How would you do Glastonbury differently next time?

[CauliflowerEar]

Next year ill need to bring more cocaine as mine ran out on Saturday night and i therefore had to go off in search of some, which wasted a couple of hours. In the end the stuff i got off some scousers was ok, but nowhere near as good as the stuff i get in London. I guess its a good idea to bring way more than you need, but with sniff it's easy to go overboard and not leave enough for Sunday.  

In terms of arrival, i normally turn up on Wednesday evening, after all the keen people have gone through. By then, the security cant be arsed to search your bag properly anymore as they have had a long day. This is good if you bring in large quantities of laughing gas to sell, as hiding multiple 100s of canisters can be tricky. Other than that, it doesn't really matter what time i arrive anyway because I am always assured of a good spot on Pennards, my mates have it all sorted. I find it hilarious that people queue overnight just to be first through the gates, little do they know there are people waiting in the wings having gained entry in the preceding days, who just before the gates open make their way over to the best spots to set up camp and save others space nearby. 

 

Edited July 11, 2022 by CauliflowerEar

[gooner1990]

10 minutes ago, Gnomicide said:

We decided one year to rock up later, get to the queue around 11:00 and camp in a spot a bit further out. That was 2016, I'm permanently scarred by that, just being in the car park on Tuesday night is now relaxing, knowing that no matter what, it won't be a repeat of that year.  

What happened? 

[blutarsky]

9 minutes ago, CauliflowerEar said:

Next year ill need to bring more cocaine as mine ran out on Saturday night and i therefore had to go off in search of some, which wasted a couple of hours. In the end the stuff i got off some scousers was ok, but nowhere near as good as the stuff i get in London. I guess its a good idea to bring way more than you need, but with sniff it's easy to go overboard and not leave enough for Sunday.  

In terms of arrival, i normally turn up on Wednesday evening, after all the keen people have gone through. By then, the security cant be arsed to search your bag properly anymore as they have had a long day. This is good if you bring in large quantities of laughing gas to sell, as hiding multiple 100s of canisters can be tricky. Other than that, it doesn't really matter what time i arrive anyway because I am always assured of a good spot on Pennards, my mates have it all sorted. I find it hilarious that people queue overnight just to be first through the gates, little do they know there are people waiting in the wings having gained entry in the preceding days, who just before the gates open make their way over to the best spots to set up camp and save others space nearby. 

 

Mate, you are so fucking hard and cool. How do you walk around each day dragging that massive set of bollocks with you? I'm in awe. 🙄

Fuck. I fed the troll. 

[Avalon_Fields]

I'll very much hope I can get in early (Full day Tuesday in CV fields) and escape easily (Monday 6am), wouldn't miss the Wednesday & Thursday for the world, but what I must do is not float around too much. I ended up seeing a large number of acts but most were only partial sets. I'm not sure if my attention span is poorer than before but I need to chill out, listen to full sets and be less bothered what I may miss out on.

[gooner1990]

3 minutes ago, blutarsky said:

Mate, you are so fucking hard and cool. How do you walk around each day dragging that massive set of bollocks with you? I'm in awe. 🙄

Fuck. I fed the troll. 

tbf the first paragraph sounded a lot like a couple of my mates 😄

[fred quimby]

16 minutes ago, CauliflowerEar said:

Next year ill need to bring more cocaine as mine ran out on Saturday night and i therefore had to go off in search of some, which wasted a couple of hours. In the end the stuff i got off some scousers was ok, but nowhere near as good as the stuff i get in London. I guess its a good idea to bring way more than you need, but with sniff it's easy to go overboard and not leave enough for Sunday.  

In terms of arrival, i normally turn up on Wednesday evening, after all the keen people have gone through. By then, the security cant be arsed to search your bag properly anymore as they have had a long day. This is good if you bring in large quantities of laughing gas to sell, as hiding multiple 100s of canisters can be tricky. Other than that, it doesn't really matter what time i arrive anyway because I am always assured of a good spot on Pennards, my mates have it all sorted. I find it hilarious that people queue overnight just to be first through the gates, little do they know there are people waiting in the wings having gained entry in the preceding days, who just before the gates open make their way over to the best spots to set up camp and save others space nearby. 

 

Always take more than you need. 

I do love your posts,but  you need to be consistent though, you always said you snuck in. 

[CauliflowerEar]

3 minutes ago, fred quimby said:

Always take more than you need. 

I do love your posts,but  you need to be consistent though, you always said you snuck in. 

Sneaking in can also mean you go through the gates and security channels. Your biggest enemy are normally those weird, cringey, creepy middle aged Oxfam supervisors with a walkie talkie. 

[Bomei]

Next time... 

