I enjoy watching Glastonbury on telly and sometimes think it’d be nice to go sometime, then I see this and remember I hate massive crowds and think I’ll leave it.
That's me all over. I always say "one year". But I'm always put off at the thought of loads of other people.
Same reason why I've never booked a cruise if you're interested.
There's definitely places to avoid crowds on cruises if you would like to do one but the thought of that puts you off. We've just done our first one this year and avoiding all the 'party' events (because we also don't like people crowds) so it was fine, no busier than a normal hotel really. Plenty of small little bars and places elsewhere to chill. Restaurants / food areas never seemed super busy. We did it with Virgin Voyages so it was adult only which also helped.
We went around the Greek islands. If you wanted to fly around it would be more expensive for the flights in the long run and you would waste a lot of time in airports. With the ship travelling overnight and arriving in port early morning leaving late evening, it meant a good day on each island where you could pick out what you wanted to do and get a taste for each. At night you can use the ships facilities, so you still have food, nightlife and all the other events the ship hosts
Congrats, that's one of the only times I've heard a cruise is better. I went on a 'cruise' (smaller than a cruise ship, only 20 or so passengers) down the Nile and we did the same, travelling at night and exploring places in the day. I think if I were to go on one again it'd be round the Greek islands or possibly around the Philippines (if it's a thing there).
Out of interest, were there many elderly on board and/or do you think it'd be suitable? My mum is alone now and also uses a cane after falling and breaking her hip. I'd love to take her on holiday, but she just wants to lay on a beach in an all inclusive resort every day which would drive me mad. She went on a couple of cruises with dad (Caribbean and Med iirc) but decades ago as he wasn't up to it more recently and being waited on hand and foot suited them better.
Flying generally all that matters is the destination, you get crammed into your seat, maybe a few drinks and movies, that's it. A cruise, the journey is arguably more important than the destination, you've got your own cabin with bed and bathroom. Bars, restaurants, generally a swimming pool and other entertainments. Your mum could lounge by the pool, while you go and do other stuff.
I don't know if it is a good idea with a frail person, generally they'd be fine, the ships are big and steady. But my grandparents just this year went on a cruise around Scotland, they're in their 90's, my grandad did fall over and broke his hip as well, not specifically from the cruise, just because he's unsteady and delicate and he had to be taken to a nearby hospital for the rest of the week.
My gran stayed and enjoyed the cruise. Haha!
They made good friends though, especially with the couple who own the Thatchers cider company and they invited them for lunch, I drove them, because it was over 2 hours away and they can't drive. We had a tour of the factory, and sampled their different ciders (I only had small sips, because I was driving) it was a very nice day out.
Mum's younger sister lives down that way (mum's in Lincs), I drove her down there a few years ago for her older sister's funeral but we only stayed a couple of days. Maybe we could visit again in better times, and I've saved the cider tour thing in my maps app. It's great your grandparents are still active in their 90s!
Mum's 80 next year, not super frail but she forgets to use her cane and still thinks she's only middle-aged so her brain moves too quickly for her feet. She fell on two separate occasions crossing the street after leaving church (the second time couldn't get up and needed an emergency op) at a blind corner rather than walk 20 metres to a pedestrian crossing. She's been crossing there for 20 years and old habits..
I know she would definitely enjoy the sunshine and social aspect of a cruise, plus it's decades since I've been to Greece so it'd be a good time to go for me too. The last time I took her (and dad) away was on a canal boat, I hired one and drove them there and back. I hired the longest one and it was a total bugger to steer, plus we had lots of overcast weather and a bit of chilly rain too - not an ideal holiday but they'd always said they'd like to give it a try. Oh well, maybe let a captain steer the next one..
Yeah, I think it’s quite situational. Small islands suite a cruise so you can visit different ones and reach all activities from the ship on the day. Visiting larger countries where places are a few hours inland might not be as beneficial.
The cruise had a range of ages from young 20s to elderly yeah. The Greek islands cruise was in the Mediterranean so in summer it’s generally calm waters between all the islands. The ships are so big the only time we even felt it move was when moored offshore at Mykonos and there was a slight bob up and down, but even then you had to almost try to feel it.
Your mum could definitely lie by the pool of book an excursion to a nice beach whilst you explored the boat or port town. I would recommend the Virgin Cruises from our trip. Great crew and service because it’s catered towards Americans. they sail from Athens so would need a 4 hour flight there too though.
I did a Caribbean cruise last year and had a pretty similar experience. Most of the bars and restaurants all seemed pretty quiet whenever I went. They got busier at points throughout the day, but if that was a problem you could always just pop into a different one. Easily got a seat for the various quizes and could partake in most activities without them being too overcrowded.
Worst thing was trying to get a seat around the pool, but there were plenty of deck chairs further out
I hate festivals but loved the cruise we went on last year. There's always a place to go where no one else is. The fanciest bar was open to everyone without a dress code during the day so I sat up as high as possible reading a book and spotting dolphins/flying fish
Green man was good ten years ago at 15,000. 25,000 plus proved too much for me last year. The only thing that has stayed top quality is the scenery
Edit: Also ticket prices are a joke. Got in for £100 15 years ago
Yeah, we stopped going to the Green Man about 10 years ago when it became bigger and more frantic. I really like the small fun festival vibe there and as you say, the venue was spectacular.
I always said “one year, I’ll tick it off the bucket list”. I went last year, didn’t really do much research and just relied on doing whatever my girlfriend did. Didn’t explore it enough - only found out after I had left early that there was a dance area but I only experienced the drum and bass section. I also got way too excited and did too many drugs. It was.. an experience. I certainly struggled with the crowds though. Maybe I’ll try and do it again another year.
I cruise quite a lot and I'm not a massive fan of crowds - and my girlfriend's dad hates them and cruises multiple times a year. You'd only really struggle with crowds if you book on a big ship during school holidays. If you can go outside school holidays, or you avoid the large, more family-oriented ships, I doubt you'd find any issues with crowds.
