' the whole experience every hour of every day, but I'm convinced this is to be expected.

[Justcalledtosay]

15 hours ago, Justcalledtosay said:

I’ve been trying to get to Glastonbury for around 10 years and it didn’t disappoint.

The size of the place is colossal. Me and the wife tried to see as many places as we could…on the way home we realised we still hadn’t been to the stone circle, Glastonbury-on-sea, the healing fields, the acoustic tent, cineramageddon etc etc. We thought we did well to get around what we did but it absolutely knackered us especially with the drinking as well. Lack of sleep didn’t help and we’d go about that differently next time.

Friday was by far my best day. Saw some incredible music back to back, had great food with top top people, unfortunately the crush down by Arcadia on Friday night put a blot on the day. It ended our night early after what was just shaping up to be a big night. Hope crowd management is improved next year, as we didn’t see anyone co-ordinating. The signs were broken or giving incorrect information.

We both feel like we’d be much much better prepared next time and we’d definitely spend more of our time actually investing our attention in the areas we visitors rather than ticking them off.

Finally our party used the word ‘vibe’ an awful lot over the weekend but it was the best way to describe the atmosphere. Everyone was just really happy to be there and it showed. You can’t help but feed of the energy even when you’re tired or a little down.

an incredible place that I can’t wait to return too.

Oh i forgot to mention. I made it on to the BBC coverage during Wolf Alice!

[Quark]

49 minutes ago, HyperTechnoHorse said:

First time I left with a lot of guilt and shame that I didn't quite 'get' the whole experience every hour of every day, but I'm convinced this is to be expected.

100%. However much fun you have, you talk to other people or come somewhere like this and realise all the incredibly cool stuff you missed or didn't do. I had probably my best festival this year, but the flipside of seeing all the bands I wanted to meant I didn't do stone circle, T&C, Glasto Latino, most of the SE Corner, Green Futures, permaculture, the woods...the list goes on.

[tarw]

On 6/29/2022 at 12:30 AM, Alvoram said:

What makes Darble different? Does it have nice toilets and showers? 

It does have the cyclists camping field next to it. They have showers!  They let non-cyclists use them out of peak times for a donation to a cycling charity 

[Boomtowner]

On 6/29/2022 at 10:45 AM, Alvoram said:

Yes, very true. I was pleased to meet people in their 70s too!!! One lady we danced with for a while and gave Birthday hugs to at one of the stages was celebrating her 60th 🙂 

That's always been one of the thing's I've loved about Glastonbury. It's the young and old together. I started in my early 30's and had some fantastic conversations around Strummerville with some festival veterans in their 50's and 60's. I always thought that I'd stop around that point. Then I met a guy in his 70's (now a beloved friend) who's set the bar higher. His love for festivals and people is contagious. I hope to follow in his footsteps. As for those grumps who don't see why people would take children to Glastonbury. I loved seeing the joy on my son's face. He loved it then and he loves it now, it's a playground for all ages  Our group now ranges from ages 17 - 74, at Bearded it ranged from 2 - 74, and three of my Glastonbury moments involved kids just loving life. Never forget seeing a baby taste is first milkshake and then wrestle it from his mum to take his first gulps. Still makes me smile. Long may it remain the same! As for the first timers in our group, one just couldn't get his head around the size of the place and the other is already a concert.

Edited June 30, 2022 by Boomtowner

[waynewdk]

9 hours ago, Ed90 said:

Been wanting to go since I was 16, I'm now 39 and finally went this year. Surpassed expectations. Cried at least 4 times with delight. Sound quality was one of the things which pleasantly surprised me, as was how generally nice people were.  Sure, drugs help with that, but I saw little to no aggro throughout the weekend, which shows that, generally, people are nice!

I'd done a fairly good job of learning the map, so was fairly efficient and only had a few minor regrets in terms of stuff I missed (I sort of expected to miss a lot more than I did). I did a fair bit of exploring, but forgot to try pushing/going into random bits of wall/doors, especially around Shangri-La.  Tried to meet up with perhaps too many disparate groups of friends which was nice, but to be fair I can see them any time.  Couldn't have asked for more weather wise, and to be honest I'm considering never going again as I wouldn't want to sully what was basically a perfect experience.

That said I've picked up a nasty cold which isn't helping with the comedown

I always get glasto flu, it’s just your body run down from all the fun

[Haj88]

4 us drove down from Scotland for it - all our first time there but all with a fair amount of festy experience otherwise...

