Is Glastonbury the best festival in the world?

[godders1966]

Is Glastonbury the best festival in the world?

2009 was my first ever Glastonbury. I’ve been going to gigs since the early 1980’s and been to loads of other festivals but never tried Glasto till this year. What a revalation. It was so much better than the other festivals I’ve been to.

I nearly cashed in my deposit for 2009 because the line-up and rumours didn’t fill me with a great deal of excitement. I even came on this forum to suggest that I may cash my deposit in because the acts weren’t my taste and asked for some guidance on what to do. I’ve never received so much abuse in my life! Because the replies (and abuse!) were so passionate I realised there must be something special about it. And special it is!

I was watching the Glastonbury DVD the other day and near the end Mr Eavis said that people come to Glastonbury because it’s an experience they can’t get anywhere else. So this got me thinking, are there any other music festivals in the world that can compare? It’s obviously the best in the UK. Maybe Cochella, or Benicassim, I don’t know? Or do I now really go to the best in the world?

PS Can I also say thanks to all those people on here that convinced me to go in 2009. Here's to 2010!

[Macca3031]

I believe it has won best festival in the world prizes over the last few years but it is quite difficult to judge such a thing. I'm pretty sure Coachella doesn't come close from all reports, same with Beni but the world is a big place. I've never been to Roskilde which is supposed to be very good, maybe there are some badass Brazilian festivals which we've never heard of.

[eFestivals]

Yes.

[1mills]

I'm pretty sure Coachella doesn't come close from all reports

[ivan]

Unitl Glastonbury gets

Nando's

Pub by a nice canal showing football

It can never be the best

Swinning RIP

I have been to Benni and Roskilde , Benni is nowhere near as good as Glasto its a gig in a car park

a very hot one. Roskilde is excellent but just does not get the vibe you get at Glasto.

[jamseyboy]

Yes.

[5co77ie]

I've not been to all the world's festivals so I'm in no position to say

[PAH030]

Not been to that many others but i'd like to think so

[worthyraver]

badass Brazilian festivals which we've never heard of.

[Toilet Duck]

I saw this thread and was going to ask is Coachella any good? Is that the American's Glasto equivalent, ie. The generally considered best one??

I'm asking as I yesterday decided that I was going to investigate going this year (in addition to Glastonbury).

Benicassim I went to last year and wasn't a touch on Glastonbury. More like V Festival really, but you've obviously got the advantage of the sun and heat, but also the horrendousness of the heat also!

Plus Hurricanes calling off one of the nights last year and really, really band sound system.

[crashnburn]

if any wants put some money together and provide me a substantial budget i will happily go to all the festivals and come back to the forum with a detailed report.

[Chazeboy]

its the best one that ive been to in all the world

[ivan]

its the best one that ive been to in all the world

[It doesn't get any better]

I think it must be pretty hard to beat

I don't think I'm physically capable of having a better time than I did last year. I'd probably explode.

[Bort]

I saw this thread and was going to ask is Coachella any good? Is that the American's Glasto equivalent, ie. The generally considered best one??

I'm asking as I yesterday decided that I was going to investigate going this year (in addition to Glastonbury).

Benicassim I went to last year and wasn't a touch on Glastonbury. More like V Festival really, but you've obviously got the advantage of the sun and heat, but also the horrendousness of the heat also!

Plus Hurricanes calling off one of the nights last year and really, really band sound system.

Edited November 11, 2009 by Bort

[sifi]

FFF?

[eFestivals]

I went to Coachella .... Yeah, I'd wager it's the best America has to offer.

erm .... you've forgotten Burning Man.

[LostRiot]

V is the best festival in the world.

I've been going to Glastonbury for years, but this year I went to V, what a revelation! Glasto is full of chavs and its a rip off.

[LostRiot]

erm .... you've forgotten Burning Man.

[bulb]

What a great use of sarcasm!

...

I hope

[biscant]

It's the best festival in the world, fact.

[BuriedBones]

Like many on here I have been to many, many festivals over the last 20 years, and whilst Roskilde (scale, acts), Coachella (vibe, weather, location), T (er, lager, top punters) all have their merits. It's Glastonbury all the way.

I was blown away first time (1989) and tend to feel exactly the same every time I return, which after an additional 15? times means there is definitely something special, which seems to subtly change and develop with every incarnation.

Long may it continue.

[eFestivals]

Not really a music festival though, I would imagine there are loads of awesome festivals like burning man, because they don't have to care about making any money and having a line-up.

