JohnEW

Not quite accurate. I camp in the WaterAid field and whilst I didn't see the incident I know and spoke to some friends who did. There were 5/6 who came over the fence into our field, or the wood next to it (a known weak spot). One, a young female, broke both her ankles very badly and by the time I heard about it, was in hospital in Bristol trying to avoid life changing injuries. Her "mates" had just run on into the festival and left her.

As well as the information on the link above WaterAid also recruits volunteers, who can get a free ticket in return for 4 x 6 hour shifts across Wednesday to Sunday. This year we took around 700. To get in you need to show some commitment to WaterAid by having done some fundraising or campaigning work for them. Applications usually open each year in January - just keep an eye on the WaterAid website from mid January onwards. You get to camp in a separate field next to the Recycling Field with access to good toilets (of course!), 4 meal vouchers and subsidised food and the cheapest crew bar on site (beer at £3.50 this year). You do have to be prepared to accept whatever shifts you are given, which is bound to mean you miss some favourite bands.

It will be people with an EPO (Easy Pass Out) QR code on their wristbands. It's for people who are working on site and need to come in and out, so Oxfam volunteers, recyclers etc. WaterAid volunteers like me had them as some of us had to come in and out to clean toilets regularly. No doubt plenty of other backstage people get them too.

I do know that the first people in the queue at gate B were there at 12.30pm on Tuesday.

It still is.

Pretty much every year I've been since 2005 I've seen less music. This year I hit a new record low, admittedly partly because many of the acts I wanted to see I was working for. But less has been more for me for years now.

If anyone was daft enough to stick their car park sticker on the windscreen you'll be seeing them around for weeks, judging by the time it took me to get the 2005 one off - I haven't stuck it since.

I seem to be older than those who have admitted their age on this thread - I'll be 70 before the end of the year. But I didn't really have any problems with exhaustion at all. Yes, I'm a bit tired today but nothing out of the normal. BUT, this being my 13th festival since 2005 (but I did go to the Bath Festival of Blues & Progressive Music in 1970 which started it all), I have always volunteered with WaterAid. The experience in the first years wasn't much different to the regular punters, camping in crowded conditions in the centre of the site with no "perks". For the last few years we have camped in Brimley's Orchard next to the recyclers in Tom's Field. We now have our own compost toilets in the field and even better toilets a short walk away, plenty of decent showers and a canteen with some free meal tickets and subsidised food and a crew bar with probably the best ale on the site, combined with it being the cheapest - £3.50 a pint. Talking to a couple in Worthy View it seems to be similar in facilities but with smaller queues and only a modest slope to climb up every night. We obviously have to work, 4 x 6 hour shifts over 5 days with a day off. But even with the short straw rota with a day off on Thursday and 6pm to midnight shifts on both Friday and Sunday we still had a great time. Working is almost as much a highlight as the rest of the delights - meeting a huge cross section of festival goers. I saw a grand total of 9 acts over 4 days and only 5 on the "main" stages and some of them only a part set. But we had all sorts of other interactions, met and drank with a lot of friends. Maybe if I get another 2007 I might be tempted to call it a day but as long as my health holds up I'll be back. But volunteering - hugely enjoyable, a free ticket, no angst getting a ticket and a Tuesday arrival so no traffic or queues. Tuesday is one of my favourite days, seeing all the green fields but plenty of bars open and lots of friends there.

I don't know yet, but will find out on Tuesday. We're definitely selling water bottles again, along with fulfilling anyone who ordered them with their tickets.

This is the Festival's advice - https://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/information/advice/covid-19-policy/

I understand from our WaterAid volunteers webinar that the site will be a lot more cashless than the last time, which was after all three years ago. BUT, it won't be completely cashless so you should bring some with you. As for WaterAid you will be able to buy water bottles from us cashless this year.

The first emails went out yesterday afternoon (I'm in!), but they will be going out in batches through april so there's plenty of time yet if you haven't got one yet.