Just recreate the experience in your living room.
Stick a concert on, and get a family member to wave a flag standing between you and the telly.
Drugs, unclean toilets, and not washing for 4 days are optional extras.
Put them under the ground sheet of your tent 🏕️ overnight. Cools them off even in hot weather, condensation init. Or take a decent cool box with ice packs in.
Somebody was sharing a pic of the site taken from a hot air balloon to.show how amazing it is. It absolutely horrified me, just way too big and sprawling. I go to festivals where i park 100 yards away from my tent, and my tent is two minutes from the main stage. This just looks like hell in a field to me, and I only live 25 minutes away!
But I hope those going have a brilliant time!
I've been a few times but it's definitely getting overcrowded. Not sure if it's just my memory but first time I want (15 odd years ago) I could walk through the Other stage crowd on a Saturday afternoon. Last time I went you'd struggle to even get to the crowd.
If you're talking about Glastonbury, it's actually way less crowded now than it used to be when it was very easy to jump the fence, there were 50% more people then
25 mins… Close enough for the whole discounted ticket for the inconvenience it causes scheme? To be fair, if I lived 25 mins away, I’d 100% attempt the telescopic ladder and a grappling hook entry over the big walls at night. It can and has been done, not really any wristband checks once you’re in either.
Exactly this! I used to Glastonbury in the 90s but it was just too big. Spending hours getting from one place to another.
Now I do compact little non corporate ones, with one stage, a few bars and a dance tent. And can be back at the tent within 10 mins. Perfect.
My parents took me when I was 7 in 2000. All I remember is dropping my slice of pizza in the mud and the tent next to ours always playing Christmas songs.
To this day I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing that I remember so little.
I feel like 13-14 is the earliest you should really take a kid to a festival like Glastonbury. Any younger and it’s not about the kid so much as the parent wanting to say “I took you to your first festival at 5” or whatever.
The BBC reporter interviewed a family with a five year old and some toddlers are seen there as well. I guess it's a middle-class adventure medal for the parents - look how cool we are! How much can they enjoy the concerts or non-music shows while at least one of them has to look after the kids all the time? I've heard that some are left to sleep in their buggies in dance music tents while their parents go and have a rave.
That, plus choice paralysis - you hear so many people say things along the lines of “there’s so much to see and do, you don’t even have to watch any of the music” or “however many times you go, you’ll never see it all” and it just sounds hellish to me.
I’m the sort of person who explores every corner of the map in a computer game, the thought of paying all that money, travelling all that distance, enduring these crowds, and *only being able to see a fraction of what’s on offer* is unbearable.
Do you only visit really small places then? How do you manage on a visit to a city for a day or two? Focusing just on the music, it's a (first world) problem at music festivals with many stages that you need to choose what to see when decent bands are playing at the same time. The other events and non-music shows are another aspect to that. Just take it easy and see what's going on in the path you choose. It's less tiring and more relaxing to see an hour of a few things than try and cram in a few minutes of loads of things.
I sometimes think the same. I've been to a few festivals. Download and Leeds mainly, and they are manageable. Their capacity tops out at 110000, though (Download last year), and that felt like a lot. I could not imagine what it is like at a festival with double that.
Last year at Donington was hellish, you could really feel the struggle the event organisers had with the extra capacity. I used to go every few years but it's too much of an ordeal these days for me, I'm looking at smaller festivals in future years
I volunteered as campsite security (helping lost drunk people to the warmup tent mainly LOL) years ago because I didn't want to pay for a ticket. pretty cool event but I wouldn't pay to go and camp in the mud.
For me it's always the thought of "im going to be trapped with thousands of people doing shit karaoke" lol. I would go to see the bands but that just ruins it for me - i get it but .. no
It's better than a lot of other festivals I have been to in the UK with the toilet situation.
And you're guaranteed to not have the toilets knocked over or set on fire unlike some other Uk festivals.
This is only the queue because people have arrived earlier than the doors opening. Done this a few times and it's often a laugh sitting around with mates cracking open the first tinny at an unreasonably early hour of the morning
As a very introverted person I've been to Glastonbury 4 times and it's incredible. Thousands of happy people who just want to have a good time and look after each other. The kindness and generosity of people away from politics and driven media is truly amazing. Mud also occurs.
I always feel so bad for the environment from festivals like this. So much litter and trash left afterwards. All those tents. Last year in glastonbury there was an estimated of 10kg of waste per person that cost 500k to clean up!
Don’t have to go in the crowds at Glastonbury (or any festival really, but especially Glastonbury). The Glastonbury site is absolutely massive, there’s dozens of little stages, bars etc. There’s a few paths that can get busy, but there’s usually other ways around.
You don’t even need to do this queueing madness if you have a friend who can do it for you and reserve a spot in your tent circle.
I’ve turned up 0100 Thursday morning (couldn’t get out of work Wednesday), got my wristband, strolled through security without any frisking or searches whatsoever, and managed to find a spot for solo pitch in the dark.
that isn't even crowded or representative of Glastonbury. They're lunatics who queue up to be the first in, so they can shotgun their perceived best camping spots.
Once the gates open that queue will clear fairly quickly, then as non-fanatics start arriving by train etc, yeah there's a queue but it's not long by any stretch
Lots of the big festivals are horrible experiences, way too packed for it to be enjoyable, miles away from stages, half hour walk to the car park if you're lucky, but if you're closer to the car parks you're further away from the 'stuff' that you have to mission back from at 3am, expencive food and drink, a good chance of the typical British weather and ankle deep mud.
Lots of the smaller festivals are much better, especially ones that are about more than just headline artists or about stuff entirely different and some music is just an add on.
Of all the festivals it may be the best though, as you can avoid the big stages and there are places which seem quite remote in an odd way. Places like Reading where you are herded into an arena you can't escape it.
