First Timer Mistakes 2014

[frostypaw]

Contact lense advice, dont wear monthlys and decide to keep them in from Weds to Sunday AM, when i finally took them out my eyes were in pieces.

Damn good advice, there have been a few horror stories of infections

[Brave Sir Robin]

Pace yourself - in respect to both drink and everything else. Remember treat Glasto as a marathon, not a sprint.

Glastonbury is both a marathon and a sprint

[mungo57]

This is my dilemma currently - whether to take my specs or not!

I am about -3 in both eyes I think (mild short sight) so I can see the stages and performers well enough, but not signage (from a distance unless its red on white lettering or yellow on black I find I can see them easier!) - I usually don';t bother but last time I went (13) I got fucked off with the missus as she kept insisting on meeting me under the SMALLEST ever signs! I like to choose food stalls or BIG signs due to my short sight and she keeps telling me to bring my glasses! £150 frames she can fuck off! Contacts and I do not mix - I trialled them once and the fucker rolled back into my eye when I dozed off during the day and it took me 45 mins of wiggling it to get it out! Never again!

first year mishap: 2009 we got dropped off at the train station (Castle Cary) at about 5am as we thought the shuttle buses were going to arrive from 9am. We semi-camped overnight with a few lads (who kindly shared their JD with us which was nice, I gave them half a spliff as I only had 1 rolled) and then when people started showing up from 9 onwards and the security arrived they MOVED the queue whilst I was off at the loo and even though we had been there 5 hours by that point they refused to let us back in! Just cos my other half is small and couldn't manage a trolley and 2 camping bags alone! After that we learned a) not to get there so early and loo breaks are barred!

[Jakkkkobz]

Accept if you arrive after 11 on Wednesday there is no chance of Pennards, so don't put yourself through the trauma of the hill climb.

[teamsofa]

Going to see acts because of who they are, and not if I like them or not. Glastonbury is likely to be the only place I'll have the opportunity to see (as I'd be unlikely to buy a ticket for a gig of theirs), Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, The Stones, Paul Simon, Dolly, Macca, The Who etc etc. Just because they are incredibly famous with great careers it doesn't mean I *have* to see them.

Sometimes I've gone along and thought, "yup, get it, you're fantastic" (Neil Young).

Oftentimes I've gone along and thought, "yup, knew I didn't particularly like your music" (Bruce Springsteen)

[sheffieldlady]

Accept if you arrive after 11 on Wednesday there is no chance of Pennards, so don't put yourself through the trauma of the hill climb.

Very true! Show a group of girls arriving last year at around 9pm trying to get into Pennards. After I told them that they wouldn't fit and helped them with their items, they finally gave up and retreated to another camp site. It was one of those moments where I regretted being nice because it took a good 50 minutes and they originally asked if we was going to steal the items we offered to carry for them.. Also highlighted the need to spend a bit of money on a decent trolley rather than a cheap one from the likes of high street shops.

I think the most important bit of advice for a first timer is not to be overwhelmed by the experience and avoid running around trying to do everything. You can't do everything - I'm still discovering bits of the festival I haven't seen before, that's why I love it and return!

[slash's hat]

This is my dilemma currently - whether to take my specs or not!

I am about -3 in both eyes I think (mild short sight) so I can see the stages and performers well enough, but not signage (from a distance unless its red on white lettering or yellow on black I find I can see them easier!) - I usually don';t bother but last time I went (13) I got fucked off with the missus as she kept insisting on meeting me under the SMALLEST ever signs! I like to choose food stalls or BIG signs due to my short sight and she keeps telling me to bring my glasses! £150 frames she can fuck off! Contacts and I do not mix - I trialled them once and the fucker rolled back into my eye when I dozed off during the day and it took me 45 mins of wiggling it to get it out! Never again!)

if you've got a recentish prescription take a look at glasses direct. get a cheap pair you can put on as and when.

Edited May 18, 2015 by slash's hat

[Funkyfairy!]

