UPDATE: rules for taking in alcohol DON'T change for Glastonbury Festival

people can use wheeled transport to bring in alcohol - official!

By Scott Williams | Published: Thu 13th Jun 2013

Glastonbury Festival 2013 - around the festival site (11)
Photo credit: Phil Bull

Glastonbury Festival 2013

Wednesday 26th to Sunday 30th June 2013
Worthy Farm, Pilton, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 4AZ, England MAP
£205 (secured with a £50 deposit) - SOLD OUT
Daily capacity: 177,500

Glastonbury Festival have sent out some information on taking in alcohol that may be missleading. Farmer and Festival organiser, Michael Eavis has clarified on the official website that people can use wheeled transport to bring in alcohol.

He stated, "In reference to the email about alcohol that went out to Glastonbury 2013 ticket holders this morning, my personal preference is for people that come to our festival to drink much less! However, Glastonbury remains the only major festival that allows people to bring their own alcohol in, and you are still OK to bring your own alcohol through the gates, providing it's just for your own use (whether it's on a trolley or not).

Michael Eavis"


We recommend you take Michael's advice and drink less. Glastonbury is indeed, the only major UK festival that allows you to take alcohol into the event, however an email sent out to those who had bought tickets stated that they had changed their policy on the amount they would permit and also how you could take in with you . An email sent out to Festival goers includes highlighting the following restrictions:

"BRINGING ALCOHOL ON SITE Glastonbury is the only major UK festival that allows you to take alcohol into the event. However, we need to encourage reasonable consumption and discourage over-consumption, so there are some provisions.
1. Any alcohol brought onto the site must be for personal consumption only
2. No glass bottles can be brought onto the site
3. You must be able to carry your alcohol yourself, without using any wheeled devices, including trolleys, wheelbarrows and wheeled suitcases.
4. Any Alcohol which is brought to the gates using a wheeled device will not be allowed in, and may be confiscated We hope you have a safe and enjoyable Festival."

The Festival organiser has now clarified that Glastonbury's policy is unchanged and that they still warn that amounts considered beyond reasonable personal use will be confiscated at the gate.

Those bringing their own alcohol are asked to remember that all glass bottles will be confiscated -  Festival goers must decant all contents into plastic bottles before coming on site. Another suggestion is that you put empty cans in the bins provided and not just leave them on the ground, as once the Festival is over the ground returns to farmland. Remember the mantra, "Love The Farm & Leave No Trace."

Before the statement from Glastonbury Festival's founder the subject was the hot topic of some debate on our forums (here) where it was suggested that perhaps the answer lied in bringing a hovercraft or sledge, not only could it solve your carrying problems but it can also be used to get around the hillsides once on site! 

The email also discussed the fact the Festival will be operating the 'Challenge 21' policy whereby if you look under 21 you will be asked for identification. It is illegal to buy alcohol if you are a minor so please note you will not be served if you are under 18 or if you look under 21 and do not have appropriate ID. Organisers are also trialing a 'Challenge 21 wristband scheme'. This means that if you look under 21 you can show your ID once, and get a wristband that demonstrates that you are over 18. The wristbands are available from the Property Lock-Ups. The wristband scheme is voluntary and you can still get an alcoholic drink without a 'Challenge 21' wristband - as long as you are over 18 and can prove it, if challenged, by bar staff.

In two weeks time the gates will have already opened for Glastonbury Festival's gates open most of the extensive line-up across more than 50 stages has been announced, as well as music there's theatre, circus, comedy, speakers, special guests, films, installations, and campaigners who will be keeping Festival goers entertained over the five full days from Wednesday 26th June until Monday 1st July 2013 across a 1000 hectares (2470 acres) of beautiful countryside at Worthy Farm, Somerset.

Tickets were priced at £205, and have sold out.


The Rolling Stones, Mumford & Sons, and Arctic Monkeys headline with Bobby Womack, Dizzee Rascal, Primal Scream, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Vampire Weekend, Elvis Costello, Portishead, Chase & Status, The xx, Foals, Example, The Smashing Pumpkins, Alt-J, Two Door Cinema Club, Public Image Ltd. (PiL), Tame Impala, Alabama Shakes, Editors, Chic Ft. Nile Rodgers, Public Enemy, The Weeknd, Seasick Steve, Major Lazer, Tom Tom Club, Maverick Sabre, Lianne La Havas, Crystal Castles, Hurts, Phoenix, Bruce Forsyth, Bastille, Everything Everything, James Blake, Johnny Marr, The Courteeners, Jessie Ware, Cat Power, The Horrors, Fuck Buttons, Django Django, Rodriguez, Dinosaur Jr, Calexico, Steve Mason, Palma Violets, Devandra Banhat, Michael Kiwanuka, Steve Winwood, Sinead O' Connor, Lucinda Williams, Glen Hansard, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, Gabrielle Aplin, The Proclaimers, Martha Wainwright, Seth Lakeman, KT Tunstall, Ben Caplan, Beverley Knight, Crowns, Evan Dando, Gary Clark Jr, and many, many more.

There are still a few more to be confirmed for the Festival including BBC Introducing, Arcadia, The Croissant-Neuf Bandstand, Greenpeace, Shangri-La: Heaven, Strummerville, and The Arctic Dome.

To take a look at the music line-up see our Glastonbury 2013 line-up here.




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