Your first Glastonbury: how you ended up going and why you came back!

[dessie rascal]

A good friend had been going on and on about the wonder that is Glastonbury For years. She was a regular and for about 2 months before and after it's all she would speak about. Finally this resulted in me getting a ticket in 2002 I think it was. Since then I've not looked back. The reasons for returning are too many to say. Once you have been once you just get the bug. Have a great time everyone

[alframsey]

I was first taken as a small tiny child by my parents and uncle and went back as it seems the natural thing to do. How could you not go back?

[grumpyhack]

It's old farts time. 1968 The Bath Blues Fest and 69 the Shepton Mallet Folk and Blues Fest that mutated into Glastonbury. So since -1 and -2 and on and off ever since.

Over the years I been with my daughter (the great year was when she got in with a friend on the 'Free to 12 and Under' when they were 18.

With various friends we're now settled into a Glasto Gang of five though we have other groups we meet up with including a friend who works for Festival Medical Services.

Sadly, this year two of our regular five have opted for a holiday with their wives in Australia, taking in one of the Lions matches. So the regular gang of five will be down to three but to make up we'll have the addition of a new fourth member as one will be taking his wife for the first time. I love walking round with Glasto newbies and can't wait to see the look of absolute amazement on her face as she starts to take it all in.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

I genuinely can't remember when I first went to Glastonbury. It's either the late 80's or early 90's. My brother and his mates used to go when you could park your car next to your tent. I'd heard great stories from them but never had the inclination and probably the money to go. Then a couple of my mates talked me into going as they also had been going for a number of years. So glad I made that decision to go. I've always had an ace time in that special place. I think I've only missed two years since, once when I couldn't get a ticket and once when I had got a ticket but had a nervous breakdown prior to going.

[Wickedfaerie]

We first went after watching it on the telly in 1994 and realising we should've been there. Have been every time since because we love it!

[mrbossed]

We first went in 2008. It was going to be a one off - we had never been to festivals and it was just because Leonard Cohen was playing and we fancied it. We had such a good time we have been every year since!

[verrymerry]

Julian Temple!

My boyfriend had been before and whenever it was that the film came out (06' or 07'?) he took me to see it at the cinema in Bradford, I couldn't believe I'd not been to this magic place! Was super excited and we got tickets in 07, can't imagine ever not going now

[Poliwhirl]

2008. I was 16-17 and went with 3 of my mates. We were going to either go to leeds or Glastonbury ( made the right choice) im sure we chose Glastonbury as leeds was the same weekend as the Matthew st festival (in Liverpool) such a stupid reason to choose it. Im sure we got our tickets in May and just bought them without any kind of rush for tickets. We were very naive and didnt have a clue what it would be like. Had the most amazing time and have been every year since. Started from just 4 mates to now a lot of us all going down.

[scorp]

Saw a small ad in Resurgence magazine one April. sent a cheque off, got my ticket, took 2 of ours kids, aged 9 and 5] [yes, madness, but hey] and set off 2 months later. that was 1990. pics and music at:

sorry, had to repeat some of the pics. didn't take that many.

[ninetyeightytwo]

I first went in 2007, and in retrospect I had a really bad weekend.

I had wanted to go since 2003 (I taped Radiohead's set from Radio One - I've still got the tape!), and my girlfriend had been in 2005 and declared it to be a magical brigadoon, so I was overjoyed to get tickets in 2007. Then, on the Wednesday night, sat in the Stone Circle, I could even then see what all the fuss was about.

But on Thursday morning the rain started, and it didn't stop. Ever. Relentless drizzle was somehow worse than a relentless downpour. It sapped the spirits all weekend and turned the entire site into an impossible quagmire, making the act of traversing even the smallest of distances utterly exhausting.

The music, though. Bjork was ace on the Friday night, and we saw a lovely acoustic set by The Bees, but the sound was far too low for The Killers, meaning that my first ever Pyramid headliner was a washout in every way possible.

The worst part, though, was waiting for the shuttle bus on the Monday morning. A grim wait in the freezing rain with the gloopy cold mud up to the shins, it felt like hell. And then, when we finally got to Castle Cary, what happened? The sun came out. For the first time in days. That took the piss.

I didn't quite say "never again", but it would have taken something bloody spectacular to draw me back. Luckily, that came around in 2009, with the irresistable triple bill of Neil Young, Springsteen and Blur. I wouldn't have missed that for the world, and I didn't. And that was a perfect weekend that remains a high point of my life so far.

It wasn't until 2011, though, that I declared Glastonbury to be as important an annual event as Christmas, and vowed to never miss a festival so long as I'm able to go.

Like everything in life, Glastonbury taught me that you must never trust your first impressions.