Glasto Etiquitte

[guypjfreak]

If someone shouts bollox near you, you must shout bollox yourself.

Re big crowds, there will be times when you get stuck in a crowd that seems to be going nowhere. Just stay calm, talk to the people around you, sing a song and you'll get where you're going.

[glasto-worker]

They've got barriers to enforce queues at Reading Festival bars now and seem to be working ok. No more space than most Glastonbury bars. But more people trying to use less bars at Reading.

[opencube]

Girls dont squat behind people's tents to goto the loo...it isnt nice.

[swede]

No but I,m hoping for my free Brothers token today. And when it comes to advice remember to have a Brothers cider ( hoping Ginger flavour is there), eat a pieminster pie, visit Flagtopia and atempt a roley poley down the hill ( i do and I am 47 this year). Drink plenty of water, wear lashings of sun creme even when cloudy and lip balm if windy. Dont push and smile if pushed. Hold your nose on the first visit to the long drops ( you will do it naturally afterwards) and try not to look down. Dont take any drugs when you have no sense of their origin and dont leave your drink unatended ( sligtly OTT but hey). REmember a tent is only a piece of canvas and place all that is precious/valuable in the lockups. ....And above all else take away all that you bring with you unless recycled or dispensed with sensibly.

There endeth the lesson.....I envy you your first visit and all the new experiences it will bring. Who would have thought....a monorail in a field?

Edited May 23, 2011 by swede

[cejx]

smile - and put all your rubbish - to the last fag butt to the bin before leaving. What you take to the farm - take away from the farm.

[Guitargeek4]

Pass the dutchy on the left-hand side.

[fnchy77]

Many tips are etiquette tips for most festies but with Glasto, just chillax and be yourself. Its a very friendly atmosphere. Remember its not the V Festival (pretty unfriendly in my experiences of it). At Glasto, people are friendly, chilled and accepting. In other words, anything goes....!

Only other hints - be prepared to be a sardine in a can if you fancy the main stages later in the evening (same as every major festie I guess) and try and see as much of the site as you can. I know people who have been 1st time and literally pitched at the Pyramid for 3 days solid. Each to their own I guess but there is so much more to be seen.

[ukslim]

We shouldn't need to spell out the etiquette -- just don't be a dick, and have some consideration for other people.

However, you do see people being dicks, and here are just some of the ways:

• Creating an obstruction in crowded areas. I'm talking about rows of big chairs quite far forward in the Pyramid crowd, and giving the evils to anyone who tries to squeeze in between. In their defence, I assume these people set up at a time when it's a reasonable place to be sat -- but they should move back.

• Pissing where you shouldn't. There's no excuse for this, however drunk and bursting you are.

• Taking too long at the taps. If there's a queue behind you, now is not a good time to spend 5 minutes washing your hair. Save it for a quieter time.

• Making things worse in crushes. You don't get crushes that are as bad any more, but if there is one, don't have the bright idea of pushing harder.

But I'm sure you wouldn't have dreamt of doing any of that.

What's more interesting is the random acts of kindness and festival spirit that can lift the festival for everyone.

• Say hello to your campsite neighbours

• Offer swigs of booze to strangers

• Decorate your campsite to make it fun

• Decorate yourself to make it fun (fancy dress/makeup/etc.)

• Just generally go for it.

[stu79]

Don't poo on the toilet seat, someone had done this in a long drop i went it last year and with my hangover it made me puke and i had to put my head next to the poo to puke and that made me puke more, horrible horrible couple of minutes.

[Douzeper]

If you are male - don't piss in the long drops! use the damn Urinals! (beside most long drops) Nothing worse than needing a dump (or for girls everything) and someone has pissed all over the seat!

[Welsh.bluebird]

this is my 1st festival and on my own i don't care i cant wait its going to be the best time of my life

I hope i come in the same campsite as everyone on here as its going to make it alot better for my 1st festival diary

30 DAYS

[Ponyegg]

Do you queue for bars or is it a free for all like normal pubs ?(push your way to front and get served kinda thing )

[gravejr]

Say please and thank you.

Don't cut anything nasty in to the drug you're selling.