True.

As for the money bit tho, you're more than slightly wrong. Someone somewhere is raking in a fortune.

Edited November 10, 2009 by eFestivals

[amfy]

Godders I remember your thread well - You did get some stick.

I think you did really well to read that as passion and see it as a reason to go for it, because a lesser soul would have gone running back to V or Reading, or whatever, calling us all the names under the sun.

So I am double delighted to see you post now as a complete and total convert! You can watch them all roll in next year now and try to be the voice of reason!

I have no idea if Glastonbury is the best festival in the world though because I went to Glastonbury first and pretty much looked no further!

[tevaburger]

I went to Coachella in 2004 because it was the only Radiohead gig anywhere around for the whole year, but I have returned every year since then. It is Coachella that got me wanting to go to Glastonbury and also into a lot more music in general. So it's an amazing experience in a gorgeous setting (a polo field in the desert surrounded by palm trees with the mountains in the distance), but it's no Glasto.

It is small compared to Glasto, with 5 stages plus 1-2 others that may or may not be active at a given time or year, and a capacity of 60,000 people (and only 16,000 camp, and that's if camp sells out). Also, of those 60,000 that can be there on a given day, not everyone goes all three days. This year, Friday must have had at least 10,000 more people than either of the other days (because McCartney was headlining).

And speaking of McCartney, that's another thing: they get huge names. And not just that, but they are instrumental in getting bands to reunite. Pixies, The Stooges, Bauhaus, Rage Against the Machine, My Bloody Valentine (although MBV didn't play until a year after reuniting, it apparently was a generous offer that got things going again), Gang of Four, Siouxie and the Banshees are all acts that reunited at least partially because of Coachella. They also were responsible for Daft Punk creating that pyramid show that nearly every other festival in the world booked to headline for two years. Yeah, Coachella was their first live show in 9 years, and the first one with that now famous light show. Also, last year the only performances Portishead and Prince did in the entire continent last year (first and only show for a decade for Portishead) were at Coachella, and they also had The Verve and Kraftwerk, both bands having only done a few warmup shows in other cities. Plus a lot of bands that are huge now played on small stages back in the day. The Killers (ugh) played the smallest tent at 3pm back in 2004, and came back to headline this year. Arcade Fire and M.I.A. really blew up after the rapturous reception to their sets in 2005. One of the stages is the Sahara Tent, which is really the dance tent, and lots of people come primarily or solely for this one tent. That legendary Daft Punk set happened here.

Besides the lineup, Coachella has lots of cool looking art installations all over the grounds. No crazy, massive areas like Shangri-la, though. Unfortunately, you can only drink in designated areas. So instead of carrying four cups of cider in each hand in preparation for a headliner, you have to get your drink on in one of three fenced-in areas (four if you have VIP access). Also, you can't bring alcohol to camp, but everyone sneaks it in anyway. And the campgrounds are separate from the festival grounds, so you can't go take a nap during the afternoon or change your clothes. There are showers for all the campers, so no excuse to be dirty. Also, they have the rubbish picked off the grounds at night so every morning you come into a clean field. There is a bar at camp that's open on Thursday night, and they have karaoke. The campers can be extremely inventive when it comes to finding ways to amuse themselves after hours (lots of smuggled booze and drugs, drum circles that expand to hundreds of people chanting and singing all night, parades that last all night, larger tents being converted to dance tents, etc).

Another major difference? NO MUD. Sounds nice, right? Well, the downside is it is boiling hot during the day, chilly and sometimes freezing at night, and the lack of rain means walking through dust clouds when going back to camp or your car at night. Hope you aren't allergic! I have had sinus infections after Coachella the last three years. But still, it's much easier to sit back in the grass, or lie down, and chill while listening to music. That is one thing I missed at Glasto: being able to rest my feet.

Yeah, I'd wager it's the best America has to offer. The only real rival is Bonnaroo, which is like Glasto in the sense that the fun doesn't stop after midnight. At Bonnaroo, there's big bands playing late night sets, but they don't have those crazy areas like Shangri-la or Trash City. They do have film festivals, restaurants, a comedy tent...things like that. It is also like Glasto in the sense that nearly everyone camps, nobody showers, and there is more of an older crowd. I'd have to go with Coachella because of the setting, the acts that can't be seen anywhere else, the bigger emphasis on dance music, and bands that are huge in Europe can often be found doing sets on smaller stages and earlier in the day than what they play at home.