Your unofficial - official start to the festival

[hfuhruhurr]

stage 1 - stuffing the car full of all the crap then figuring out where we're going to sit
stage 2 - turning off the main road into the lanes and wishing the traffic marshals well
stage 3 - tent up, beer/cider in hand (the bit between 2 and 3 is too busy, unless we can get a good laugh going in the queue)
But, it's only really going when at the Brother's Bar, 7%+ disgustingly sweet cider in hand. Been doing that for years and we're daft by the time we leave West Holts and make our way to the stone circle and park bars. And we're fully sorted when we've sung along to sweet leaf of the north.

[dingbat2]

Definitely the minute the tent is finally pitched and kit put inside - its the first moment the stress is over and can focus on having fun

[marathonsteve]

The night before I go, the excitement builds.

[paddyclark]

7 minutes ago, chatty said:

Spontaneous cheer went up in 2017 though it had good reason. It was after enduring a day of blaring sun with not a cloud in sight and then around 3pm we finally got a small cloud drift past the sun for about five seconds of shade. The whole place went up and then the cloud fucked off and we went back to melting. 

The tiniest cloud in the world....  But the cheer seemed to go all the way round the festival....  A fond memory.

[dccool]

29 minutes ago, BlackZeppelin said:

We always stay in Glastonbury town the night before and walk up the Tor for sunset. 

That feels like the start of the festival to me.

What an amazing way to start the festival experience bet thats great!

As soon as the tents are pitched and the first beer cracked open all done by 9.30 hopefully that's when it really starts for me.

[Acid Loafers]

I'd say the moment past the gates, just after the wristband. 

Like walking into another world, completely buzzing with energy and life. Off we go, to set our tent and begin the adventure. Looking for where you'll be calling home for the next 5 days. Everywhere you look, smiles everywhere, happiness, eager and unsure of what lies ahead. Each person about to have their own unique and amazing weekend that might not have any cross overs with yours at all, but will be just as magical and special for each person respectively. 

That's when it starts for me. Though admittedly, I'm a bit of a people watcher, so I enjoy wondering where everyone around me has come from and how all their lives and experiences have ended up with all our paths crossing over together in this shared time and space.

[Joshuwarr]

The first glimpse of the site when arriving by coach ?

[Divein]

Mines probably once all the tents are up, all trips to the car are done and I've had a sit down and a rest. We head out for a wander and usually head towards the brothers bar. 

Then a good couple of ciders and take in the atmosphere, thats when it begins for me.

[gfest2009]

It's definitely two-fold. First, seeing the site and then when we're in, tent is up and we're having that first can ?. 

Kudos on the thread btw! It's got me (even more) excited!!

[Keithy]

In terms of the overall Glastonbury 'experience', it's the Tuesday night in Bristol for me, especially if there's a gig on. Rucksack is all packed in the hotel room, nothing left to do in prep. Afternoon and evening in Bristol then the bus in the morning.

In terms of purely the festival as a whole then I don't have 'one moment' when I have felt it's truely begun but rather several key ones.

1. When all my camping group from far and wide are in lunchtime Weds and we're all together since the last festival. That's a nice Glastonbury moment of togetherness.

2. The Weds afternoon when I have the first pint in the Bimble Inn is the moment I can relax and feel at 'home'.

3. Thurs night music, either William's Green or Crows Nest. That's when I really feel it starts as a music festival.

[Sasperella]

3 minutes ago, gfest2009 said:

It's definitely two-fold. First, seeing the site and then when we're in, tent is up and we're having that first can ?. 

Kudos on the thread btw! It's got me (even more) excited!!

Yeh I was just thinking, what with this thread and the delightfully sunny day we're having, I'm feeling some pretty good festival vibes right now!

[Gilgamesh69]

I'd say as soon as the journey there starts. Got everything in the car, then put on a Glasto playlist and just had a great time. Pretty nice part of the country to drive through tbh 

[Quark]

As the sun's shining, everyone's got excited vibes, ticket balance due on Monday.....seems appropriate

 

 

[Gnomicide]

57 minutes ago, Quark said:

Easy. Tent pitched, first cider cracked, first smoke sparked.

As much as I love the feeling of getting through the gate and seeing everything spread out, I'm fully focused on getting that tent up.

Another vote for tent up. I'm generally stressed until that point, especially after the journey in 2016, the queues to get in when I've stayed in the car parks on Tuesday night, the coach driver making two stops on the way down... just bloody get us there!

But then, tent up and I crack open my first can as I pump up the airbed, empty all the cans out of the boxes (harder to nick) and if I've brought a chair, have a nice sit down. MASSIVE sense of relief that you really are back. This normally lasts for about 10 minutes, then it's off to the lockup to put car keys, cash, cards etc. in and away into the festival, forgetting where I've put the tent up.

 

25 minutes ago, 4519dennis said:

Then Hobo Jones on Avalon telling us how lucky we all are to be at the world's greatest festival knowing that he is so right.

The moment he starts crying

 

[Hugh Jass]

This year it'll be when I open a beverage on the coach.

[TheFullShaboo]

As soon as i crack open a beer on the Tuesday night. It inevitably results in me completely overdoing it which then means its completely in my best interest to wake up Wednesday and get straight back on it. Festival mode in full flow before ive even left my house! 

And then again when i first set up my tent.

[Callum_96]

For me it's when all of our group is set up and we sit around crack open a nice cold one, have a bit of a laugh and get ready to have a bit of an explore/ head straight to the park bar

[Woffy]

[Totally weather dependent...]

When i get in the queue - usually very near the front - around Tuesday teatime.

Set up my little queuecamp for the night, sit in camping chair, get my book out, picnic food close to hand, crack open the first queuebeer. 

 

***Warily keep an eye out for people with acoustic fucking guitars.

[Quark]

2 minutes ago, Callum_96 said:

For me it's when all of our group is set up and we sit around crack open a nice cold one

Close but no cigar....it's when my tent's up first as it's the smallest and I can sit there enjoying my cider and laughing at my pals struggling with their multi-room mobile houses

[Gnomicide]

It'll be different this year with staying overnight on Tuesday in the Campervan Field. I wonder if I'll get as stressed about getting in and set up when I'm just the other side of the fence? Probably not

[jyoung]

48 minutes ago, 4519dennis said:

Tent up and then glass of red wine and pork pie

Excellent effort!

[RyanSmith9311]

5 minutes ago, Woffy said:

[Totally weather dependent...]

When i get in the queue - usually very near the front - around Tuesday teatime.

Set up my little queuecamp for the night, sit in camping chair, get my book out, picnic food close to hand, crack open the first queuebeer. 

 

***Warily keep an eye out for people with acoustic fucking guitars.

exactly this. Awful but great at the same time

[Callum_96]

4 minutes ago, Quark said:

Close but no cigar....it's when my tent's up first as it's the smallest and I can sit there enjoying my cider and laughing at my pals struggling with their multi-room mobile houses

To be fair all of tents are pretty small so we tend to all get them up around the same time but if ones been stupid enough to bring a silly sized tent I'm with you and will sit and watch the carnage unfold, it's the small things in life

[duke88]

41 minutes ago, Quark said:

Ha, remember that!  I ended up having to make the final internal setup of my tent in just my undercrackers I was sweating so much

I had to get completely changed after putting the tent up. After two hours stood in the queue with rucksack on back, I was so sweaty I couldn't have been any damper if I'd jumped in a swimming pool. I must have absolutely stunk.

[Ayrshire Chris]

Car packed and heading down towards the border and seeing the sign M6 the south. First service station and seeing others obviously heading for The farm.