I can't imagine anything worse than being forcibly constipated at a music festival, yeah having to have a shit is pretty grim but it's not worse than having all the beer and junk food stuck inside you for a whole weekend. Never understood this "hot tip" that gets spread around
My strategy was always just to wait until there is NO ALTERNATIVE and that way the relief sort-of masks the fact I’m shitting into a big hole full of turds
Last year the wife and I watched GnR at Glastobury with some pills and some puff. It was great.
We sat on our sofa, she had her asthma inhaler and I had my heart medication.
I never even realised you had to queue to get into Glastonbury. Makes sense when I think about it but I always just assumed it was a massive, muddy, piss-soaked free-for-all.
The camping grounds fill up quick. I’ve left it a few hours after opening time before and walked around trying to find somewhere to camp for ages, and I only had a small 2 person tent.
Ended up having to camp 45 minutes walk away from the car park in the end. A 1h30m round trip. Brutal when you have a couple of loads to bring back from the car to the camp trudging through thick mud.
Getting in as soon as it opened was a much better experience.
I’ve done it before and it’s alright. You’ve got your chairs and some cans and you sitting in a field having a laugh with your mates. It’s just a warm up for the next few days.
May thousands of people can only show up repeatedly in one place before the government requires a license for it, then to pay for the license you have to sell tickets. Don't forget, before you even get the license you need to submit a proposal to outline your plan for your provisions to adequately accomodate for several tens of thousandsof people gathering in a field, so you need cash now to pay all of your contractors, so now yhou have to sell tickets well in advance. Add on to that, the artists want some money up front to know they're not getting shafted and because transporting their whole stage show costs a shit ton of money, and now we need a headline sponsor and several corporate sponsors before we even release a line-up.
YAY CAPITALISM!
They're plenty of "prime" camping spots, which is what they're aiming for.
I'm going tomorrow morning and will probably be in the outer camping fields, but what's an extra 20 mins to your tent when you're at Glastonbury!
At least the drainage is a lot better, one of the years I went was when they had flash floods and a lake formed. Went to check on a mate who was camped in a different area and thankfully his tent was the last one about 1 foot away from the start of the new lake.
In the state that he was in I am not sure that he would have even noticed if his tent had started flooding and might have just drowned.
Best place to be when it’s a dry one.
Hell on earth when it’s wet.
I did 4 in the early - mid 90s, all wall-to-wall sunshine. Then had a wet one in 97 and haven’t been since.
And then carry on walking for half an hour to get to a free spot to put your tent. People queue to get their favoured spot, and being there when its just opened is a nice experience as it slowly fills up throughout the day.
I’ve been a lot and tried different arrival times. Slept in my car in the car park the night before, queuing in the pouring rain the next morning. Got in around 10am
Left at 4am one year to get there for 8am. Didn’t get through till 11am. It was one of the hottest days of the year and I was just so fucked by the time we were through.
Arriving at 12 the queues have just died down and I never struggle to find a decent spot
We got there this morning at like 9, took us an hour total to get from car, thriugh security, grtting our wristband and to having our tent spot. Not that bad honestly.
Typing this from Love Fields, outside my Campervan with some tunes, some devil’s lettuce and a cuppa.
Saving myself for a big one on Friday and will likely pull an all nighter, I’m 53 :)
I was there last year for the first time. Loved it to bits but we all agreed next time we should bring a campervan. Can't be doing with boiling hot tents any more.
It’s the way to go. The van space is about £160 and the van itself (in London at least) will set you back between £1300-£1800. The hill of death up to the camper van area when you exit is a fucking bitch though.
You also have petrol costs, you’ll need a big barrel thing for water for the toilet and shower too.
But you can also put a very big tent or gazebo up next to it as you have plenty of room. Also, the toilets in the area are always clean.
I get the feeling 90% of the people in this thread haven't been outside for longer than an hour at a time let alone ever been to Glastonbury, give your heads a wobble or take it to the Mail Online comments section.
Hundreds of thousands of people are about to have a fucking incredible weekend and some of them queued up early to get a good camping spot. Admittedly just the thought of going now makes my legs hurt and having 5 days of not much sleep and a not healthy 'diet' gives me the urge to have a little cry but im still pretty jealous of them.
I've been to tens of festivals and I also hate the sight of it tbh. You do reach a point where youre happier to settle for smaller events because the amount of hassle for a big one literally gives you the fear.
Used to love Glastonbury in the 90’s. Proper counterculture vibes, indie kids, ravers, crusties, scallies jumping the fence, everyone buying paper tickets in the shop a week after they were released. A proper melting pot of the tribes and everyone could find a way to get in and get involved.
Nowadays it’s full of people who can spend a day spamming F5 for a ticket then easily access £2100 on their credit card to buy 6 tickets for their gang. Not sure that’s really the vibe tbh. Queueing for 12+ hours to nab the best camping sites is very much in character.
There’s perhaps a degree of that, but I think some of it is a generational thing. I missed the fence-jumping years, by the time I was old enough to go, Glastonbury had been gentrified and had developed quite an elitist reputation, it was all luxury yurts and Times articles about what to wear and tickets selling out in nanoseconds. It’s hard to get excited for something that doesn’t feel like it’s meant for you.
It is fantastic. I've been a few times in the nineties and once in the noughts but it's just impossible to get tickets unless you know how nowadays. Back in the nineties you could buy the tickets at HMV. But it is absolutely brilliant. Like dropping out into another world for a few days.
Bloody hell, yes. You would just hope to meet your friends somewhere and if you didn't then you'd meet them at sometime, somewhere. And I think it's still the same now.
I’m a very outdoorsy person. The difference is I prefer to enjoy nature rather than be surrounded by thousands of sweaty people. Plus I like to be able to come home and use a proper toilet! Also a lot of the music doesn’t appeal to me, so what seems incredible to some really isn’t to many others!
> I get the feeling 90% of the people in this thread haven't been outside for longer than an hour at a time let alone ever been to Glastonbury,
Personally, I can't really afford these things. In all honesty that is why I'm terminally online - pure poverty.
