Glastonbury Virgin!

[LloydForever]

Hello!

Long time lurker, first time poster!

I am taking a big step this year by finally going to Glastonbury!

After a year off festivals last year I felt it was time to give them another chance (After 4 years of going to Reading Festival you can probably understand why I felt the need for a change!)

It was great for the first couple of years, and the music was always good, but by the 4th year I couldnt be bothered with waking up in the morning to find everything trashed!

What I really want to know, is if Glastonbury is that much different?

I have a mental image of it being full of happy beautiful people, and a with a vibe like no other (probably picked up this image from the people on this board so no bias views there! )

Obviously I expect there are still a handful of tossers that go to Glastonbury, but most likely not in such a volume of the 90% of Reading festival goers?

I can't help feeling more excited for Glasto than for any other festival i've been to, and am pretty sure its not gonna let me down!

[Mini_web]

Glastonbury is a completely different world to Reading....

Yes you do get some knob heads but not anywhere as many as Reading....

I am doing both this year and I am a little nervous about Reading, although being boring we will probably camp at the White campsite (if they still have it) which is the quiet campsite across the river!

You will enjoy Glasto... once you have been you want to go every year!

[Valka]

They are Chalk and Cheese!

We may be bias to Glasto on this forum but many of us have been to other festivals, enjoyed other festivals but want the world to be like Glastonbury.

You will have an absolute blast and i can't see you returning to Reading after it

[bluejeans10]

top tips for having a good time:

1. don't allow the few nobheads to ruin your time

2. be open to doing new things that you wouldn't do at normal festivals

3. don't become one of the 'nobhead' crew

4. your driver is your saviour, treat him nicely and buy him a burger everyday

5. have fun

[LloydForever]

I definitely have high hopes for Glastonbury!

The line-up may not be as strong as I would have hoped (don't get me wrong its still a great lineup!) but i'm hoping that once I have been, I will understand the whole 'Its not just about the music' thing everyone seems to believe! As this is definitely not the case at Reading, where if there are no bands on that you really want to see, you are limited with what you can do with your free time! Luckily the lineup looks pretty damn good for Reading this year! so im sure you will have a great time!

And Valka I hope your right! and I think you will be!

I'm also going to benicassim this year, so by the end of July would have been to Reading, Leeds, V fest, Glasto and Benicassim, so shouldn't have any bias views, but i'm sure when Stevie drops Sir Duke I'll be agreeing with everyone else that nothing else comes close!

[*Amy *]

I have hated every other festival iv visited mainly because of other people

Glasto converted my opinion of festivals. Love it

Tis so special

[Not19Forever]

I been to Reading (& Leeds, & V), and Glasto is a world apart.

Your right that there could be a minority element of knob heads attending, but to be honest I think I've managed to get through majority of Glastos I've been to without coming across many at all. Only a couple of occasions I can remember (and this is my 10th year this year).

You'll love it, and you'll come back understanding its not all about the music!

[Joem]

The funny thing with the Glasto line up is that although people seem disappointed, put the best bands on one or two stages (like other festivals) and you have quite easily teh best line up of the summer.

Its only because they're spread out over a vast amount of stages that on paper, it doesn't look as good.

[Joem]

To add to that, you also have more cult bands than any other festival and many more exciting new bands to discover

[Funky Jim]

I went to Reading once, never again, completely different 'vibe'!

For a start you have one arena at Reading with the camping seperate, at Glasto its all mingled together, makes a big difference I find.

Although Glasto has become more middle-class over the past decade, u still get far less knobheads than at Reading.

imho

[LloydForever]

That is very true!

Without the usual lineup I would go to of mainstream acts, it gives me the opportunity to look into bands that for whatever reason, I would not usually listen to!

Before the lineup was announced I had shamefully never heard of 'The Bees'! they are now one of my Must Sees for the weekend!

I also love how the lineup follows no real set rules of genre, or 'who should be on before who' kind of thing, I mean Scissor Sisters followed by MUSE? where else would you see this??

Really looking forward to seeing a diverse range of people from Stevie to Snoop to The Cribs to Toots/Faithless (still can't decide!!)

[featherboa]

It is totally different to Reading, I always thought I would never miss a Reading Festival but I haven't been for the past few years, and it was down to the people that go (I don't find burning tents or throwing gas canisters into fires much fun!)

Glasto is amazing, and although I said I would never go back after 2005 (my first year) I did and I am glad I did so! It is now my number one festival, and whilst I know not everyone at Reading sets things on fire the groups that did do ruin it for others. As mentioned earlier you do get some people who you'd prefer not to be there (you can't like everyone) but on the whole it's amazing!

Your first time certainly won't be your last!

[Rolf Harris]

The sheer size of the place will blow your underpants backwards. I still havent see everything there and have been to the last 6.

constantly things going on till as long as you can do them for.

[jamseyboy]

I,ve found that the knobheads are few and far between......and with such a big site easy to avoid. If you do come across some they will be in the minority and get short shrift from all the normal happy festival loving folk. In most cases you can do your own thing and be accepted by all.

I have always found that you can meet a totally diverse range of people all with one aim and thats to have a great time.....even when the rains come down. The need to trash and burn must be a culture bred by modern beliefs in thats what going to a festival entails......I truly believe that some people go just to take part in this ritual and then boast to their mates. This is the same with bottle throwing, toilet trashing and other strange behaviours that are experienced at certain festivals.

I like Glastonbury just the way it is and hope that you do to.

[LloydForever]

I think thats exactly it! Some people seem to feel the need to go to a festival, and cause as much damage and trouble as possible, almost as if just because your at a festival, how to act in the normal world doesnt apply (obviously to an extent it doesnt, as its a weekend to let loose, have fun, and do things you wouldnt normally do!) but its taking it a bit far when a group of people set fire to a tent and shove it a toilet cubicle whilst a huge crowd blocks the fire engine from reaching it!

And from what I saw at Reading, it seemed to be getting worse! (either that, or as I grew up a bit I noticed it more?)

The same goes for the dicks that go around slashing and robbing tents! Has anyone ever caught someone doing this?? I'd love to hear how festival justice works!

Either way, I'm glad to hear that Glastonbury appears to be a lot more to my liking!

[muddyslingbax]

it doesn't matter about the lineup, in my opinion.

glasto is glasto....

have a fab time

[Spindles]

I went to reading in '08 and had a great time, met lots of nice folks and had no problems. I saw a few knobs, the place was a state on monday morning, but that aside it was all good.

Glasto is a different beast altogether. For the most part people just break down their normal social barriers but in a nice way, again, like the knobhead factor, not everyone, but most. I find glastonbury to be like walking through a city where the pedestrians randomly chat with strangers, if more cities were like that I'd go out more

[ravindave80]

This is my first year at Glasto too and im coming on the recommendation of sooooo many friends!

Im starting to get excited now and cant wait for my first Glasto experience