Why Glastonbury? Glastonbury isn’t ‘just’ a festival.

[JessicaGlastoLover]

Here’s my idea behind Glastonbury and why it isn’t just a festival.. I hope you enjoy... 

 

It’s not just a festival, It’s the celebrations of bagging the golden ticket or the real heartbreak and sadness of missing out. (I experienced this first hand yesterday, like so many of us did, it fucking hurt!)

It’s the months of planning and the excited build up that happens following the October sales, and the dreaded wait for April resale’s. 

It’s the moment you realise you now have an extended family, referred to as non other than ‘The Glasto Fam’ or Crew depending on your preferences. 

It’s the anticipation of waiting for the line-up to be released, which is then followed by the endless discussions of whether the headline acts are actually worthy of being the headline acts, or if in fact the legend slot is being taken by a legend and that “there are so many other things to do than being a chair w*nker at the Pyramid Stage”. 

It’s the sleepless nights over the months to come when the dreams (and/or most likely nightmares) leading up to June become more and more like dodgy acid trips after fuck all sleep, fuck all food and fuck all of anything other than partying. 

It’s the packing, unpacking, repacking, downsizing, repacking, unpacking, realisation you have far more shit than what is physically possible to carry, loading it all onto a trolley you know full well will be more hindrance than help when the wheel falls off, or the load top sizes, or the vans suspension has totally gone.. but fuck it, we do it anyway. 

It’s the setting up camp with the Family, now realising that all the shit that’s been packed actually does come in useful, and you’ve created a home away from home.. that is Glastonbury. 

It is the sound of the first can of lager (I can already feel the wrath of you cider drinkers) you crack open, whilst sitting back in your chair, feeling accomplished at what you’ve just achieved over the last 8 months and cheers’ing your fellow campmates and neighbours that “we’ve finally arrived, now let’s let our fucking hair down and live these next 5 days how we are supposed to for the other 360 days of the year”.. 

It is what I can only describe as ‘going through the Pilton wormhole into another world, that is our Glastonbury Festival’. 

It is the first time you walk through the gates, getting your wrist band and ensuring it’s ‘not the hand you wipe with’, with a happy smile at the stewards and a knowing nod of what’s to come. 

It’s the exploration, the first glance of the stages, the appreciation of walking around the site before the thousands return in their droves all ready to enjoy their own individual Glastonbury. 

It’s the smells of the food stalls, the feels of the distant rumbling of baselines, the sounds of the nos canisters (that you then go on to curse as you see them scattered all over the once was green grass and slip up on them trying to reach the sign) and the sights of all us wonderfully happy people bimbling about. 

Its the banging of the long drop doors, that once haunted your dreams now becomes a sound of such familiarity again it’s almost (almost) a welcome hug.. and the smell.. well no, there’s no making that nice but it’s the friends you make in the queues all sharing the same notion “this fucking stinks” but that’s soon forgotten as you then begin to divulge in each other’s lives. 

It’s not just a festival, it’s a place to be at one with yourself, to discover your roots of who you really are, to share memories and create them, to love others and feel loved by others, to feel the true sense of comradery as a stranger reaches over to you and asks “are you okay?” or without hesitation pulls you from the mud you appear to be stuck in. 

Its a place where true friendships are formed, where you learn to trust others and genuinely see that not all of the human race are bad people, that there are those who care, those who empathise and those who just want to live in harmony. 

It’s not just a festival because it’s place you can go to heal. Where you can feel the magic and enchantment that comes from the stone circle and soak up the positive energies from the sacred grounds. 

It’s a place to find new music tastes, and discover sounds you’ve never heard before, whilst dancing like a complete bafoon...but not giving a fuck because everyone else is too. 

It’s a place to loose the anxieties, to forget the stresses of life, to unconform and not fit in to social norms.. it’s a place to be exactly the person you want to be, to release the inner child, to express your personality through the clothes you choose to wear (or the lack of clothes), to feel confident, to feel alive, to feel earthed and grounded, to feel enlightened and loved by all, to let go of the labels and stigmas, to loose the stereotypes .. and that’s just me. 

It’s a moment in time where you feel so alive, and so free spirited you wished it would never end. 

It’s that perfect place where you look at your girlfriend, and you fall in love all over again, and you realise in that split second, that perfect moment you want to spend the rest of your life with her. 