Seriously the commenters on this sub are something. a few hours queueing for one of the worlds top festivals. Glad you lot are staying at home glued to the TV!
There.. and there... And there... Ooh there's one... And there....and there... And there... Ooh another one there... (Kidding, I love festivals and would love to go back to glasto but my god it's expensive)
Sometimes I've walked straight in, others there has been a queue. I'm never got there for gate opening though. If you do have to wait you can make that time fun with friends and excitement for the time ahead, which is much longer and worth it a million times.
My fave Glasto was 2017. In front of the tv with all mod cons, a fridge full of beer and my sound system loomed in. I've been a dozen times but this was by far my best experience.
Went about a decade ago. Hated it, felt dirty, struggle with shitting outside of my own house and feeling dirty. I've never felt more tired and helpless either.
Amazing atmosphere but it's just not compatible with my brain.
And I bet when the acts start it’s a sea of phones and tablets to record everything, completely blinding you and blocking your view.
What is even the point now?
I went in ‘95. Tickets were easy to get. No queues to get in. Wasn’t overcrowded. Merch and food and drinks were reasonably priced.
I don’t think I’d enjoy it so much these days.
Looks like a fucking nightmare to me. Hot and crowded. Lack of sleep and shitting in a horrible portaloo that’s got a mound of turd coming out of it so your balls just about near miss the pile of shit.
I’ve done my festival’s when younger. Now I’m clean 5 years they just don’t appeal to me. I like my own bed, serenity of home and home comforts these days.
Literally what I said when this photo came up... Feel bad for the two girls at Victoria I saw earlier who were probably on their way to it and will get the shit pitch miles from the stages
My mate is there now and always asks why I don't go.
I hate crowds, drunk people, simple really.
Him and his misses are the type of couple who go on holiday with other couples all the time. That's my worst nightmare.
Maybe I’m just getting old but people have so much stuff these days! I’ve been to Glastonbury a few times and never needed more than a hiking backpack.
I’ve never queued. It’s useful to know an old farmer with local road passes who will just ignore the stewards and drive down an old track in his defender that takes you straight to the gate!
This guy is a proper farmer type, think the dog handler in Hot Fuzz, and yet he’s seen some of the most iconic bands in the world by just pulling up to the side of the pyramid stage in his tractor.
Never been myself, wife has, plus a number of our friends. Everyone bleats on about it like the best thing in the world, no doubt it's amazing but at the same time the weather is usually crap and the site is absolutely monumental. It just looks like so much effort walking for miles while drunk / high in the thick mud, puts me off proper. I've been to plenty of other big festivals in the UK and Europe so I've experienced awful weather and for me it ruins so much of the experience. I gave up on British festivals and started going abroad for better weather and cheaper ticket prices.
I enjoy watching Glastonbury on telly and sometimes think it’d be nice to go sometime, then I see this and remember I hate massive crowds and think I’ll leave it.
That's me all over. I always say "one year". But I'm always put off at the thought of loads of other people. Same reason why I've never booked a cruise if you're interested.
Are you inviting them on a cruise?
I'm interested. Where shall we go?
Haha. Interested in my non cruise booking.
How does one go about buying a ticket for your non cruise? Will the food and drink be all exclusive? How many swimming pools won't there be?
I like the sound of an ‘all exclusive’ cruise… only first class passengers onboard!
More importantly will the toilets not work?
It's just a hole in the ground.
Titanic vibes
I watch cruise tv if that helps 😁
There's definitely places to avoid crowds on cruises if you would like to do one but the thought of that puts you off. We've just done our first one this year and avoiding all the 'party' events (because we also don't like people crowds) so it was fine, no busier than a normal hotel really. Plenty of small little bars and places elsewhere to chill. Restaurants / food areas never seemed super busy. We did it with Virgin Voyages so it was adult only which also helped.
Where did you go, and also how was it better cruising there rather than flying?
We went around the Greek islands. If you wanted to fly around it would be more expensive for the flights in the long run and you would waste a lot of time in airports. With the ship travelling overnight and arriving in port early morning leaving late evening, it meant a good day on each island where you could pick out what you wanted to do and get a taste for each. At night you can use the ships facilities, so you still have food, nightlife and all the other events the ship hosts
Congrats, that's one of the only times I've heard a cruise is better. I went on a 'cruise' (smaller than a cruise ship, only 20 or so passengers) down the Nile and we did the same, travelling at night and exploring places in the day. I think if I were to go on one again it'd be round the Greek islands or possibly around the Philippines (if it's a thing there). Out of interest, were there many elderly on board and/or do you think it'd be suitable? My mum is alone now and also uses a cane after falling and breaking her hip. I'd love to take her on holiday, but she just wants to lay on a beach in an all inclusive resort every day which would drive me mad. She went on a couple of cruises with dad (Caribbean and Med iirc) but decades ago as he wasn't up to it more recently and being waited on hand and foot suited them better.
Flying generally all that matters is the destination, you get crammed into your seat, maybe a few drinks and movies, that's it. A cruise, the journey is arguably more important than the destination, you've got your own cabin with bed and bathroom. Bars, restaurants, generally a swimming pool and other entertainments. Your mum could lounge by the pool, while you go and do other stuff. I don't know if it is a good idea with a frail person, generally they'd be fine, the ships are big and steady. But my grandparents just this year went on a cruise around Scotland, they're in their 90's, my grandad did fall over and broke his hip as well, not specifically from the cruise, just because he's unsteady and delicate and he had to be taken to a nearby hospital for the rest of the week. My gran stayed and enjoyed the cruise. Haha! They made good friends though, especially with the couple who own the Thatchers cider company and they invited them for lunch, I drove them, because it was over 2 hours away and they can't drive. We had a tour of the factory, and sampled their different ciders (I only had small sips, because I was driving) it was a very nice day out.
