Glastonbury 2023

TenPicnics

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120772455#Comment_120772455

That's not the crowding that gets worrying at Glastonbury from my experience. The scary time at Glastonbury is when going from one stage to another at the same time as thousands doing the same thing or coming the other direction, many of them running or shoving, and pinch points happen at junctions with the main tracks between the stages and towards the south-east corner. Once you've experienced it you learn to avoid that, and all is good.

CoffeeImpala

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120771640#Comment_120771640

I'll leave it at this as I'm sure people are getting annoyed coming in expecting to see reviews and just getting a back and forth between us.

1971 doesn't support your stance that Glastonbury is timed to be the weekend after the solstice. Your Sky History link notes "By 1971, the festival was renamed The Glastonbury Fayre and the date was moved to coincide with the summer solstice." From what I can see it ran from Sunday 20th to Thursday 24th June. This is neither a weekend nor after the solstice.

I think the first year that the festival happened after the solstice was on its 7th occurrence in 1984. This event was not repeated until the 12th occurrence in 1990. They took a break in 1991 after the riots the previous year to decide on the future of the festival. I suspect that during this time the decision was reached to hold the festival to include the last Sunday/full weekend in June as that has been the case since.

About the only way I can fit the solstice into a description of when Glastonbury is held is as follows.

The weekend after the summer solstice where June 21st is used as a proxy for the actual solstice date and weekend is defined as including Friday in addition to Saturday and Sunday.

CoffeeImpala

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120772525#Comment_120772525

I had someone at Body & Soul describe this to as "Sometimes the crowd decides it wants to go one way and you just have to go along with that"

MadYaker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120772470#Comment_120772470

It depends on where you are suppose. The crowds are always localised to certain areas. I spend a lot of time in the south east corner and I remember how bad the overcrowding was there in 2016 and 2017 and these days it is vastly improved, they increased the size (Block9 has basically doubled in size) and massively improved the late night offerings in Silver Hayes and The Park and it has worked. Even getting into the temple and NYC Downlow is relatively easy now and it used to be impossible. At lunch and dinner times there have always been queues for food places, but if you're prepared to eat at slightly irregular times you can avoid queueing. Or even if places are busy you can keep walking and eventually you'll find places with smaller lines or none at all.

The pyramid field is really the worse place for potentially dangerous crowds imo. It's a shame they can't cut a whole in some trees to make another exit / entry but I don't know if that would help. Me and my group high tailed it out of there half way through Elton's last song because we knew what was coming, didn't want to be stuck there for an hour and were badly in need of a piss.

Seathrun66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120772614#Comment_120772614

I’ll go with Somerset Live, the V&A archive, the Sky History channel and the official Glastonbury site. All confirm the change in 1971 to the weekend on or after the Solstice. These are not random posters on an anonymous forum, as we are.

https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-history-of-glastonbury-festival#:~:text=Festival%20origins,free%20camping%20and%20free%20milk.

https://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/history/history-1971/#:~:text=History%201971&text=It%20had%20been%20planned%20by,theatre%2C%20lights%20and%20spontaneous%20entertainment.

Shank Williams

Keep the solistice posts coming guys, fascinating stuff!

MadYaker

I just found the footage of Elton doing Rocketman on youtube. The drone shots are amazing! I had spotted the drone hovering over the pyramid before he came on and I thought it must the festival / BBC because drones are banned for regular punters. I hope they do that next year as well, really gives you a sense of the size of the crowd.

Dreamweapon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120773152#Comment_120773152

😁😁

Seathrun66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120773152#Comment_120773152

I’ve a few more links. I’ll DM you.

orangerhyme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120771575#Comment_120771575

I think it's more things like queueing for food, toilets, showers etc has increased a lot. Also the SE corner has crowd problems. Particularly last year but this year seems bad also.

I went a few times when I was younger so read forums now after the festival to see what's new. I actually only enjoyed it I think the first time, it seems like something you endure rather than enjoy.

It might be a change in demographic rather than numbers. I think before people were quite happy to explore the site and not too bothered about the acts and headliners.

I'm not sure but consistently veterans have complained of overcrowding. Maybe it's just perception due to age.

Also it seems to be full of scousers.

robinph

It's also only the last handful of years that they have given up on the claim that things start on the Friday and now give the dates as being Wednesday to Sunday instead of Friday to Sunday.

Re long queues for food, easy to avoid if you know your way around. Most food stalls are replicated in each market area, but get away from Williams Green and the bit between Pyramid/ Other and the queues are significantly shorter. The bit from Acoustic to Circus is always shorter queues, or on the far path between Pyramid/ Other just keeping to the stalls on the outside of the bend and they will be a bit shorter than those along the racing line. Just go where other people aren't.

Seathrun66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120774403#Comment_120774403

Apologies for the length.

