amfy

FBS has been at nearly every Glastonbury I’ve been at and we’ve never caught him. Either because he clashed with someone we wanted to see more, or he was on a stage we couldn’t get near. This time, we got there in good time for Leftfield and got a lovely spot just to the side of the accessible platform, The sound was great, the view was great. We loved both sets and the crowd around us was lovely party people - totally up for the gig without any overbearing twats. Perfect. REGRETS though? - sitting in Woodside to escape from the sun while one of the most talked about sets of the weekend - Rick/Blossoms/Smiths - was going on about 50 yards away!

Raye - Ice Cream Man. A song she wrote about being sexually assaulted by a music producer and a song for all women’s experience of sexual harm. Her voice broke as she was introducing it which set me off crying before it even started, then all the way through it, then I had sun cream in my eyes and cried for the rest of her set!

There’s no photos on performer or hospitality tickets either. The people who are added to villager tickets do need ID & don’t need a wristband so the wristband is a dead issue for them ……but you are right that the million different ticket types just makes it really tough to keep track, slows everything down, and makes it easier to blag. Funnily enough, I got 2 police double checked because I thought I don’t really know what a genuine police ID looks like so anyone could knock something up and get past me if I took it at face value!

They can add 5 people but they can only go in one at a time. It’s quite odd. Only the lead ticket holder gets a wristband. The others hold the ticket, one at a time, and can only get in with the ticket. There is no more risk of passing on wristbands than there is for anyone else. The only objection to EPO wristbands I can think of is the reduction of ‘single use plastic’. A few years ago they did give EPOs to campervan fields and they had issues with them using crew facilties, but they’d only need to make crew and public wristbands different colours. The current ‘passout’ system where you have to have your ticket, wristband and your passout slip to get in & out is a nightmare for everyone concerned. So many lost tickets and pass outs - loads of extra running about and unnecessary confrontation for everyone!

I was at both of those and the camping fields were so packed that people were literally pitching tents in ditches. there is more camping space now. Some of the paths and crossing points felt equally crowded and risky then & now, but last year it felt like all of them were …….and the stages were nowhere near as busy in 99/2002 as they were last year.

Definitely Acoustic (up the lane behind it) because our mates are just back from there & we were in Tow & Hitch at Arcadia and The Loving Arms at Silver Hayes last night so I’d be pretty positive they are both open now too. Not previously been in The Loving Arms but liked it pre festival - vibe might change during the festival die to the noise levels outside. woodsies doesn’t open til Wednesday night and West Holts Social is usually one of the last to open.

We’ve just walked past the first in the queue at PGB & they look a happy bunch who are basically starting their Glastonbury now. I think if you have the kind of personality to enjoy the queue as part of your festival, rather than see it as an interminable wait, and you feel that where you camp makes your week significantly better, then there’s no reason not to really. I’m not that kind of person on either count but fair play to those that are. x

If selling/buying - friend on fb - it’s a good way to check both the physical likeliness and a basic scan of the legitimacy of the seller/buyer.

There’s also pizza at The Loving Arms in Silver Hayes. Not found this one before but pre-festival it’s a very nice bar with a similar vibe to Tow & Hitch.

I think this is an appropriate time to warn people that if you see Example on Thursday night your knees will be f**ked for the entire festival. Example should always be a Sunday booking, Saturday at the earliest. Too much bouncing!

I will honestly only complain a little bit & then it’ll be more because there is so little to do there even more than the journey!

My heart goes out to you! We were only saying last night that we are praying we don’t get that again. Please don’t let us get that again! 😬

Looks like someone on Glasto chat on Facebook got a place this morning so they are still re-issuing drop outs.

I would definitely say pack snacks that you can take on shift. During a long shift on your feet you won’t want to spend your break hunting down food or standing in queues, and the half hour goes really quick! We tend to have something with us, and find somewhere to sit as nearby as possible for our break. You will be able to go to the loo or to refill your water bottle during the shift, so don’t waste part of your break doing that!

The staffing is a massive way the festival gives to charity. The festival pays £300 to the charity for each volunteer who completes 3 shifts. The charity takes a £300 deposit to cover themselves in case that person doesn’t complete their shifts. Thats a lot of money for the charities and that’s a big deal for Michael Eavis. It combines staffing the festival with supporting charity which maximises the way the festival ‘gives back’. There are a lot of security doing ridiculously long shifts (supposed to be 12 hours but we often meet people who’ve been on for 24+ hours or have only had a 6 hour break in 2 days) but I’d imagine they’re expensive and from what I’ve seen they vary wildly in how conscientious they are, whereas most festival volunteers are generally invested in the festival and try and do a good job.

New waterproof, walking socks & hat to appease the weather gods!

