‘My Glastonbury was over after less than 24 hours because of these 6 things’
Glastonbury is the most famous festival in the world for good reason.
A rite of passage for music lovers, every year some of the most famous performers on the planet belt out hits to hundreds of thousands of euphoric punters. (An eye-watering 210,000 are estimated to be on Worthy Farm this year.)
Attendees have flocked to Somerset to watch blockbuster musicians like Dua Lipa, Coldplay and Shania Twain perform over the next few days, and with Glasto also spotlighting life-changing charities as well eco-friendly causes, Michael Eavis’ festival is as cutting-edge today as it was when Worthy Farm’s gates first swung open 54 years ago.
I first came to Glastonbury 15 years ago at the tender age of 17 (I am now at the not-so-tender age of 32). I arrived this year on Thursday and while I spent days darting to and from Superdrug in a bid to cross off items from my ‘festival checklist’, there were a handful of factors no amount of drugstore trips could prepare me for - and they meant my second Glasto experience was pretty much over before it even got started.
After more than a decade away from Worthy Farm, here are six things I wish I’d prepared for.
The portaloo situation at Glastonbury festival on Friday morning
Rubbish galore on the grounds of Glastonbury
Dust
While Glastonbury is hardly Burning Man, there’s a whole lot of dust around. Any time the wind blows or a car slowly barges through a crowd, puffs of orangey smoke fill the air. I didn’t think much of it until I blew my nose this morning and washed my face to find my flannel an unappealing shade of brown. Sunglasses and wet wipes are your best friend when it’s dry.
Mosquitos
One thing I instantly regretted not stocking up on when I woke up this morning was bug repellent. Somerset is more renowned for cows than mosquitoes, but they’re certainly out there. So, if you’re someone with high levels of carboxylic acids (the waxy coating on human skin that attracts mosquitoes if it’s present in higher quantities), you’ll want to load up on insect repellent.
The cold
I wore a jumper and tracksuit bottoms to bed and was tucked up tight in a duvet but still woke up shivering. The temperature really does drop at night and I’m kicking myself for not packing thermals. You’ll want to layer up, even if mercury does hit the high 20s in the day.
Crowds
Crowd control is bucketloads better than it was on site 15 years ago, but the time it takes to walk from one stage to another was still a shock to the system and it’s worth seeking out alternative routes between stages if possible - so have a map on you at all times! At one point I found myself at a standstill for more than 10 minutes, and that was on Thursday before all the main music kicks off.
Drinks
Not just expensive, but very warm. I’d long forgotten that the majority of bars don’t actually pour you a new beer, instead, they grab you a pre-poured beverage from a huge table filled with other pre-pours, so brace yourself for some lukewarm pints.
Steps
I arrived on site at around 4pm on Thursday and by 10pm had already racked up more than 21,000 steps. Sure, most people bring blister packs in preparation, but it was my bones that were left aching, so a spare change of shoes is a must.
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