Camping at the Glastonbury Festival
If you’re one of lucky ones with tickets and are going to be stuck in a field with 120,000 others this June at the Glastonbury Festival then you may be in need of some advice on what to do and things to take if you’re going to be camping. This is especially important if you’re new to the festival scene and/or Glastonbury.
Whenever you try and cram that many people into such a small area that’s usually home to a few cows, there is always going to be problems. To avoid them follow these handy steps
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Check the Weather Forecast
Before you go, check the glastonbury weather forecast, this should be a good guide as to what kind of gear you're going to need. If it's all sunshine then don't forget a good hat and sun-cream as you'll need them. If it's all clouds, don't forget to book a hotel ;-)
Current glasto forecast for 2005 is looking pretty good with sunshine and about 20 degrees friday, saturday.. here's hoping.
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Get there early
If possible get down to Glasto on the Wednesday so you have the pick of the camping spots. If it isn’t possible to get there Wednesday then go on early on the Thursday as this is when most of the action happens and there’s a scramble for camping spaces.
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Don’t over-do it on the tent pitch size.
Don’t try and grab a huge area for you and your mates as in the middle of the night someone will plonk themselves right over your fire-pit and you’ll not be able to complain because they’ll be bigger than you!
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Don’t take too much equipment
The more you take, the more you have to carry there and back. It’s often a long trek as the Glastonbury Festival site is huge and if you can’t find a spot initially you’ll be walking a good 5 miles before you know it. Those that bring a lot of things often take a wheel barrow, a good idea but liable to go walkabout in the night!
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THINK about your pitch
If you have a choice, make sure your pitch isn’t going to get trampled through all day and night. The closer to the main site, the more noise and hassle your likely to get. If you’re in the furthest corner of the site it may be a long way there and back but if you fancy a bit of quiet “smoking” time then you’ll be laughing.
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Be warm and dry
There is nothing more miserable than being wet all weekend unless you’ve got enough money and stamina to sustain a 72 hour vigil at the cider bus, you’re best off getting a waterproof coat and a set of good fitting wellies.
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Disposable items
Take only that which you can afford to lose, that includes your tent. Whilst crime at Glasto has dropped right down since the introduction of the BIG fence, there are still some problems. Carry your valuables on you but anything in the tent should be treated as expendable. Clothes are best thought of as disposable unless you’ve got a mud proof washing machine!
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Take enough cash and a mobile phone
The cash machine queues are horrendous and the mobile will guide you in the darkness when all hope is lost. The Glastonbury anthem is no longer the town band but people jumping around and yelling into their phones “I’m the one waving my arm by the big flag”
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Festival Tip
Don’t just go from band to band, much more fun can be had seeing all the crazy side-shows that go on. If the sun is out and it’s mud free (please god please) then the wandering entertainers performing to groups of ten or so people can be where the real memories are found.
If you follow that advice you should be sorted for a nice camping trip to Glastonbury to see some of the best bands in the world have mud thrown at them. If you want to say hello I’ll be the guy in the wellies covered in filth!
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