Ha ha - Wednesday seem to be messy for most of us :-)

I have a reputation amongst our group for getting ever so slightly hammered on Wednesdays. I don't normally drink too much so I get some serious ribbing when I do

So last year I hardly drank on the Wednesday, but just enough to moan about not being merry and how I was not drinking due to being ribbed for the rest of the year. As I result I didn;t have the dutch courage to make the meet, I wandered by and just kept walking

I am, and have been instructed to go back to plan A this year and get hammered on Wednesday - so see you all at the meet :-)

[stuartbert two hats]

Some lessons I learned:

- Don't worry if you forget your sleeping bags, and don't bother buying one... You can buy a duvet for £10, rather than £25 for a bag.

- Milk is the best drink going. £1 a pint, no queues and genuinely cheaper than water!

- The less you take the better. If you can afford to get a ready set-up tent, go for it.

- Don't bother with clothes for every day. By Friday, you've stopped giving a fuck, and you're wearing the same thing you wore yesterday and the day before. Just bring a set of warm weather clothes, and a 2 sets of wet weather clothes.

- Don't think that because there's sunshine and no clouds that it's not going to rain. The moment you walk away from your tent after chucking your jacket, it will PISS IT DOWN.

- Stop drinking on Thursday night as early as possible. You may well get through a morning hangover on Friday, but it'll kick in in the evening.

- Being on your own isn't so bad. You get to go do what you want and go where you want.

- Try a 2am hike. Walk all around the site at about 2am on Wednesday/Thursday night to see everything, so you know where stuff you wanna see is, and also soak up some atmosphere.

- You WILL see fucked up shit. Men vomiting into each other's mouths isn't an uncommon sight, surprisingly.

- No matter what anyone says, if you're there for bands, you need a smartphone, or someone always checking the internet for you. You'll miss out on secret sets and stuff otherwise.

- If you're trying to find someone and a phone is dead, use your brain... Head to their tent, there's a good chance they're there.

- Be fairly loud when you talk between sets if you want to talk to people and make new friends. If you're making an opinionated point about something, say it so people around you can hear and join in your conversation, but not so loud it annoys them.

- Join in people's conversations. You hear a conversation you like the sound of, join in. You might make a new best friend.

- Don't mix semi-permanent hair dye and white clothes. It will rain, and the colour will run in the water and ruin your clothes.

- Fuck it. If you fancy doing something, just do it, fuck it!

- Don't kiss anyone wearing flash jewellery. They're probably taken, and you'll be disappointed when they tell you they've got a boyfriend/husband/girlfriend/wife.

- Twitter is brilliant. You get to know people on there pre-festival, and 90% of people you meet who you want to keep in contact with will probably have Twitter... Asking for a number can seem a bit weird and like you're chatting them up, Facebook name can be a bastard to find them... Every Twitter handle is unique, it's casual, and almost everyone has one.

- Try lots of different food, but don't piss away your money on grub in the past two days... All the different food stalls will be tempting, but you have to make sure you don't use all your money trying everything before Friday.

- Don't look for something you've heard about. Things like the stone dragon, the tunnel and the piano bar that are a bit hidden are something you'll struggle to find unless you know exactly where it is. You'll drive yourself mad looking for them, and there's a fair chance you'll find them if you just wander about.

- Sleep needs to be balanced. Yeah, a good old lie-in is good, but you'll miss things. But getting to sleep late and waking up early to witness things will ruin your weekend. Make sure you balance sleep well and get at least 6 hours per night. 3 until 9 is a decent time.

It's not that I disagree with this, but I've found that in years where I have taken my own 'advice' from previous years, I've come out of the festival thinking I need to do the opposite. Everytime I think I've got it worked out for next time, I think of a counter:

- Don't worry if you forget your sleeping bags, and don't bother buying one... You can buy a duvet for £10, rather than £25 for a bag.