The mini bus has to go round the outside of the site which is about 5 miles as going across during the festival is too unpredictable and limited traffic is allowed to cross site anyway. It also does multiple drops and pick ups & is quite a convoluted route, but I have to admit we did think that those of us that still had a hike beyond PGD should have been prioritised, although I also understand those on PGD staking their claim because that is far enough! It was so disheartening to hobble the mile or so to PGD after 9 hours on your feet to find the minibus already filling up with volunteers who were already there! In their minds they were as desperate as it gets to be on that bus as they didn’t have any reason to know where we had ended up working! my ‘wage’ does go to Charity but I consider my ‘pay’ to be entry to the festival. I don’t think of it as unpaid although when my feet hurt as much as they sometimes do I wonder how much of me is left for the festival!

Don’t under-estimate the commute! I’m not saying we should be moved to inside the fence but the journey to my shift from the Oxfam field outside the fence to Stickleball was an hour and a half. With the mini bus I only had to walk about the last mile of that, but the minibus is irregular and goes a long way round and sometimes there isn’t enough room and you just have to walk the whole thing. So you allow an hour and a half and if you’re lucky you may stroll the last bit rather than yomp the last bit or even all of it! This does mean being up at 4am for a 6am shift start so you will be going back to camp at the end too because no one can realistically get it together to be out all day at that time! A more central camping location on such a large site would be very much appreciated by those of us that have to completely cross the site before and/or after an 8 hour standing shift. I accept it but it doesn’t mean that there isn’t a case for crew being more central. In real life I have a big commute 50 miles each way from Morecambe to Wigan and it doesn’t take as long and I’m not having to walk all or any of it!

I do get changed in the long drops but it has to be a decent set like those up by the acoustic, & definitely not the absolute hellholes on the railway line. I also can’t remember doing this on a wet & muddy year & trying to deal with muddy boots during the changeover, but that is probably because that outfit would already be on from earlier in the day.

It’s interesting for me to see a number of people saying that if it’s as crowded again this year it’ll be their last. That’s pretty much where we are with it too. I remember being there in 2000 which was the festival that nearly closed it down pre super fence and thinking the same thing. I used to love the feeling of space and freedom but it’s gone. Every pathway is packed, everyone feels busy. The vibe isn’t the same for me. That said , it’s still an amazing event and a great festival for those that didn’t know how it was before, but for me it doesn’t really feel like Glastonbury any more. I’m there for what it used to mean to me rather than what it means now. So it may be that my time to hand my torch over has come. I heard Dale, who went for the first time last year, win his tickets in Radio 1 and he clearly loves it as much as I ever did. I loved his excitement and happiness. I think the energy that people have for it as a new experience is as strong as ever. I’ve adjusted before and changed with the festival and maybe I will again, but I have my doubts and I think I am now happier at festivals that give me the smaller different bits of Glastonbury now, rather than this monolith that is everything at once. It’s hard to let go though!

Also - a really large but light scarf can be tied to your bag when you don’t near it, go over your shoulders if you’re at risk of being sunburnt, round your neck when it’s cold, and be something to sit on as long as it’s dry.

One of my Glastonbury lessons is that I end up wearing the same stuff a lot anyway so there is no point in carrying more than you need to. My first Glastonbury I literally went in what I stood up in and lived and slept in those clothes for 3 days but that was old skool Glastonbury and I accept it’s a bit more refined now. Definitely in terms of jumpers/hoodies - I only ever take 2 & that’s in case one gets wet and needs a day to be a bit dryer. Im with everyone else here shorts/skirts/dresses, with leggings & tights to throw on under them when it’s cold. Then a hoodie or jumper & a good waterproof & shoes with support - so walking boots or running trainers where possible rather than wellies or converse. Clothes wise if I had one tip it’d be treat yourself to a set of new socks. They feel surprisingly like luxury when you put them on each day.

I’ve worn hiking sandals quite a lot in good weather at Glastonbury, and it is a problem getting grit under your feet, but for me it’s outweighed by my feet being able to breathe when it’s really hot.

Oxfam briefings do tell the story of Michael Eavis not being allowed through and also that he was very impressed with the diligence of the stewards. He liked that his face didn’t get him in because it gave him confidence that no one was getting by with a ‘Don’t you know who I am?’ I’ve never seen anyone famous on my gates at Glastonbury (LOADS at Latitude) but I have a younger friend who was gutted that his shift clashed with Sleaford Mods. On shift he strolled up to scan wristbands on a dark windowed car rolling through, and as the windows wound down - who should it be but Sleaford Mods! He said he was a bit stunned and just said ‘You’re The Sleaford Mods!’ Then pulled himself together a bit and told them he was gutted to be working while they were on and wished them a good set. Absolutely made his festival.

I love both the Avalon Inn and The Ridge & Furrow.