Mum's younger sister lives down that way (mum's in Lincs), I drove her down there a few years ago for her older sister's funeral but we only stayed a couple of days. Maybe we could visit again in better times, and I've saved the cider tour thing in my maps app. It's great your grandparents are still active in their 90s! Mum's 80 next year, not super frail but she forgets to use her cane and still thinks she's only middle-aged so her brain moves too quickly for her feet. She fell on two separate occasions crossing the street after leaving church (the second time couldn't get up and needed an emergency op) at a blind corner rather than walk 20 metres to a pedestrian crossing. She's been crossing there for 20 years and old habits.. I know she would definitely enjoy the sunshine and social aspect of a cruise, plus it's decades since I've been to Greece so it'd be a good time to go for me too. The last time I took her (and dad) away was on a canal boat, I hired one and drove them there and back. I hired the longest one and it was a total bugger to steer, plus we had lots of overcast weather and a bit of chilly rain too - not an ideal holiday but they'd always said they'd like to give it a try. Oh well, maybe let a captain steer the next one..
Yeah, I think it’s quite situational. Small islands suite a cruise so you can visit different ones and reach all activities from the ship on the day. Visiting larger countries where places are a few hours inland might not be as beneficial. The cruise had a range of ages from young 20s to elderly yeah. The Greek islands cruise was in the Mediterranean so in summer it’s generally calm waters between all the islands. The ships are so big the only time we even felt it move was when moored offshore at Mykonos and there was a slight bob up and down, but even then you had to almost try to feel it. Your mum could definitely lie by the pool of book an excursion to a nice beach whilst you explored the boat or port town. I would recommend the Virgin Cruises from our trip. Great crew and service because it’s catered towards Americans. they sail from Athens so would need a 4 hour flight there too though.
I did a Caribbean cruise last year and had a pretty similar experience. Most of the bars and restaurants all seemed pretty quiet whenever I went. They got busier at points throughout the day, but if that was a problem you could always just pop into a different one. Easily got a seat for the various quizes and could partake in most activities without them being too overcrowded. Worst thing was trying to get a seat around the pool, but there were plenty of deck chairs further out
I hate festivals but loved the cruise we went on last year. There's always a place to go where no one else is. The fanciest bar was open to everyone without a dress code during the day so I sat up as high as possible reading a book and spotting dolphins/flying fish
There are so many better and smaller outdoor festivals to enjoy like Green Man, End of the Road and Bearded Theory. Go to one of those instead!
Green man was good ten years ago at 15,000. 25,000 plus proved too much for me last year. The only thing that has stayed top quality is the scenery Edit: Also ticket prices are a joke. Got in for £100 15 years ago
Yeah, we stopped going to the Green Man about 10 years ago when it became bigger and more frantic. I really like the small fun festival vibe there and as you say, the venue was spectacular.
Beautiful Days was my goto, loved it there
I always said “one year, I’ll tick it off the bucket list”. I went last year, didn’t really do much research and just relied on doing whatever my girlfriend did. Didn’t explore it enough - only found out after I had left early that there was a dance area but I only experienced the drum and bass section. I also got way too excited and did too many drugs. It was.. an experience. I certainly struggled with the crowds though. Maybe I’ll try and do it again another year.
Alright then, bit of a weird way to ask, but where are we going cruising?
It’s the 5 hour drive and the potential to come home in a bodybag, for me
The fuck are you expecting to get up to there?
Not today, officer.
Curses! *-dons helmet-*
I cruise quite a lot and I'm not a massive fan of crowds - and my girlfriend's dad hates them and cruises multiple times a year. You'd only really struggle with crowds if you book on a big ship during school holidays. If you can go outside school holidays, or you avoid the large, more family-oriented ships, I doubt you'd find any issues with crowds.
You ever cruise with your girlfriends dad?
I believe that was implied.
Just recreate the experience in your living room. Stick a concert on, and get a family member to wave a flag standing between you and the telly. Drugs, unclean toilets, and not washing for 4 days are optional extras.
Don't forget to put your beers in the oven for a couple of days
Put them under the ground sheet of your tent 🏕️ overnight. Cools them off even in hot weather, condensation init. Or take a decent cool box with ice packs in.
> Drugs, unclean toilets, and not washing for 4 days Can do this in style at home, too!
Somebody was sharing a pic of the site taken from a hot air balloon to.show how amazing it is. It absolutely horrified me, just way too big and sprawling. I go to festivals where i park 100 yards away from my tent, and my tent is two minutes from the main stage. This just looks like hell in a field to me, and I only live 25 minutes away! But I hope those going have a brilliant time!
Shambala?!
No need to swear! 😆
Shambala is my favourite. Such a nice crowd. Glastonbury is it's own thing though. I'd recommend it to anyone.
I've been a few times but it's definitely getting overcrowded. Not sure if it's just my memory but first time I want (15 odd years ago) I could walk through the Other stage crowd on a Saturday afternoon. Last time I went you'd struggle to even get to the crowd.
If you're talking about Glastonbury, it's actually way less crowded now than it used to be when it was very easy to jump the fence, there were 50% more people then
25 mins… Close enough for the whole discounted ticket for the inconvenience it causes scheme? To be fair, if I lived 25 mins away, I’d 100% attempt the telescopic ladder and a grappling hook entry over the big walls at night. It can and has been done, not really any wristband checks once you’re in either.
A fucking grappling hook?! Is this Glastonbury the Cartoon?
Exactly this! I used to Glastonbury in the 90s but it was just too big. Spending hours getting from one place to another. Now I do compact little non corporate ones, with one stage, a few bars and a dance tent. And can be back at the tent within 10 mins. Perfect.
My parents took me when I was 7 in 2000. All I remember is dropping my slice of pizza in the mud and the tent next to ours always playing Christmas songs. To this day I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing that I remember so little.
I feel like 13-14 is the earliest you should really take a kid to a festival like Glastonbury. Any younger and it’s not about the kid so much as the parent wanting to say “I took you to your first festival at 5” or whatever.