Try to remember to take your sleeping bag, otherwise you're going to have to buy one on site and have two at home, or worse buy a duvet and chuck it in the bin after only using it a few times.

- Milk is the best drink going. £1 a pint, no queues and genuinely cheaper than water!

Avoid the milk. On an upset stomach, the last thing you want is to hurl cottage cheese down the longdrops!

- The less you take the better. If you can afford to get a ready set-up tent, go for it.

Travelling light is good, but getting a ready set-up tent means camping somewhere with no atmosphere and a long walk back to camp.

- Don't bother with clothes for every day. By Friday, you've stopped giving a fuck, and you're wearing the same thing you wore yesterday and the day before. Just bring a set of warm weather clothes, and a 2 sets of wet weather clothes.

Yeah, I'm a minger so I'll go with this. But I will say, make sure you change your socks+pants and a fully clean set of clothes for the journey back is a wonderful thing!

- Don't think that because there's sunshine and no clouds that it's not going to rain. The moment you walk away from your tent after chucking your jacket, it will PISS IT DOWN.

If the weather is hot all day, like in 2010 + parts of 2009 DO NOT TAKE YOUR COAT. You will have to carry it around everywhere and will bitterly regret it in the heat.

- Stop drinking on Thursday night as early as possible. You may well get through a morning hangover on Friday, but it'll kick in in the evening.

Thursday is the best night to go for it. No bands to miss and it gets you in the right fucked up frame of mind for the three following days of music. Eat plenty of food and drink plenty of fluids on Friday, along with the hair of the dog. You'll be fine...Probably.

- Being on your own isn't so bad. You get to go do what you want and go where you want.

If you go on your own, it's great for a wander for most of a day, but five days of it will leave you yearning for someone to go to bimble about with and conversation that is more than small talk.

- Try a 2am hike. Walk all around the site at about 2am on Wednesday/Thursday night to see everything, so you know where stuff you wanna see is, and also soak up some atmosphere.

Can't argue with this. Actually, I can think of loads of reasons to get your head down and save your feet, but fuck it. Those late night wanders are brilliant.

- You WILL see fucked up shit. Men vomiting into each other's mouths isn't an uncommon sight, surprisingly.

You won't see a lot of fucked up shit compared to most festivals. I've never seen men vomiting into each other's mouths ever in 11 Glastos and 36 years of life. You will, unfortunately see lots of mean in the urinals confusing a barrier with an actual urinal.

- No matter what anyone says, if you're there for bands, you need a smartphone, or someone always checking the internet for you. You'll miss out on secret sets and stuff otherwise.

Do not use your smartphone. You'll spend time trying to find out about crappy secret sets (oh joy, The Kooks!) instead of focusing on the wonders in front of you. Glastonbury is the perfect opportunity to unplug and engage in the present.

- If you're trying to find someone and a phone is dead, use your brain... Head to their tent, there's a good chance they're there.

If you're trying to find someone and a phone is dead, fuck it. Go and see some bands. You'll find them eventually, probably the next day. Actually, this is pretty good advice, I used to make this an explicit agreement in the pre-mobile days to head back to the tent before heading out for the last 2-3 bands of the evening.

- Be fairly loud when you talk between sets if you want to talk to people and make new friends. If you're making an opinionated point about something, say it so people around you can hear and join in your conversation, but not so loud it annoys them.

Don't be fairly loud and opinionated when talking between sets. It's bound to annoy someone (again, I don't really believe this counter-argument, be gregarious!)

- Join in people's conversations. You hear a conversation you like the sound of, join in. You might make a new best friend.

Can't argue with this, or the next few :-)

- Don't mix semi-permanent hair dye and white clothes. It will rain, and the colour will run in the water and ruin your clothes.

- Fuck it. If you fancy doing something, just do it, fuck it!

Word brother!

- Don't kiss anyone wearing flash jewellery. They're probably taken, and you'll be disappointed when they tell you they've got a boyfriend/husband/girlfriend/wife.