It is standing at the top of the ‘hill of death’ for the last time that year and turning around absorbing the flashing lights, the chants of distant music, the laughter and giggles of those walking by safe in the knowledge you’ll be back again soon. 

It’s more than ‘just’ a festival, it’s so many things, so many experiences, so many sights, smells, sounds, emotions and feelings. It’s a place that can not be described in the same way by any one person, it’s so unique and individual and each and every one of us holds a very special place in our hearts for the beloved Glastonbury. 

And thats just some of my thoughts...I do not call myself a veteran, or a person who ‘deserves’ a ticket, I believe we are all worthy of a place there, but what I am is ‘just’ another person who has fallen in love with Glastonbury Festival. 

 

Not getting a ticket Sunday has evoked an emotion to warrant me writing this, and to actually sit back and realise what Glastonbury means to me.. so, with this knowledge, I know I am at the beckon call of those Glasto Gods, and a willing servant to Glastonbury Festival. 

 

ROLL ON APRIL RESALES.

 

Wish meluck!! 

[JessicaGlastoLover]

[glastolover19]

2 minutes ago, JessicaGlastoLover said:

I didn't know I had a sister,let me give you your first up vote

[JessicaGlastoLover]

1 minute ago, glastolover19 said:

I didn't know I had a sister,let me give you your first up vote

Oh thanks! I returned the favour but I have no idea what it means ! 

[glastolover19]

1 minute ago, JessicaGlastoLover said:

Oh thanks! I returned the favour but I have no idea what it means ! 

Neither do I to be perfectly honest,meh. But I get what you're saying about the fest though,for me it's like Xmas

[Hot rocks]

Reading that’s brought a tear to my eye ? I really hope you get lucky in April ! 

[SecretFish]

Great post! As a first timer that’s amazing. 

[NaturalWine]

Well said. The wormhole feels real for sure 

[RichardWaller]

Yep. I've been to other festivals and had fun, but nowhere is like Glastonbury. I was hooked since my first time, agree with all this but there's something I still can't put my finger on, a feeling I get there that I've never had anywhere else. I'd call it The Thingy, but that's already taken...

[Dillyblue]

Wonderful post. All the best for April xx

[stuwilky]

Its interesting that's for sure.  But Glastonbury has felt like that for many of us for a lot longer since ticketing became a faff.

[Mr.Tease]

9 hours ago, JessicaGlastoLover said:

Oh thanks! I returned the favour but I have no idea what it means ! 

Yeah, I don't get the different between an upvote a like, I think the like button is relatively new but I'm not sure whether it counts as being better than an upvote or if it means something different!

[Brave Sir Robin]

That's lovely.

Best of luck in the resale.

Lager though, really??

[Turbot]

This post is SO good that @Dillyblue just text me about it

 

@GlastoEls@blobm

Edited October 16, 2018 by Turbot

[JessicaGlastoLover]

Thanks all for your comments  

[JessicaGlastoLover]

2 hours ago, Dillyblue said:

Wonderful post. All the best for April xx

Thank you

[JessicaGlastoLover]

1 hour ago, Brave Sir Robin said:

That's lovely.

Best of luck in the resale.

Lager though, really??

Has to be lager!!

thanks so much  

[JessicaGlastoLover]

2 hours ago, NaturalWine said:

Well said. The wormhole feels real for sure 

Only way I felt best described it!! 

[Pinhead]

Yes, good luck in the resale. A lot is said on here and elsewhere of Glasto being something special and often it seems a bit OTT. But there remains I think something special about the place despite all the enormous changes that I have witness in just my few 20 visits

I have visions right now of finally making it through the gate on Wednesday, superimposed with the scenes from Gladiator when Maximus enters the Colosseum for the first time.... Perhaps I should kneel, scrape a little of the Worthy soil and rub it between my hands as well.

[marathonsteve]

WOW what a post

[GlastoEls]

Post of the year!

[LoveLikeThis]

Good luck!!

Post is spot on, for me the joy of stumbling into the milk float in the morning, praise be, milk's never tasted so good!

[JessicaGlastoLover]

Thank you all for your kind comments  much love xx 

[JessicaGlastoLover]

On 10/16/2018 at 7:12 PM, GlastoEls said:

Post of the year!

Ah that’s sweet  hehe! 

[JessicaGlastoLover]

On 10/16/2018 at 2:24 PM, marathonsteve said:

WOW what a post

Thanks!