What does your first hour at Glastonbury look like?

[giantkatestacks]

Park up, head to recycling wristbanding, encounter a Bit of a Queue, help random people in wrong queue. Stagger through gate, reach Tom's Field. Watch husband put up tent after brief rowette about perfect site. Get out the chairs. Have a sit down with a cold coke from the crew bar (if sunny). Make tea in crew tent (if rainy).

[Jacko45]

Just wanted to admit something, I'm not a serial killer everyone BUT...

I LIKE PUTTING UP TENTS

There I said it. 

[gooner1990]

[rwoo]

Just now, Jacko45 said:

Just wanted to admit something, I'm not a serial killer everyone BUT...

I LIKE PUTTING UP TENTS

There I said it. 

Haha, madness! I'm sure everyone loves going camping with you though. You're welcome to put mine up... 

[giantkatestacks]

3 minutes ago, Jacko45 said:

Just wanted to admit something, I'm not a serial killer everyone BUT...

I LIKE PUTTING UP TENTS

There I said it. 

Yes my partner often wanders off to help others in need. It's a compulsion. That's the second hour though so not described above.

[Skip997]

5 minutes ago, Jacko45 said:

Just wanted to admit something, I'm not a serial killer everyone BUT...

I LIKE PUTTING UP TENTS

There I said it. 

 

1 minute ago, giantkatestacks said:

Yes my partner often wanders off to help others in need. It's a compulsion. That's the second hour though so not described above.

I also like putting up tents. I particularly like the challenge of putting up a tent when the owner has lost/forgotten the instructions.

[Jacko45]

1 minute ago, Skip997 said:

 

I also like putting up tents. I particularly like the challenge of putting up a tent when the owner has lost/forgotten the instructions.

Instructions?!

I like to go in bareback with my tent putting up. 

[danssol]

Get through the gate, walk to pretty much the same spot as the last 7-8 years. Unpack the tent, sit down and wait for the others to arrive (beers are usually with walkers). Stand around with hands on hips for 5 minutes drinking it all in. Start putting up the tent with random shouts of  “to me, to you”, comedy gold. Nap and then go for a wander and get pissed

[Crazyfool01]

The air tents remove most of the challenge … I can put mine up in around 5 mins … especially as it’s attached to the inners so don’t have to worry about the heat while attaching that 

[DareToDibble]

Technically my first hour is spent on the transfer bus from Drop & Collect Point over to Gate A, followed by about a 3-4 hour wait in the queue.

My first hour once gate open involve hating every, single, second of the walk to the field we camp in, followed by a 5 minute sit down to catch my breath and try to stop sweating.

Then comes the fun of setting up camp. As a group we do 2 tents a time and spend what feels like an hour on its own going “left a bit, right a bit, ok perfect” before pegging the tents down 😅

Finally, by far the best part, then sit down and have my first drink of the weekend before setting off on a wander around site.

[Barneym]

Tent and airbed have to be up before a beer is allowed to be opened. Then sit around for ages chatting shit with some tunes on. Fist official pint then always purchased from the Bimble and a walk up to the sign to take it all in (we are well past the first hour by now). In this time I’ve always forgotten about food and have been up since 4am so inevitably we then need to walk down and buy something in the Park 

[balti-pie]

6 minutes ago, Crazyfool01 said:

The air tents remove most of the challenge … I can put mine up in around 5 mins … especially as it’s attached to the inners so don’t have to worry about the heat while attaching that 

oh god yeah. I have a four man blackout air tent for me (i'm there for a week, and i need a bit of room ok!) , which if it wasnt an air tent, would be a cacophony of sweaty wrestling and swears. Now its an easy five min job! 

[Jacko45]

4 minutes ago, Barneym said:

Tent and airbed have to be up before a beer is allowed to be opened. Then sit around for ages chatting shit with some tunes on. Fist official pint then always purchased from the Bimble and a walk up to the sign to take it all in (we are well past the first hour by now). In this time I’ve always forgotten about food and have been up since 4am so inevitably we then need to walk down and buy something in the Park 

Absolutely, you need to establish a camp before any real relaxation can take place.

Have a mate who get's there dumps his bag, has a beer goes and gets food and probably sets his tent up after a few hours. 

Madness beyond my comprehension. 

[gooner1990]

17 minutes ago, Crazyfool01 said:

The air tents remove most of the challenge … I can put mine up in around 5 mins … especially as it’s attached to the inners so don’t have to worry about the heat while attaching that 

Sorry to sound silly here but how do they inflate, is it a self inflating thing or do you have to pump it?