Fuck it. If you fancy doing something, just do it, fuck it!

- Twitter is brilliant. You get to know people on there pre-festival, and 90% of people you meet who you want to keep in contact with will probably have Twitter... Asking for a number can seem a bit weird and like you're chatting them up, Facebook name can be a bastard to find them... Every Twitter handle is unique, it's casual, and almost everyone has one.

Put your phone away!

- Try lots of different food, but don't piss away your money on grub in the past two days... All the different food stalls will be tempting, but you have to make sure you don't use all your money trying everything before Friday.

My advice here is have more money and spend as much as you can on food!

- Don't look for something you've heard about. Things like the stone dragon, the tunnel and the piano bar that are a bit hidden are something you'll struggle to find unless you know exactly where it is. You'll drive yourself mad looking for them, and there's a fair chance you'll find them if you just wander about.

A little goal to your bimbling can be a good idea, so long as you don't focus on it too much and are willing to let the other wonders along the way distract you.

- Sleep needs to be balanced. Yeah, a good old lie-in is good, but you'll miss things. But getting to sleep late and waking up early to witness things will ruin your weekend. Make sure you balance sleep well and get at least 6 hours per night. 3 until 9 is a decent time.

Sleep as much as you can. With the light and heat from the early sun you'll struggle to get much anyway.

Edited May 18, 2015 by stuartbert two hats

[mungo57]

if you've got a recentish prescription take a look at glasses direct. get a cheap pair you can put on as and when.

good shout Slash's Hat, I didn't realise such places existed!

I got my glasses from Tesco and they refused to give me my prescription but I still have my last 1 from specsavers before Tesco and my eyes haven't gotten any worse so I will have a gander. Cheers mate.

[The Nal]

Try get an 8am ish walk about in. Rare, but reminds me of what it would be like strolling around some medieval village in the morning. People all busy starting fires, working from scratch etc. Really nice time of the day.

[nikkic]

This will be my 5th Glasto. A few things I've learnt over the years....

- A good blow up mattress and pillow is essential, as are ear plugs and some sort of sleep mask

- Taking loads of food isn't necessary, the food there is great (bar the stalls closest to the main stages).

- Trying to pace yourself is unrealistic, with all the good intentions you may have the excitement will take over!

- Talk to your neighbours to ensure increased security of your tent

- However long you think it'll take from one stage to another, double it, drunk people do not walk fast!

[Mardy]

Try get an 8am ish walk about in. Rare, but reminds me of what it would be like strolling around some medieval village in the morning. People all busy starting fires, working from scratch etc. Really nice time of the day.

Yeah, I love that time of day. As an old man who's always up at sparrowfart, I love watchiing bearly eyed people going home, other people setting up for the day etc etc. it's lovely.

[Spindles]

+1 to that. In 2009 on the Sunday I had the mother of all comedowns after going way too wild way too early the evening before, so rather than sweating it out in my tent I went walking through the smoky remnants of the night before, the site remarkably peaceful and so very few people about. It would have been idyllic had it not been that my sweat smelled like vomit.

[sloseph]

good shout Slash's Hat, I didn't realise such places existed!

I got my glasses from Tesco and they refused to give me my prescription but I still have my last 1 from specsavers before Tesco and my eyes haven't gotten any worse so I will have a gander. Cheers mate.

granted this honour should go to slash's hat because he pointed you in the right direction first but if you're going to use glasses direct (which i highly recommend just got my first pair after being a slave to specsavers for years) then use this offer https://glassesdirect.mention-me.com/m/ol/ogg-8f8706f61ayou get £30 off the frames and i get £15 of Amazon vouchers

edit: I should probably add something constructive to the thread too, however this is my first time so I just wanted to add thanks for al these posts I’m telling myself I’m going to listen to all this advise but given previous festival experience I’ll be a cursing myself come Thursday when I’ve got a hangover so bad I can feel it in my teeth

Edited May 18, 2015 by sloseph

[McCor]

Not my first, but my worst mistake.