In most ways Glasto is incredible and they do so much right compared to others - no overly heavy handed security, LOADS of different food and drink options as opposed to the super limited corporate options, friendly punters and a massively eclectic line up. I'd say one thing that you get more of elsewhere is being able to chat to folk around the site. Several times I'd try spark up a conversation with someone about who they were going to see etc and they all just seemed to be in survival mode with no time for chit-chat. I'd also say, and this is totally personal, that the line up wasn't THAT good. For the sheer volume of artists performing, it was fairly rare that there was anyone who I was desperate to see and when I did take a punt on one of them I usually wasn't that interested (again, this is a purely subjective take). 

 

Compared to the majority of other festivals where every decision is taken with profit in mind, Glasto is incredible and I'm super excited at the prospect of going again next year with a brand new line up. 

[Traco]

Still trying to get my head around the whole thing so here is a brief account of the goings on.

Left Rosslare on 20:45 sailing Tuesday and parked in East 16 Campervan field at approx 04:45 Wednesday morning. We were the last few vans in that field and sent in to fill spots. Ended up by the porta loos so had the soothing thud of doors all night and a whiff when the wind blew the wrong way but it had the benefit of being very handy to get to them and dump the toilet cassette, so you win some you loose some.

First can of cider was opened ceremoniously at 05:07 and settled in on some chairs in the sunshine to watch the crowds roll in. We were 1-1.2km from gate C via the hill of death (totally over exaggerated). By around 7am the queue for entry was back up to us and kept going. I think we crashed around 8:00 for a few hours. Got up at 11 had some brekkie and headed in. We caught the end of the line at 12:00 and were checked in just after 13:00 so I think we got lucky.

Wednesday afternoon was spent wandering around the site taking it all in, it is huge and while some areas are still in build it’s a great time to see some of the SE corner before it all kicks off. Overall a chilled day of exploring, eating and pints not to mention a bit of sunburn.

Thursday was a leisurely kick off and in around lunchtime, numbers were increasing and the buzz was building. There was music today so lots to see, we had planned to be at Williams Green to see Michael Eavis and the TBA but by the time we got there news of Bastille was out and the area was completely blocked off. It was no issue as there was loads more on anyway.

I had a items planned on clashfinder, it was moreso a list of what was on that was of interest rather than an actual schedule so as not to standing around scratching my head wondering where to go if someone was crap. Anyway that pretty much went out the window. A good exercise but my advice would be don’t let it dictate your day as half the fun is stumbling onto things you wouldn’t ordinarily do.

Surprises – Pheobe Bridgers, wasn’t on the list but arrived just for the start. Were heading for Jesus and Mary Chain but thought it would take ages to get passed the Pyramid stage which it didn’t so saw her whole set. She put on a stunning show and has some talent. Would not have been on my list at all.

On Saturday the Gabriels on the Park Stage were fantastic, a super show. Of course we were at Macca, first hour was a bit slow and then it took off. Sound was brilliant and fair play, he can still belt them out. Of course Dave Grohl and Bruce upped the ante even more. I suspect that may be that last big Macca gig that we will see but I’m probably wrong.

Sunday I went Irish with the Sprints, Imelda May (poetry – who knew??), Damien Dempsey (magic set), Orla Gartland (superb) and then Imelda may again rocking out the Avalon tent. After that we wandered around and soaked it all up before heading back to the campers as very happy campers

Monday, alarms 0600, engines started 0630 and off for the 14:45 Pembroke Ferry. Got out with no delays, stopped and grabbed a bite around Cardiff. Home around 22:00.

So – its crossed your mind – do it, if it hasn’t – do it anyway!

Other than that, all that’s left to say is…………

THAAAANNKKK

YOOOOOUUUU

GLAAAASSSSSSTOOONNNNBBUUURRRYYYY!

 

 

[Crazyfool01]

On 6/29/2022 at 12:47 AM, Alvoram said:

We've already discussed this option, but I think we may want a couple more fests under our belt first. 

 

P.s I'm out of likes for the day too 😕 But thanks for the tips. 

Porta shower is amazing … when I got back Monday and showered the daily showers with that made such a difference to my normal grim Monday shower 

[clarkete]

Some lovely posts here, great to hear so many positive experiences 😊

[Furq]

40 minutes ago, clarkete said:

Some lovely posts here, great to hear so many positive experiences 😊

Yep, heartwarming!

(But weather helped - a LOT)

[NorthernSoul52]

Great weather the way to go, though will admit I enjoyed 2016 more than 2017 musically. (As an overall experience, the latter's dry weather helped massively!)