Forget about the clashfinder obsession. Maybe check times a day or 2 before the fest, make a note of 5 or so must sees and leave the rest to luck of the wander.

Get more sleep. I arrived 1am weds morning and joined the queue, but couldn't sleep till weds night and then was woken up at 6.30am on Thurs. Plus was up for nearly 24hrs on Friday, so I was exhausted by Sunday.

Spend more time in the sec. Did it I previous years but not really this year, and really missed it. 

Ignore any and all listings like TLC, mcfly, legends lot etc - too big crowds! Much rather go for a small act that has some surprises. 

Small stages > big stages!!!

Get a sim with a decent company. This year could barely use my phone at all 😕

[Mark E. Spliff]

38 minutes ago, CauliflowerEar said:

Next year ill need to bring more cocaine as mine ran out on Saturday night and i therefore had to go off in search of some, which wasted a couple of hours. In the end the stuff i got off some scousers was ok, but nowhere near as good as the stuff i get in London. I guess its a good idea to bring way more than you need, but with sniff it's easy to go overboard and not leave enough for Sunday.  

In terms of arrival, i normally turn up on Wednesday evening, after all the keen people have gone through. By then, the security cant be arsed to search your bag properly anymore as they have had a long day. This is good if you bring in large quantities of laughing gas to sell, as hiding multiple 100s of canisters can be tricky. Other than that, it doesn't really matter what time i arrive anyway because I am always assured of a good spot on Pennards, my mates have it all sorted. I find it hilarious that people queue overnight just to be first through the gates, little do they know there are people waiting in the wings having gained entry in the preceding days, who just before the gates open make their way over to the best spots to set up camp and save others space nearby. 

 

Just in case anyone hasn't spotted it already (e.g. in the Vegans at Glastonbury thread) this CauliflowerEar/Jimbarkanoodle character is a good friend of Barry Fish.  So remember this next time Barry's having one of his 'all the woke lefty snowflakes are picking on me and labelling me a troll for doing nothing more than expressing my honest opinion that I hate them as much as I hate Glastonbury' tantrums.

I can't give an answer to the question posed by this thread because in all honesty, I think I got it nailed this year.  I've been doing it many years so I've sorted out all the boring logistical stuff like clothing, camping equipment and regulating substance abuse to get the optimal balance between enjoyment and ruin - so there's no point me even mentioning these things as they've all been discussed ad nauseum in their own threads.  The one thing that I finally did to perfection this year was to completely triumph over the fear of missing out.  Although I'd scribbled down a few reminders of what I wouldn't mind seeing, I paid little attention to it, and just made the most of wherever I was and whatever I was doing at that time.  For example, I ended up having to trek miles across the site in my spare time to try and sort out a problem with the work  I was doing, but I just treated it as an adventure and one thing led to another and it turned out to be one of the best nights of my festival.  I now reckon you can predict who's going to have a good time and who's going to have a stressful melodrama simply by how focused they are on their 'itinerary.'

Edited July 11, 2022 by Mark E. Spliff

[CauliflowerEar]

10 minutes ago, Mark E. Spliff said:

Just in case anyone hasn't spotted it already (e.g. in the Vegans at Glastonbury thread) this CauliflowerEar/Jimbarkanoodle character is a good friend of Barry Fish.  So remember this next time Barry's having one of his 'all the woke lefty snowflakes are picking on me and labelling me a troll for doing nothing more than expressing my honest opinion that I hate them as much as I hate Glastonbury' tantrums.

I can't give an answer to the question posed by this thread because in all honesty, I think I got it nailed this year.  I've been doing it many years so I've sorted out all the boring logistical stuff like clothing, camping equipment and regulating substance abuse to get the optimal balance between enjoyment and ruin - so there's no point me even mentioning these things as they've all been discussed ad nauseum in their own threads.  The one thing that I finally did to perfection this year was to completely triumph over the fear of missing out.  Although I'd scribbled down a few reminders of what I wouldn't mind seeing, I paid little attention to it, and just made the most of wherever I was and whatever I was doing at that time.  For example, I ended up having to trek miles across the site in my spare time to try and sort out a problem with the work  I was doing, but I just treated it as an adventure and one thing led to another and it turned out to be one of the best nights of my festival.  I now reckon you can predict who's going to have a good time and who's going to have a stressful melodrama simply by how focused they are on their 'itinerary.'

I don't know anyone on here mate, its an internet forum. Strange how you would assume otherwise. Run along now. 

