Advice - (over 40's) - Taking my parents to their first festival

[Gedh]

I went for the first time age 50 with my adult children and their friends and the biggest problem I had was getting that lot up in the morning.

The compost loos are really not bad at all and there are more of them each year, I believe.

You do see people peeing in odd places but then walk through London's west end on a Saturday night and you will see far more idiocy.

Glastonbury is huge, not only in size but in diversity so there is something for everyone. (I'm partial to The Tiny Tea tent)

There are suppliers on ebay that sell a selection of ear plugs of different sizes and noise reduction, buy a pack and get them to test them next to a stage :-)

We stayed in worthy View in 2013 and won't do again as the dislocation from "being there" and having to cart a day's worth of stuff to a lock up and then parcel it out as the temperature drops etc was too much of a pain. Yes there is the odd weirdo wandering by but sometimes said weirdo sits down at your campfire and provides huge entertainment - intended or not.

I am firm though distant friends with people who camped next to us in 2011 and will meet up with them again this year.

It's all about those Glastonbury moments.....

[Big Vern]

good god, people over 40 go in anything other than a motorhome?

[Mmmm Beer]

Did my first festival at 40, been to everyone Glasto since, i'm 55 next month, And i go at it pretty hard core too, i think my earliest to bed last year was half 3.

The main issue i find is my fitness level, i am fairly fit for my age, but as the years progress i do find my limbs ache more and more. In previous years i have not tried to 'get fit for glasto', but this year i will.

So, good comfortable foot wear, comfortable clothes, chaffing can be a nightmare, especially when hot and sweaty, blow up bed, so at least when you crash you get a few hours of decent sleep, and earplugs, and take monday and tuesday off work (if you can) to recover!

[grumpyhack]

good god, people over 40 go in anything other than a motorhome?

We hired a motorhome one year just to try it. It was also partly for me to decide whether it was worth buying one for general use. I concluded that a caravan was a much better and cheaper option especially for a touring holiday.

[Penrhos]

Campervan or motorhome is great - fill it with beer, bacon & thick white bread and your sorted. Downside is the trek offsite each night - upside is privacy & peace.

Dry bed/clothes even if it pisses it down and no need to carry more than a day's alcohol onto the site.

Whatever you do invest in some good comfortable hiking boots, gaters or wellies as nothing sucks as much as blisters and wet feet.

Last year I clocked up between 15 & 25 miles per day stomping through the mud to get between stages...

[TheNewUnion]

Trailer Tent is the affordable solution for all. I bought my first one for £375 and sold it at £100 loss 3 years on. Worth every penny. Worth the effort to tow it and set up, got.8 hours kip per night in West Camper Field in the trailer, nice big awning as a living space, very pleasant indeed. (I'm 40, our lass is 43)

Edited March 6, 2015 by TheNewUnion

[mandolin]

We'd be in your parents age bracket and this will be our 4th Glastonbury. I think you've had great advice on here so far but I'll tell you what I learned the first year in the hope that it helps in some way. You say that you've been to loads of festivals but I'm not sure if you've been to Glastonbury before - sorry if some of the following is old news to you.

1. The longdrops are better than the turdis's though not as good as the compost loos. A she-wee (or similar) might help your mum out if she is a bit particular about these things but she would probably need to practice with it beforehand. The Wateraid toilets are always immaculate.

2. Comfortable shoes are essential and it's not a good idea to wear them for the first time when you're there.

3. They will (no matter what the weather) need warm clothes (especially socks) for night times.

4. Bring clothes to suit all weathers - no matter what the forecast. (It will, though, be a repeat of 2010 obviously - NFR NFC - but even then it was cold when it got dark.)

5. It is impossible to do everything so they should pick a couple of "must do's" each day and then let things take them where they may.

6. Don't hang out at the Pyramid stage all the time but it really is something special to see a headliner there - if you like them, obviously.

7. They should pace themselves. For some reason I forgot that last time and the Sunday/Monday were completely spoiled for me (and work was .... ummmmm .... interesting on the Tuesday!)

I hope they (and you) have a fantastic time.

[whateverman]

40's and 50's is a great age for festival-going (I speak from experience!). They'll probably be surprised how many folk their own age are running around site.

In terms of quiet camping, the areas suggested are good 'uns, but I will say this - there's absolutely no way of guaranteeing that you won't have noisy neighbours, or just find the environment too unsettled to sleep well. That's just a fact of festival life, particularly somewhere as big and diverse as Glastonbury. I think you'd be better off being honest with them about this in advance.

Likewise the loo situation. It's pretty much impossible to avoid loo situations that are, let's just say... removed from your everyday expereince. Yes there are posh loos around (I presume, I've never actually seen them), and some loos are certainly better than others; but if you are miles away over the other side of the festival, you are not going to be able to access them when you need them.

The toilet situation at Glastonbury is actually nothing at all for anyone to be worried about. There was a time when mountains of shit prevailed, and longdrop was a term conjuring images of medieval terror. That is no longer the case, and hasn't been for a very long time. Yes, you will definately have to compromise your values a little in terms of comfort and privacy. Yes, you might have to visibly see waste product en masse at some point (like most people in the world do). None of this need threaten your sanitation or health if you are sensible. My best advice (though it might seem odd) is to embrace the experience - it might just do you some good! In any case I think you need to be upfront and honest with your ma about this beforehand.

Enjoy Glas! Mingle!

Edited March 11, 2015 by whateverman

[NCTbabe]

I've been going since I was 32 and I'm now 44 and the only difference I'm finding now is my feet.

I now have very comfortable walking boots with added "suspension" as I find the improvement works to reduce the mud when wet can be very hard wearing on your feet. There is loads of walking and one evening a few years just collapsed in my tent and couldn't go out again as my feet hurt so badly. I got that one sorted pretty quickly!

Camping wise remember the music license for the festival means the main stages are over by midnight so the only noise is the combined hum of the party tents. We camp in family camping behind the Kidz Field and the gentle hum of noise from the other side of the site is easy to sleep through.

Finally in the last few years we have discovered the full blown night life and the party really starts after 12am!

You and your parents will love it. You never regret coming.

Relax, be happy and go with the flow and you be in love with Glasto in no time!