It's not really the festival etiquitte but if it's not raining or blowing a gale you don't need to out the guy ropes out on your tent they'll serve no purpose other than to trip up drunks in the middle of the night who are trying to get to bed to sleep it off. Rather than saving your tent you may just even up having someone fall on it and break it maybe even when you're in it kipping.

Pass the dutchie to the left hand side.

Oh and if it's muddy and your at the front of the Pyramid Stage looking all grumpy because you don't like the rain and muddy and staring and moaning about the people who have after 3 days learned the love the mud and are actually using to have some fun and enhance their festival experience: It's not ok to Wipe the mud off your hands on the guy next to you just because he's wearing a white towel bath robe.

<Etiquette>

[ukslim]

Oh and if it's muddy (...)

[gravejr]

If it's muddy, the etiquette is to steadfastly promote the view that the rain actually makes the festival better. That it's the mud and the rain that separates the real party people from the part timers.

You must convince yourself of this, and convince your companions of this. However nonsensical it may be. This bubble of delusion is what will keep you and everyone else sane.

[Lynne Scratch Perry]

Remember:

Not everyone's a dick and not everyone's a Sloane. Even if you meet either of them, try not to be rude!

As someone said, if you meet someone who's quite clearly off their face, don't be rude to them either. Quite often, they're the some of the nicest people to chat to!

Essentially, it all boils down to having fun and helping everyone else have fun too.

[Pinhead]

The beauty of the place is that there are no specififc behavioural constraints other than:

Be yourself, and be friendly, understanding, courtous and respectful of all others at the festival.

[budvar]

I think my key piece of advice would be to do it your way and to discover it for yourself.

That's not to say that asking for this advice is a bad idea (that's part of doing it "your way") but it is to say that everyone should be allowed to do their 1st Glasto as many of us did ours i.e. to fall in love with it having not known that much in advance.

I had a wonderful time in 2004 and knew almost nothing before I went. My relationship with the festival has got stronger with each return visit. I still wouldn't feel able to tell you how you should behave, just to say that I hope you have as great a time as I did.

[jamseyboy]

Jameseyboy, is that a picture of The Pogles in your avatar.

[loverlea]

this is my 1st festival and on my own i don't care i cant wait its going to be the best time of my life

I hope i come in the same campsite as everyone on here as its going to make it alot better for my 1st festival diary

30 DAYS

[MamaJojo]

It's not really the festival etiquitte but if it's not raining or blowing a gale you don't need to out the guy ropes out on your tent they'll serve no purpose other than to trip up drunks in the middle of the night who are trying to get to bed to sleep it off. Rather than saving your tent you may just even up having someone fall on it and break it maybe even when you're in it kipping.

[grumpyhack]

One thing to do as a newbie is walk and walk and walk. Don't stick to the main areas areas but explore all the amazing delights on the fringes. It's almost two festivals - the days before the music when you can enjoy having a bimble around the site and then part two when the music starts.

You may have a list of bands you want to see but keep your eyes and ears open for the unexpected. If you don't come away having discovered three or four superb acts that you didn't know before then there's something wrong.

Enjoy and experiment with the food. Skip the familiar burgers and try some of the more exotic offerings.

[jono_01]

Most things covered already - it's a pretty chilled out place really. There aren't too many dicks; those people who are dicks on the outside world tend no to be as 'dickish' here so all is good.

One thing I do often wonder is what is on the Wednesday, when my group of friends and I have got in and got set up, we often go back to the car for more supplies (take an empty rucksack back to the car to fill with more beer is a good tip) but when we are on our way back, we by-pass the queues. When walking past people I often feel daggers in my back! I mean, the queue is for the wristband exchange and there is a separate re-entry gate that, when you get there, is practically clear every time.

Does anybody actually queue up again?

[The_Amazing_Oblong]

Wow what to say that hasn't been said.

It's a long festival so take your time. No need to rush. Take it easy.

That advice goes to queueing at bars, shuffling along walkways, navigating crowds, drinking, drugging etc.

[TheGreenDropsRule]

It helps enormously to have a torch on you when going away from your tent for the evening. This means that on your return you can use it to see peoples tent guy lines. This will help you avoid ripping them out of the ground by walking through them, getting verbal from people within their tents, falling over etc.