I’d urge you to give it another try as I don’t think it’s the festival you remember and is actually much better than you believe. I’m one of those veterans you refer to and for me it’s a festival that’s successfully evolved, particularly from the mess it got into in the late 90s.

Of course come edginess is gone but it’s comprehensively safer and crowd crushes are no longer likely. There could have been deaths at the Manics on the main stage in ‘99. The band had to stop three times. New barriers and a golden circle were put in after that. Narrow bridges were knocked to prevent bottlenecks and anti-flooding measures were taken in the late 2000s which thus far seem to be working. It’s a better and far more creative festival than it ever was and there are astonishing things around every last corner of the site.

The SE Corner gets very busy on the Thursday night particularly when everyone seems to head there but it’s not as bad as ten years ago when they had to put up barriers to hold people out, often for 2-3 hours. Moving Arcadia has lured many away as has more stuff on at the Glade, Silver Hayes and Park. They’ve also greatly expanded the SE area and it’s still busy but you can easily get around in a way you couldn’t in 2013/14.

I agree that it can be an endurance test if the weather turns bad and it’s always tiring but there’s a reason why so many of us are willing to trek large distances to both get there and get around the site. It’s simply cos it’s so bloody rewarding. Plenty of bland fare on the two main stages but it really doesn’t matter when you’ve do many other choices.

As per @robinph i also head for the shortest food queues, even if I’m often opting for blander stuff. There’s rarely a queue at the stalls opposite the entry ho the Acoustic Stage and West Holts not crazily busy either. I waited no more than 10-12 mins for any stall last year.

The demographic hasn’t greatly changed either. Lots of younger faces but they’re not the majority, not by a long way. The attendees are across all ages, plenty of them in their sixties and seventies. And there may have been a fair few Scousers and Mancs in the late 90s but far less so these days. It’s very varied and you’re as likely to come across Irish nationals as denizens of any major British city.

In short, it’s peerless and it keeps improving. If the weather is right you’ll have your best weekend of the year.

orangerhyme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120775392#Comment_120775392

Thanks for writeup but I think it's just not for me. If I couldn't handle it when I was young, then what chance do I have now?

I didn't find it overcrowded when I went in the late 00s and early 10s, but I've read numerous veterans saying it's overcrowded now, last year particularly.

I think it didn't even sell out in 07 and 08. Now it's ridiculously popular cos of social media and being bucket listy.

I just found it exhausting. By the second day I was wiped out. You don't sleep properly and are probably walking 20k a day.

I also think the "Glasto spirit" is somewhat of a myth. I can see how it could be life-changing to a naive teenager maybe though.

I did see some great gigs though but I think I just prefer going to an arena or stadium.

I once wandered in to a smallish tent after hours and what I thought was a "The Specials" tribute act turned out to actually be The Specials and they were awesome.

Another tent had random musical instruments lying around and people would just jam.

You can have lots of special, unique moments if you wander around enough.

I'm tempted to go back but as some sort of interactive performer and not bother with anything else, just have the craic with people. Not even drink and go to bed early.

Seathrun66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120775527#Comment_120775527

The Specials story is great. I’d have loved that.

.

orangerhyme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120775549#Comment_120775549

Yeah I thought it was just a ska band playing covers and I asked someone "who are they? They're great" and he responded "They're The Specials", in a somewhat condescending tone.

The tent was just a smallish one like 20 or 30m and sounded awesome l.

Ive searched various forums to see if anyone else witnessed it but it seems not but it definitely happened.

It was a Sunday night after hours like 1 or 2am back in maybe 09 or 10.

Do you've any good ideas for some sort of mobile interactive thing I could do? Just have to have the craic with people.

Something like Tarot cards maybe.

Seathrun66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120775609#Comment_120775609

Performance art/acting/roadie stuff/voluntary bar work the only way people I know got freebie tickets to get involved who aren’t musicians. But it isn’t easy. Everyone is trying.

orangerhyme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120775723#Comment_120775723

Oh its not for freebie tickets, just for fun.

I don't mind paying for tickets.

El Weirdo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120771181#Comment_120771181

Correct. I was there and I think I'll be in recovery mode for a while yet, but I'll answer the questions you asked and am happy to answer any more people may have. Not sure I'm able to write a full review though!

I went with with my daughter. We were both first-timers - me 46 and her 19.

We drove from Sligo on Monday evening to get the Dublin-Holyhead ferry at 2am on the Tuesday morning (€191 for the 2 of us and the car, each way). Drove down to London on the Tuesday to stay with a cousin and get one last sleep in a bed. Also had to collect a few supplies for the weekend.