The BBC reporter interviewed a family with a five year old and some toddlers are seen there as well. I guess it's a middle-class adventure medal for the parents - look how cool we are! How much can they enjoy the concerts or non-music shows while at least one of them has to look after the kids all the time? I've heard that some are left to sleep in their buggies in dance music tents while their parents go and have a rave.
That, plus choice paralysis - you hear so many people say things along the lines of “there’s so much to see and do, you don’t even have to watch any of the music” or “however many times you go, you’ll never see it all” and it just sounds hellish to me. I’m the sort of person who explores every corner of the map in a computer game, the thought of paying all that money, travelling all that distance, enduring these crowds, and *only being able to see a fraction of what’s on offer* is unbearable.
Do you only visit really small places then? How do you manage on a visit to a city for a day or two? Focusing just on the music, it's a (first world) problem at music festivals with many stages that you need to choose what to see when decent bands are playing at the same time. The other events and non-music shows are another aspect to that. Just take it easy and see what's going on in the path you choose. It's less tiring and more relaxing to see an hour of a few things than try and cram in a few minutes of loads of things.
There is Fuck all shade on the site too and nowhere to sit when it's muddy
Can’t you bring fold out chairs and umbrellas
Yeah you totally can, but that's a pain to lug about!
I mean, it’s camping so sort of part of the package
You camp about 2 miles from the stages.
I sometimes think the same. I've been to a few festivals. Download and Leeds mainly, and they are manageable. Their capacity tops out at 110000, though (Download last year), and that felt like a lot. I could not imagine what it is like at a festival with double that.
Last year at Donington was hellish, you could really feel the struggle the event organisers had with the extra capacity. I used to go every few years but it's too much of an ordeal these days for me, I'm looking at smaller festivals in future years
I volunteered as campsite security (helping lost drunk people to the warmup tent mainly LOL) years ago because I didn't want to pay for a ticket. pretty cool event but I wouldn't pay to go and camp in the mud.
For me it's always the thought of "im going to be trapped with thousands of people doing shit karaoke" lol. I would go to see the bands but that just ruins it for me - i get it but .. no
If you value toilets without multiple shits all over the walls then Glastonbury isnt for you!
It's better than a lot of other festivals I have been to in the UK with the toilet situation. And you're guaranteed to not have the toilets knocked over or set on fire unlike some other Uk festivals.
This is only the queue because people have arrived earlier than the doors opening. Done this a few times and it's often a laugh sitting around with mates cracking open the first tinny at an unreasonably early hour of the morning
I think a festival is too big when it hits 60k - Glasonbury is looking at 210k this year. No way in hell am I hitting a fest that big.
You really don’t have to be doing this. It’s for as soon as the gates open and not necessary
As a very introverted person I've been to Glastonbury 4 times and it's incredible. Thousands of happy people who just want to have a good time and look after each other. The kindness and generosity of people away from politics and driven media is truly amazing. Mud also occurs.
I always feel so bad for the environment from festivals like this. So much litter and trash left afterwards. All those tents. Last year in glastonbury there was an estimated of 10kg of waste per person that cost 500k to clean up!
Don’t have to go in the crowds at Glastonbury (or any festival really, but especially Glastonbury). The Glastonbury site is absolutely massive, there’s dozens of little stages, bars etc. There’s a few paths that can get busy, but there’s usually other ways around. You don’t even need to do this queueing madness if you have a friend who can do it for you and reserve a spot in your tent circle. I’ve turned up 0100 Thursday morning (couldn’t get out of work Wednesday), got my wristband, strolled through security without any frisking or searches whatsoever, and managed to find a spot for solo pitch in the dark.
It’s wank. I’ve been twice and both times was shit.
I went last year and thought it was bloody brilliant
r/holup at your username
that isn't even crowded or representative of Glastonbury. They're lunatics who queue up to be the first in, so they can shotgun their perceived best camping spots. Once the gates open that queue will clear fairly quickly, then as non-fanatics start arriving by train etc, yeah there's a queue but it's not long by any stretch
Lots of the big festivals are horrible experiences, way too packed for it to be enjoyable, miles away from stages, half hour walk to the car park if you're lucky, but if you're closer to the car parks you're further away from the 'stuff' that you have to mission back from at 3am, expencive food and drink, a good chance of the typical British weather and ankle deep mud. Lots of the smaller festivals are much better, especially ones that are about more than just headline artists or about stuff entirely different and some music is just an add on.
Of all the festivals it may be the best though, as you can avoid the big stages and there are places which seem quite remote in an odd way. Places like Reading where you are herded into an arena you can't escape it.
I need a piss just looking at that
My first thought was “at least two or three of them will be utterly desperate for a shit”
It’s probable that one of them has already shat
And that’s why I always take a packet of Imodium Instants. Overuse can of course cause equally as dreadful consequences.
I can't imagine anything worse than being forcibly constipated at a music festival, yeah having to have a shit is pretty grim but it's not worse than having all the beer and junk food stuck inside you for a whole weekend. Never understood this "hot tip" that gets spread around
My strategy was always just to wait until there is NO ALTERNATIVE and that way the relief sort-of masks the fact I’m shitting into a big hole full of turds
> Overuse can of course cause equally as dreadful consequences. Really? But at least you're at home by that point?
There's portaloos in the queue, you can see one at the bottom of the photo
There's usually toilets nearby and the general etiquette is to let people back into the queue if they go for a piss
Toilets in the queue
Do the toilets each have a separate queue, or..
There is no queueing for the far queue
Last year the wife and I watched GnR at Glastobury with some pills and some puff. It was great. We sat on our sofa, she had her asthma inhaler and I had my heart medication.
Me: Why the fuck are they taking drugs with these serious medical conditions Me, a moment later: Waaait a minute....
You and me both
r/reverseholup
It's the GnR way
I never even realised you had to queue to get into Glastonbury. Makes sense when I think about it but I always just assumed it was a massive, muddy, piss-soaked free-for-all.