[Tranquility of Solitude]

Both myself and my tiny tent are getting old. It’s served me well, but I’ve always gone for the light weight over the comfort of space and being able to stand up. I am now finding that getting undressed and dressed in it, and getting in and out of a sleeping bag, is a bit much for my creaking body to cope with after being on my feet all day. So next time, I’ll be there with a new, larger tent. I’ll be asking for recommendations come October if I get a ticket.

[Mark E. Spliff]

2 minutes ago, Tranquility of Solitude said:

Both myself and my tiny tent are getting old. It’s served me well, but I’ve always gone for the light weight over the comfort of space and being able to stand up. I am now finding that getting undressed and dressed in it, and getting in and out of a sleeping bag, is a bit much for my creaking body to cope with after being on my feet all day. So next time, I’ll be there with a new, larger tent. I’ll be asking for recommendations come October if I get a ticket.

(Re. the troll responding to my previous post - the best way to annoy them is to talk about, not to them.  Try it.)

I promised I wouldn't mention boring camping stuff, but your mention of the awkwardness of sleeping bags reminds me of one product that doesn't get the publicity it deserves on here - camping quilts.  The expensive down ones pack down insanely small, and they're lightyears ahead when it comes to comfort.  The only drawback is they require a bit of camping know-how, e.g. you need to know how to wash/store down products and you need to have a bed/mat that provides sufficient ground insulation.

[gfa]

will lock up my favourite acts for 2 weeks before the festival and not them out till day of. not having a repeat of chems at '23 🤞

[balti-pie]

14 minutes ago, Tranquility of Solitude said:

Both myself and my tiny tent are getting old. It’s served me well, but I’ve always gone for the light weight over the comfort of space and being able to stand up. I am now finding that getting undressed and dressed in it, and getting in and out of a sleeping bag, is a bit much for my creaking body to cope with after being on my feet all day. So next time, I’ll be there with a new, larger tent. I’ll be asking for recommendations come October if I get a ticket.

Its really early doors and a slightly unimaginative recommendation, but the fresh n black tents really are very decent. Staying a little bit cooler and allowing for afternoon naps/lie ins/decent quality sleep is a gamechanger, particularly if youre working and need to maximise your rest. I always want a porch in which i can sit in a chair, other than that im not too fussed by capacity etc - its good for storage, comfort, clothing, taking boots off, all sorts. If i have that, everything else is fine. 

[Gnomicide]

59 minutes ago, gooner1990 said:

What happened? 

That was the year of the horrific weather pre-festival and it had a huge impact getting people on site on the Wednesday.

We'd made good progress down from the North West, no problems, no queues, almost all motorways so had done 90%+ of the journey in under 4 hours. When we stopped at the last services we checked social media and read how shit it had been and the festival were asking people to delay their journeys. 

Not a lot we could do then so carried on and hit the traffic not too far away at 10:51 (I knew it was going to be bad so made a note). 

It took us nearly 9 hours to do the last 15 miles. 

[Gnomicide]

33 minutes ago, Tranquility of Solitude said:

Both myself and my tiny tent are getting old. It’s served me well, but I’ve always gone for the light weight over the comfort of space and being able to stand up. I am now finding that getting undressed and dressed in it, and getting in and out of a sleeping bag, is a bit much for my creaking body to cope with after being on my feet all day. So next time, I’ll be there with a new, larger tent. I’ll be asking for recommendations come October if I get a ticket.

I treated myself to a tent you can stand up in a few years back. It's a Hi-Gear Aura 3, I don't think they do anymore but it may give you an idea.

Pros - you can stand up! Big ol' porch you can fit a few people with chairs in if it's raining. Can easily accommodate someone else (one of my sons shared it this year). Pretty easy to put up.

Cons - gets very hot. Quite heavy (25kg) so definitely need a trolley, a couple of people to carry or just be strong.

 

*bog roll for scale.

Edited July 11, 2022 by Gnomicide

[Bomei]

16 minutes ago, Gnomicide said:

That was the year of the horrific weather pre-festival and it had a huge impact getting people on site on the Wednesday.

We'd made good progress down from the North West, no problems, no queues, almost all motorways so had done 90%+ of the journey in under 4 hours. When we stopped at the last services we checked social media and read how shit it had been and the festival were asking people to delay their journeys. 

Not a lot we could do then so carried on and hit the traffic not too far away at 10:51 (I knew it was going to be bad so made a note). 

It took us nearly 9 hours to do the last 15 miles. 

Yeah I remember tryin to enter in 2016... Can't remember the specifics but I believe we were in a queue a fair few miles from the site, in daylight, with people getting out their cars to play cricket..! Then once off the road and driving across the fields, cars were getting stuck trying before they even got to the car parks. Was pretty chaotic. Not to mention how many 100s of wellies were lost to the great quagmires at the entrance to the park and on the west holts side of the pyramid! Still had a great time, and LCD Soundsystem closing the other on sunday remains one of the best performances I've ever seen, or will ever see! 

