Overwhelmed!

[carlhunt3r]

Hi all

This will be my first Glastonbury, and I feel completely overwhelmed with all the information and stages and everything about the place. I am so excited yet apprehensive, which is an odd feeling.

We'll be heading down from the North East, so planning to get to the West side and camp around Pylon/Woodsies/Darble area.

What advice can you give to a first timer who'll be attending with a gang of 8? We've all done Leeds Festival on 3 - 5 occasions, so no means festival n00bs, but Glastonbury seems on a totally different world!

CANT. WAIT.

[whisty]

What advice can you give to a first timer who'll be attending with a gang of 8? We've all done Leeds Festival on 3 - 5 occasions, so no means festival n00bs, but Glastonbury seems on a totally different world!

CANT. WAIT.

[JennieT]

You will have an amazing time. Just go with the flo. Don't plan too much! Aim to see a few of you favourite bands but go and see some you've never heard of or don't know much about.

Make sure you go to the park area. Walk right to the top near the 'Glastonbury' sign! Don't look back till you get to the top!

I doubt you would ever want to go back to Leeds festival ever again !!

[whisty]

Oh and read this if you didn't already. It's got every bit of advice you'll need.

http://www.glastoearth.com/the-faq

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Use the free lock ups to store your valuables. Unfortunately thefts from tents do happen, even when people are asleep in them.

Don't pitch your tents next to the toilets.

Don't pitch your tents next to any generators that are quiet during the day but are started up at night.

Make friends with your neighbours - so that you can look out for each other.

The list is endless really. I'm sure others will add to this.

Enjoy, what in my opinion, is the best festival of the lot.

[JennieT]

This will help too :-)

http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/news/download-the-2013-fine-guide

[frostypaw]

Please do come back to this thread after the festival to reassess your usage of the word 'overwhelmed' :-D

You will have an awesome time, it's easier than it might appear and certainly easier than many other festivals due to the extra freedoms so you'll be fine with your experience

[Bathimp]

Try and get there on Wednesday or Thursday so that you have time to orientate yoruselves.

Dont worry too much about where you camp. You will be hiking miles anyway.

Once you have eaten an oggie had three pints of Brothers and used a slammer and a longdrop you will look feel and smell like a local

Have a great festival

[Morse Code]

Think carefully about where you pitch your tent (as opposed to which area you camp in). Too near the toilets, rubbish bins, hedges or in a hollow / bottom of a field and dependant on the weather it can make life difficult / miserable.

Other than that, take plenty of booze, fags, snacks so you don't waste too much time in queues for these things. Use the lockups to store any you're not taking with you each day.

Take the right footwear (wellies / decent walking boots) as you'll be doing loads of walking and although everyone knows about the famous 'M' word, dry and dusty can be challenging too.

Don't plan too many 'must see acts' as you'll put too much pressure on yourself and risk rushing from stage to stage and missing tonnes of stuff you would otherwise stumble across.

Try and stop at as many of the smaller stages / circus / cabaret etc. as possible. You'll inevitably find something worth stopping for.

Above all, lose yourself for a few days and have a wonderful time!!

[Zoo Music Girl]

I felt overwhelmed my first year and even more so when I got there! But the best thing is to just relax and go with it. If you're arriving Wednesday or Thursday use this time to get your bearings and work out how to get from A to B as the site is huge. And have fun!

This is my fifth year and I still haven't seen everything - far from it. I used to go to Reading but can't imagine going back there now. It would feel very lacking in comparison!

Edited June 1, 2013 by RebeccaD

[Dave F.]

All of the above.

Arrive as early as you can. Allow plenty of travel time. You don't want to get stopped on the way down. Traffic routes to Glastonbury start well before the site. Look at http://www.glastoearth.com/ for routes/satnav targets. This map is also a great resource for on-site info as well.