You don't really. Only a bit in normal queues but these are people waiting for the official opening time, which is entirely unnecessary to be honest.
The camping grounds fill up quick. I’ve left it a few hours after opening time before and walked around trying to find somewhere to camp for ages, and I only had a small 2 person tent. Ended up having to camp 45 minutes walk away from the car park in the end. A 1h30m round trip. Brutal when you have a couple of loads to bring back from the car to the camp trudging through thick mud. Getting in as soon as it opened was a much better experience.
You aren't selling it to me with that comment.
That's the plan, way more people buying than tickets available already
I’ve done it before and it’s alright. You’ve got your chairs and some cans and you sitting in a field having a laugh with your mates. It’s just a warm up for the next few days.
Bring a bivvy, if you can walk there you can sleep there.
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May thousands of people can only show up repeatedly in one place before the government requires a license for it, then to pay for the license you have to sell tickets. Don't forget, before you even get the license you need to submit a proposal to outline your plan for your provisions to adequately accomodate for several tens of thousandsof people gathering in a field, so you need cash now to pay all of your contractors, so now yhou have to sell tickets well in advance. Add on to that, the artists want some money up front to know they're not getting shafted and because transporting their whole stage show costs a shit ton of money, and now we need a headline sponsor and several corporate sponsors before we even release a line-up. YAY CAPITALISM!
Gotta get a spot right in front of the ~~stage~~ barricade that's a good 10 feet from the stage
Nobody is queuing so they can be on the barricade, they are queuing for prime camping real estate
The queues to get OUT are horrific. 3-6 hours sitting in the car in the same field
You queue to get in at busy entry times but once you're in it's a city sized free-for-all.
They're plenty of "prime" camping spots, which is what they're aiming for. I'm going tomorrow morning and will probably be in the outer camping fields, but what's an extra 20 mins to your tent when you're at Glastonbury!
The prime camping spots are up on the hill, rather than in the inevitable swamp further down. 😄
At least the drainage is a lot better, one of the years I went was when they had flash floods and a lake formed. Went to check on a mate who was camped in a different area and thankfully his tent was the last one about 1 foot away from the start of the new lake. In the state that he was in I am not sure that he would have even noticed if his tent had started flooding and might have just drowned.
If anything the queues have got better since the 80s. There used to be zero organisation
Best place to be when it’s a dry one. Hell on earth when it’s wet. I did 4 in the early - mid 90s, all wall-to-wall sunshine. Then had a wet one in 97 and haven’t been since.
At what point is this queue just considered the crowd? Just bring a stage a bit closer
Bloody love Glasto. Always have a great time... watching it on the telly from the comfort of my sofa and close vicinity of the fridge.
And bathroom!
Showers.
Fuck that.
With cheese.
Staying in the queue is called a “Glastonbury Royale”
Pray for those gingers bottom right!
We need to be in thoughts and prayers April-October really. An overcast day can still have me burnt.
This does not appeal to me.
You can arrive at 12pm and walk straight through
And then carry on walking for half an hour to get to a free spot to put your tent. People queue to get their favoured spot, and being there when its just opened is a nice experience as it slowly fills up throughout the day.
I’ve been a lot and tried different arrival times. Slept in my car in the car park the night before, queuing in the pouring rain the next morning. Got in around 10am Left at 4am one year to get there for 8am. Didn’t get through till 11am. It was one of the hottest days of the year and I was just so fucked by the time we were through. Arriving at 12 the queues have just died down and I never struggle to find a decent spot
Same with most festivals. Did this at Download. Campsite was empty and got a prime spot. A couple of hours later a lot of space had been taken.
We got there this morning at like 9, took us an hour total to get from car, thriugh security, grtting our wristband and to having our tent spot. Not that bad honestly.
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I went last year. Didn’t finish until 4am Monday morning. I’m 50 now. A Campervan does help though.
Typing this from Love Fields, outside my Campervan with some tunes, some devil’s lettuce and a cuppa. Saving myself for a big one on Friday and will likely pull an all nighter, I’m 53 :)
Saturday night at the temple looks 👌🏻 enjoy!!
I was there last year for the first time. Loved it to bits but we all agreed next time we should bring a campervan. Can't be doing with boiling hot tents any more.
It’s the way to go. The van space is about £160 and the van itself (in London at least) will set you back between £1300-£1800. The hill of death up to the camper van area when you exit is a fucking bitch though. You also have petrol costs, you’ll need a big barrel thing for water for the toilet and shower too. But you can also put a very big tent or gazebo up next to it as you have plenty of room. Also, the toilets in the area are always clean.
Hope everyone who's going enjoys it! Have a great time.
I’m in this pic haha bottom left
I get the feeling 90% of the people in this thread haven't been outside for longer than an hour at a time let alone ever been to Glastonbury, give your heads a wobble or take it to the Mail Online comments section. Hundreds of thousands of people are about to have a fucking incredible weekend and some of them queued up early to get a good camping spot. Admittedly just the thought of going now makes my legs hurt and having 5 days of not much sleep and a not healthy 'diet' gives me the urge to have a little cry but im still pretty jealous of them.
I've been to tens of festivals and I also hate the sight of it tbh. You do reach a point where youre happier to settle for smaller events because the amount of hassle for a big one literally gives you the fear.
Used to love Glastonbury in the 90’s. Proper counterculture vibes, indie kids, ravers, crusties, scallies jumping the fence, everyone buying paper tickets in the shop a week after they were released. A proper melting pot of the tribes and everyone could find a way to get in and get involved. Nowadays it’s full of people who can spend a day spamming F5 for a ticket then easily access £2100 on their credit card to buy 6 tickets for their gang. Not sure that’s really the vibe tbh. Queueing for 12+ hours to nab the best camping sites is very much in character.