[Zig-A-Zig-Ah]

Fling the Tent up then a sit down trying to psych myself up for the 2^nd run back to the car for the booze.

[wiremog]

Usually it's racing across the site from the coach park to bag one of the last remaining spots on Big Ground, throwing up the tent and sitting down with a drink.

This year it'll be sitting at the cider bar waiting for Love Fields to open!

[p.pete]

2 hours ago, Skip997 said:

Arrive at Dragon field, greet whoever of our crew and general Green Field crew are about, have a chat. Basic set up of the van and then either go on shift or take a wonder around Green crafts and Undle ground to see who else is about.

Any idea if the 50p tea tent people are ever likely to return?  I vaguely remember them seeming pissed off at something generally in 2019 then not there in 2022 - hopefully bridges not burnt should they fancy returning.

First hour I think I'm normally in a bit of a dazed blur, depending on what the ordeal has been to get in and set up.  Arrival method and time really does make a massive difference.  Either way I'm eager to start breaking into booze, get out for a walk, sit and look at the magazine, say hello to neighbours.  What I really need is a nap, but not sure that's ever happened.

[rwoo]

44 minutes ago, gooner1990 said:

Sorry to sound silly here but how do they inflate, is it a self inflating thing or do you have to pump it?

You have to pump them up. You can use the pump for your air bed as well. I've got a massive air tent but it's too heavy for bigger festivals. Can't vouch for the weight of the smaller ones. Very easy to erect as stated though.

[Crazyfool01]

45 minutes ago, gooner1990 said:

Sorry to sound silly here but how do they inflate, is it a self inflating thing or do you have to pump it?

Yeah a pump.  a few pumps for each air pole and they are up  …. The downside is they are a bit heavier than the pole versions 

[Jacko45]

14 minutes ago, Crazyfool01 said:

Yeah a pump.  a few pumps for each air pole and they are up  …. The downside is they are a bit heavier than the pole versions 

 

That's weird i'd always assumed that was an upside of them, thinking they'd be lighter without obviously the cumbersome poles. 

[Skip997]

15 minutes ago, p.pete said:

Any idea if the 50p tea tent people are ever likely to return? 

No idea I'm afraid.

Hope so as it was a great place to chill and people watch.

[Watergirl]

Once I get through the gate I walk away from the people who shout that you cannot wait there and find somewhere to sit down for about ten minutes.  Coming by bus and having to carry everything in one go, the slow-walking queue with backpack and other luggage can be tough going!

[-TLR-]

I am interested by this talk of "air tents".

i had actually been looking at them recently (i'm forever getting suckered in by all the go outdoors etc emails)

but my concern would be how do they hold up at Glastonbury (as opposed to a nice calm family camping trip).

after the 100th mashed passer by has fallen into your tent you maybe unlucky enough to have a bent tent-pole or something to deal with in a normal tent, but what happens if the air part of the air tent get damaged?

are they really robust?

genuinely interested to know as, like i say, i have been having a look at them.

[Crazyfool01]

1 minute ago, -TLR- said:

I am interested by this talk of "air tents".

i had actually been looking at them recently (i'm forever getting suckered in by all the go outdoors etc emails)

but my concern would be how do they hold up at Glastonbury (as opposed to a nice calm family camping trip).

after the 100th mashed passer by has fallen into your tent you maybe unlucky enough to have a bent tent-pole or something to deal with in a normal tent, but what happens if the air part of the air tent get damaged?

are they really robust?

genuinely interested to know as, like i say, i have been having a look at them.

I tend to stay a bit back from main paths but apart from a bit of extra weight I’d say they are decent … not seen any damaged ones yet but they do come with a repair patch . They are pretty common place at glastonbury and I’ve not yet seen any deflation issues mentioned on here yet 

[Memory Man]

4 hours ago, -TLR- said:

first hour is pretty standard - have a tantrum in the style of a toddler whilst putting up the tent.

only open my first drink after the tent is up - so for me the sound of that first can opening is also sort of symbolic of the start of my festival - the next hour is then taken calming down from getting pissed off with the tent and off we go! 😀 

i know its pathetic, but i basically hate everything it takes to get to that point - the journey to site, getting onto site, getting to the camp, getting the camp set up... i just find it all too stressful... so once thats all sorted... ohhhhh yeah....

I am exactly the same as you!! I throw a tantrum, find out ive forgotten something and then spend an hour calming down from the ordeal 😂