Edited July 11, 2022 by Bomei

[Green Croc]

Spend more time in Glasto Latino. I popped in on the Sunday night on my way to SEC and it was so much fun, perfect vibe for a bridge between a headliner and a DJ later on in SEC

[banananey]

Go by car rather than coach. Yeah the coach ticket is an extra shot at going but getting one at 4am on Monday and being stuck in traffic for ages in London around 8-9 was not fun. Would rather just get straight in the car after the Sunday headliner and go home.

Also going with more people who actually like music so I can see more stuff I actually want to see.

[MEGATRONICMEATWAGON]

- It's difficult because a couple of my close friends love the SE Corner and although I've had some great nights there, I've also had a few mediocre ones where no one feels 100% keen on the music and we just kind of bumble around. If I go next year, I think I'll try and see it through the day, then go somewhere new for evening entertainment.

- Drink a few less pints in the daytime and save my drink for the evening. I always feel a bit groggy and then I need to get on the harder stuff from around 6pm-ish. It was fine when I was 21, but I'm not able to do that so much anymore.

- Another drinking related one, try to avoid getting absolutely shitfaced on the Wed. It's always been a big night for us, but it messes up the Thursday and if it's a really heavy night, can now drag on into Friday.

- Make sure to pack even lighter. I've always taken a bit too extra for fear of an emergency. Need to slimline even more and accept that if I really do need some extra clothes, I can always buy some more at one of the shops.

[gooner1990]

1 hour ago, Gnomicide said:

That was the year of the horrific weather pre-festival and it had a huge impact getting people on site on the Wednesday.

We'd made good progress down from the North West, no problems, no queues, almost all motorways so had done 90%+ of the journey in under 4 hours. When we stopped at the last services we checked social media and read how shit it had been and the festival were asking people to delay their journeys. 

Not a lot we could do then so carried on and hit the traffic not too far away at 10:51 (I knew it was going to be bad so made a note). 

It took us nearly 9 hours to do the last 15 miles. 

Wasn't that more due to the specific weather that year rather than the tactics of arriving on site?

We sat on the A37 about 2 miles from site for about 4-5 hours......but then walked straight in when we did get there (11am or so) so swings and roundabouts I guess! 🙂 

[pie_and_a_pint]

1 hour ago, balti-pie said:

Its really early doors and a slightly unimaginative recommendation, but the fresh n black tents really are very decent. Staying a little bit cooler and allowing for afternoon naps/lie ins/decent quality sleep is a gamechanger, particularly if youre working and need to maximise your rest. I always want a porch in which i can sit in a chair, other than that im not too fussed by capacity etc - its good for storage, comfort, clothing, taking boots off, all sorts. If i have that, everything else is fine. 

I have a three-man pop up fresh and black and (aside from being a bit tricky to pack away till you get the knack) it’s brilliant. 

[CauliflowerEar]

1 hour ago, Mark E. Spliff said:

(Re. the troll responding to my previous post - the best way to annoy them is to talk about, not to them.  Try it.)

I promised I wouldn't mention boring camping stuff, but your mention of the awkwardness of sleeping bags reminds me of one product that doesn't get the publicity it deserves on here - camping quilts.  The expensive down ones pack down insanely small, and they're lightyears ahead when it comes to comfort.  The only drawback is they require a bit of camping know-how, e.g. you need to know how to wash/store down products and you need to have a bed/mat that provides sufficient ground insulation.

No one cares about your 'camping quilts' mate. Although with your 'camping know-how', im sure you have some other thrilling tips to pass down to us. Perhaps you can advise on the best way to prepare a sachet of powdered egg each morning, or something else just as spectacularly boring? 

[BumJuice]

Bring decent innersoles for all footwear, go easy on Thurs night, earplugs for sleep and have the energy to have a late night blowout on Sunday AM!

[Mark E. Spliff]

4 minutes ago, CauliflowerEar said:

No one cares about your 'camping quilts' mate. Although with your 'camping know-how', im sure you have some other thrilling tips to pass down to us. Perhaps you can advise on the best way to prepare a sachet of powdered egg each morning, or something else just as spectacularly boring? 

I've evidently touched a nerve, which counts as a direct hit when troll-trolling.  Plus, if you scroll up and look at his previous reply to my earlier post, you'll notice an important mistake he's made: he forgot to deny my assertion that he was also the equally-dismal troll 'Jimbarkanoodle.'  Given that (in his preceding post) he's also contradicted his claim that he sneaked in this year, I'd say this was a very bad day's trolling for this young chap.