Don't rush. If you come on Wed/Thurs take a stroll around & acclimatize (Bimbling about is a pastime at G.). Go & see the hippies up the hill & try a bit of blacksmith hammering in the Craft field. Clashfinder is a useful tool to see what's on, but don't let it rule - If you see something interesting stop & watch, you'll probably enjoy it. Try not to be too disappointed if on the Monday you realise you didn't get to the whole site, few people do on just one visit.

Remember, once you're in, you're in. There's no inner compound for you to queue at. Alcohol is allowed throughout the site. Smoking isn't allowed in the marquees, but I guess that's the same at Leeds.

The obvious is to say 'have a great time', but we all know you will, it's a forgone conclusion.

[bigbilly]

Pitch tent get on it don't try and do everything of you will be walking non stop for 5 days. In my experience my Glastonbury highlights are never planned

[RobertProsineckisLighter]

I'm arriving with a virgin this year... I'm almost as excited about seeing his face upon arrival as I am the rest of the time there.

[JennieT]

I'm arriving with a virgin this year... I'm almost as excited about seeing his face upon arrival as I am the rest of the time there.

[bigbilly]

And me :-)

[pedmills]

Being overwhelmed is the idea.

You will experience sensory overload as you see so many weird things there, then come back thinking "oh why didn't I spend more time in [...]?" This will happen every year. This is a good thing. It means it never gets old.

Stick your head into every room and tent* you come across. That's the best way to experience Glastonbury.

*Not people's personal tents for camping of course.

[Sketchead]

I'm going with my best mate. Not only is it his first Glastonbury, it's his first festival. I think he might explode.

[caroldecker]

My advice, just lurk around on here reading a bit of this and that you'll pick up bits of information that you'll find useful along the way!

Be prepared to queue if you get there on the Wednesday. Take lots of beer, there's no arena like at Leeds! You can drink your own beer wherever you go! Go wandering and go in as many places you can and just soak up the atmosphere. You'll have a great time!

[ClareM1983]

This will only be my 2nd Glastonbury and I'm looking forward to seeing more of the other /random stuff. Definitely will have more of a 'go with the flow' attitude this time! So excited - can't wait!

[knivesout]

my advice is just to forget any notion of a plan or itinerary and wander round the site, purposefully getting lost and seeing what you find

[redrog]

This is a pointless post because you will ignore me completely, but don't look at clashfinder and map out every single thing you want to see. Instead, plan no more than about 2 bands a day, chill out and wander, you will get so much more out of it.

In about 5 years time you will agree with me.

[Spindles]

If you've been to Leeds you'll be fine. Imagine that, but bigger, friendlier and more varied, with more partying, much more partying.

Where you are planning to camp is pretty good for the space for your group. It isn't too full on up there so it's not too rowdy at night and access for facilities, pyramid, JP and dance village is ideal. It is a long walk home from avalon or shangri la, but when you see how rammed it is in the fields near there you can decide for yourself who gets the better deal.

Leeds/Reading have matured into decent festivals in their own right and much of what you are used to there you will find at Glastonbury, however there is just so much more that overwhelmed is how you'll feel until you've been back a few times. That is NOT a bad thing.

Be prepared to rip up your itinerary. It is not uncommon to be somewhere enjoying something random and just no longer care about that act you HAD to see when you were looking at the bill and often the best festival is to be had by just bimbling around finding randomness.

[Thearg]

Don't try and run from one stage to another so much,pick a stage that has the most acts you want to see and stay there for the duration,not all day of course,just a few acts,if you go from one stage to the next straight after sets you will wear yourself out and will probably arrive late for them as well and end up spending most of the time walking rather than watching bands.

[All Mod Cons.]

Be prepared to be walking round like John Wayne by day 5..

[mrpman]

As others have said, don't over plan your day. Yes that band might be important you've heard on 6 Music but you can't account for the Salsa band you happen to see on the bandstand and stay dancing with for two hours!

Or the person stood on a box who is letting people paint them and your friends HAVE to do it!

Or the person you start to speak to who has a big bag of ket and is wearing most of it all over his face and turns out to be a very nice man.

They were just 2011.