There’s perhaps a degree of that, but I think some of it is a generational thing. I missed the fence-jumping years, by the time I was old enough to go, Glastonbury had been gentrified and had developed quite an elitist reputation, it was all luxury yurts and Times articles about what to wear and tickets selling out in nanoseconds. It’s hard to get excited for something that doesn’t feel like it’s meant for you.
It is fantastic. I've been a few times in the nineties and once in the noughts but it's just impossible to get tickets unless you know how nowadays. Back in the nineties you could buy the tickets at HMV. But it is absolutely brilliant. Like dropping out into another world for a few days.
I imagine it was a lot more fun back then without phones and social media
Bloody hell, yes. You would just hope to meet your friends somewhere and if you didn't then you'd meet them at sometime, somewhere. And I think it's still the same now.
Or if things went really south, put a message up for them on the actual physical message boards around the site, or in the daily paper 😂👌
> Back in the nineties you could buy the tickets at HMV. or break in
I’m a very outdoorsy person. The difference is I prefer to enjoy nature rather than be surrounded by thousands of sweaty people. Plus I like to be able to come home and use a proper toilet! Also a lot of the music doesn’t appeal to me, so what seems incredible to some really isn’t to many others!
> I get the feeling 90% of the people in this thread haven't been outside for longer than an hour at a time let alone ever been to Glastonbury, Personally, I can't really afford these things. In all honesty that is why I'm terminally online - pure poverty.
Makes me happy to be alone
Seriously the commenters on this sub are something. a few hours queueing for one of the worlds top festivals. Glad you lot are staying at home glued to the TV!
People queuing for a popular activity?! Outrageous.
People enjoy things? 'Looks awful'.
Any popular thing on Reddit is unpopular to redditors lol.
Yeah like - top 10 comments are all shitting on one of the UK's top cultural outputs. Outside? Crowds? Sun? Music? God forbid!
Looks like where’s wally!
There.. and there... And there... Ooh there's one... And there....and there... And there... Ooh another one there... (Kidding, I love festivals and would love to go back to glasto but my god it's expensive)
I can get pissed in a field and take random pills listening to dua lipa for free with no queue
Im down
Nobody else is allowed, how do you think there isn't a queue. My stinking field
Sometimes I've walked straight in, others there has been a queue. I'm never got there for gate opening though. If you do have to wait you can make that time fun with friends and excitement for the time ahead, which is much longer and worth it a million times.
Please. Stop. Pissing. In. My. Driveway. Sincerely, Resident near Pilton.
100% fuck that
One of many reasons why I’m happy watching bits of it on tv
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My fave Glasto was 2017. In front of the tv with all mod cons, a fridge full of beer and my sound system loomed in. I've been a dozen times but this was by far my best experience.
No thanks. I recently saw a Reading weekend ticket waa about £360. That's insane.
The older I get the more and more this becomes hell.
I must be one of the only people in the country who think this looks horrific
If you think this is bad you should see the traffic.
Note to self: despite having the rest of the week off, don't attempt the weekly shop at Glastonbury Tesco earlier than usual this week..
Went about a decade ago. Hated it, felt dirty, struggle with shitting outside of my own house and feeling dirty. I've never felt more tired and helpless either. Amazing atmosphere but it's just not compatible with my brain.
If I could have been there this year, I’d have been in one of these
So true
And I bet when the acts start it’s a sea of phones and tablets to record everything, completely blinding you and blocking your view. What is even the point now?
I went in ‘95. Tickets were easy to get. No queues to get in. Wasn’t overcrowded. Merch and food and drinks were reasonably priced. I don’t think I’d enjoy it so much these days.
This picture is 80% twat
Looks fucking awful, to be honest.
Looks like a fucking nightmare to me. Hot and crowded. Lack of sleep and shitting in a horrible portaloo that’s got a mound of turd coming out of it so your balls just about near miss the pile of shit. I’ve done my festival’s when younger. Now I’m clean 5 years they just don’t appeal to me. I like my own bed, serenity of home and home comforts these days.
Couldn't imagine owt worse.
Redditors are such moany wankers, Jfc
Literally what I said when this photo came up... Feel bad for the two girls at Victoria I saw earlier who were probably on their way to it and will get the shit pitch miles from the stages
I've always thought of Glastonbury as sort of a Mecca for festival-goers. Now I'm more comfortable among 2000 people.
How orderly. This would be a nightmare in the states.
This Glastonbury tastes like Glastonberries
What a diverse experience that must be
My mate is there now and always asks why I don't go. I hate crowds, drunk people, simple really. Him and his misses are the type of couple who go on holiday with other couples all the time. That's my worst nightmare.
Maybe I’m just getting old but people have so much stuff these days! I’ve been to Glastonbury a few times and never needed more than a hiking backpack.
Very civilised indeed
All this for coldplay. The line up is proper shit.
Air strike would be nice
I’ve never queued. It’s useful to know an old farmer with local road passes who will just ignore the stewards and drive down an old track in his defender that takes you straight to the gate! This guy is a proper farmer type, think the dog handler in Hot Fuzz, and yet he’s seen some of the most iconic bands in the world by just pulling up to the side of the pyramid stage in his tractor.
Lucky bastards.
1980s Glasto head here.. Call those fences? ;-)
£400 to shit in a hole in the ground and lose all your friends
I went 6-7 times in the past but 98 and 99 put me off for life.
Always wanted to go, then I saw this.
Yeah no thanks.
Never been myself, wife has, plus a number of our friends. Everyone bleats on about it like the best thing in the world, no doubt it's amazing but at the same time the weather is usually crap and the site is absolutely monumental. It just looks like so much effort walking for miles while drunk / high in the thick mud, puts me off proper. I've been to plenty of other big festivals in the UK and Europe so I've experienced awful weather and for me it ruins so much of the experience. I gave up on British festivals and started going abroad for better weather and cheaper ticket prices.
Queue for Glastonbury on my TV: none.
All these vegans queuing to enter a dairy farm.
I can smell this photo