Arrived late on the Thursday in 2007, panicked about getting set up. Ended up dumping the tent next to a lane junction on somewhere around hitchen hill thinking there'd be no space left. Tent was on a crazy incline and had tractors passing within millimetres of my head what seemed to be every hour.

Lesson learnt; don't panic about space, there's plenty if you look in the right places

I think we'll be arriving Thursday afternoon, any advice on where to look?

[stuartbert two hats]

I think we'll be arriving Thursday afternoon, any advice on where to look?

Baileys is a hike from anywhere, but was pretty roomy all weekend.

[Jakkkkobz]

I think we'll be arriving Thursday afternoon, any advice on where to look?

Bushy and Pylon always seems to have decent amounts of space on Thursday

[Gnomicide]

Yeah, I love that time of day. As an old man who's always up at sparrowfart, I love watchiing bearly eyed people going home, other people setting up for the day etc etc. it's lovely.

One of my favourite memories from 2010 was getting up real early due to the heat and passing a blike on his way home from god only knows what. He looked fabulous in his sandles, day glow hot pants and nothing else.

He appeared a little confused.

[cornish hick]

Check Money Saving Expert. I'm of the varifocal age now but got a spare basic (without Varifocal bit) pair for a tenner from Specky4eyes with a voucher code from MSE. Used Glasses Direct before and they are quick and good prices (often have vouchers also)

[yellowsnow]

I went in 2013 with my other half (our first Glasto) then tonnes of friends of friends (they were Glasto 'veterans') We thought it'd be awesome going with a big group of people, that there would always be someone to talk to, would be a laugh.

Never doing that again. It's a chore going with what they want to do, waiting around for them, trying to find them in crowds, etc etc... it just put a downer on our first Glastonbury. And if you didnt stay up late some nights they'd just look down at you for it. We still explored on our own and all that but it's just the two of us this year and I can't wait.

Edited May 18, 2015 by yellowsnow

[stuartbert two hats]

I went in 2013 with my other half (our first Glasto) then tonnes of friends of friends (they were Glasto 'veterans') We thought it'd be awesome going with a big group of people, that there would always be someone to talk to, would be a laugh.

Never doing that again. It's a chore going with what they want to do, waiting around for them, trying to find them in crowds, etc etc... it just put a downer on our first Glastonbury. And if you didnt stay up late some nights they'd just look down at you for it. We still explored on our own and all that but it's just the two of us this year and I can't wait.

I can not stand big groups at Glasto. Someone wants food. Someone wants the toilet. Someone wants to see a shit band. Fuck that. 3-5 is optimal in my book.

[sheffieldlady]

Bushy and Pylon always seems to have decent amounts of space on Thursday

Yep, Bushy always seems to have plenty of space on the Thursday. I like it there, miles from SE corner but then the walk back and the peace and quiet is handy. Also very close to the coach station to was a lack of toilets last year, hoping they fix that (was due to some not turning up!)

[sheffieldlady]

I can not stand big groups at Glasto. Someone wants food. Someone wants the toilet. Someone wants to see a shit band. Fuck that. 3-5 is optimal in my book.

I think I must be really selfish, I will do what I want to do - I don't have the need to be in a group all the time. I go with my other half though, we have similar tastes - he likes more food than I do and offered has a list of places he wants to visit for food throughout the festival.

[**claire**]

I can not stand big groups at Glasto. Someone wants food. Someone wants the toilet. Someone wants to see a shit band. Fuck that. 3-5 is optimal in my book.

Same here - this is the first year that we as a pair don't know anyone else going & I'm so looking forward to it - I lasted about 2 hours in 2013 meeting up with a big group of people we knew before going our separate ways again - it was like a chain reaction of someone needing the loo every 5 paces - why didn't it occur to them to go when we stopped three minutes earlier?!