Left London at about 8am on the Wednesday for the drive down to the farm and arrived at around 1pm (could have got there sooner, but we had a couple of stops for food, etc on the way and I took a slightly longer route in order to get onto the west side of the site). We were directed into one of the furthest car parks from the pedestrian gates and had quite a walk to get into the site. We took our rucksacks and loaded our camping gear onto a trolley and decided to get in and camped, and come back for the beers. Not gonna lie, the trek in was a slog. It had rained earlier so the tracks in were a bit muddy, but it was starting to get pretty hot otherwise, and we had to stop once or twice on the way in.

No queues for the ticket checks so we got in really quick, but I just wanted to get camped and rest up for a few minutes before going back for the beers, so we found a spot not too far from the gates. It was a little too close to the compost toilets for my liking (I can actually still get the smell now!), but we were also close to a couple of food stalls and the place was filling up really quickly so we went for it. Probably could have got a better spot if we went further out, but I really couldn't face lugging all the gear much further.

You read people saying how big Glastonbury is, but until you are actually there, you can't really comprehend it. It is **** massive.

The heat was a bit oppressive for me, but that really isn't a complaint, because the things I saw and more importantly, the people I met and chatted to more than made up for that. It really is an amazing place, filled with amazing people that are all just happy to be there and part of the greatest party on earth. It's so much more than the music and what you see on television, while amazing, doesn't do the place justice.

Best part of the weekend for me, was my daughter saying to me on the Sunday, "Daddy, if we don't get tickets for next year, we should volunteer to work it". I agreed.

AndyBoBandy

Great review.

and proof that there is still hope to go as a first timer when you are the wrong side of 40!!

TenPicnics

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120777830#Comment_120777830

Got there for my first time last year, at the grand old age of 56, and it was beyond fantastic. I'll never forget the pure elation I experienced from the minute I got the wristband. The people working there, the volunteers, the punters - 'sound' doesn't come close to the level of friendliness. And the site itself ... beautiful and vast. It is definitely one of the best experiences of my life. That elation hasn't gone completely, Glastonbury gave me a wonderful boost after those horrible pandemic times. If I never get to go again I'm OK with that .... but I'll keep trying in the ticket lottery in the autumn and the spring re-sale, just in case.

El Weirdo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120777944#Comment_120777944

So much this. See you there next year!

MadYaker

I’ll write a review in the next few days since people seem keen on reading them. I get proper post Glasto blues ever year. Haven’t even gone through my photos yet.

tommythecat

I've been there 3 times. 2000,2002 and 2013. All times we flew to Bristol and then bussed it from there. Worked out great.

Going back in 2013 was actually incredible to see how much larger the site was. New stages like the Park and the block 9 area. All brilliant additions.

I echo what the previous posters have said. It really is a one in a million festival like no other. It is hard work. You put a shift in and need a few days off after. I booked no time off after my first one and it was hell. But I was only 20 so got through it! If you ever get the opportunity to go, you should not hesitate.

TenPicnics

... and register, if you are even only half thinking about trying for tickets, it's free, simple and doesn't generate spam or anything like that. Register just once and you're good for several years (ten, I think, and it's easy to change your photo if you want). In all the years I dreamed of going, I never bothered to register and get interested pals to register, which was really stupid of me, considering the massive desire to go.

Dreamweapon

Are the Green Fields still there? I noticed in the 00s they were being encroached upon and assume that encroachment has been ongoing if the SE Corner has expanded. They were possibly my favourite area of the festival, totally different vibe and atmosphere up there.

I used to get the post-Glastonbury blues something shocking but in my last few, 2007/08/10, it wasn't too bad actually.

orangerhyme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120777830#Comment_120777830

Age doesn't matter. You'll see people of all ages there. Old hippies and small babies.

Try to get in decent physical shape before you go cos it's a fair slog. Maybe a few hikes and whatnot leading up to it.

I recommend it for everyone to try once, but I don't think it's for everyone.

MadYaker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120778625#Comment_120778625

Yeah the Green Fields are still there, along with the healing fields and permaculture, green crafts etc, it's still a huge part of the festival.

I enjoyed this little interview with Rick Astley. He'd never even been to glasto before never mind played it but I think he's been converted. He captures some of what makes it special.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re6k5n2OQWQ&ab_channel=BBCMusic

Meself

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120778111#Comment_120778111

Yeh I've really got them this year. I wasn't too bad last year but this yr is a struggle.

It was such a brilliant festival. I'm slowly diving into my Glasto recordings on the BBC.... Not sure if its a help or hindrance!

tinpib

Have been day dreaming the last few days about crossing Glastonbury off my bucket list, but it might be a year or 2 away yet at least. Even though I'm in my 40's I know that I am not too old for it, which is good.

But I just don't think I could hack the camping in a tent, as I say I'm in full on day dream mode of having my own campervan with a shower, and since it is a dream I'm thinking of sunny weather for it too. I don't mind the heat.

One day!

RINO87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120778836#Comment_120778836

Fantastic!! Rick was a hero to those of us watching on TV anyway!