Hands down - Best Music Festival I have ever experienced!
When my friends first brought up the idea of attending the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, a 5 day music festival and camping trip in a huge farm in Somerset, England, my first question was - "What about the bathroom situation?"
The last time I went camping, I was 11, and I remember desperately trying to hold my pee for 2 days because I was unwilling to go by the bushes.
Well, the festival had actual toilets, but sharing them with thousands of people in the farm? Um... they were as bad as I had imagined... but just as my friends have explained - it really is just something you have to deal and get over with because in hindsight, it is only a tiny price you have to pay for one of the most amazing musical (and gastronomical) experiences of your life. And they were right! (The trick is to put some vaporub by your nose, close your eyes and just go! And always have baby wipes!)
All 135 thousand tickets for this year's festival were sold out in an hour and 40 minutes in October of last year. We have been planning this for over 9 months (in fact, I planned my whole Round The World Trip around this festival), and finally arriving at the gates of the farm was pretty surreal!
The queue to get into the farm. It took us more than 2 hours to get in! |
Totally worth the wait though :) |
THE FARM LIFE
Presenting: My One Man Tent! It's a little tight, but cozy :) |
The farm is a whopping 900 acres, so there definitely was a lot of room to explore. The Glastonbury Festival is notorious for rains and floods, which is why their app symbol is a pair of wellies (rain boots)! We were extremely lucky that this year it only rained on one of the 5 days (Thursday), and the rest of the time we were basked in sunshine, and I've got a very heavy tan to prove it!
Bright and Sunny Worthy Farm |
On the one day that it rained... |
Surprisingly, there was a lot to do and a lot to see! There was a cinema (where they held the world premiere of Monster's University), a Kidz Field (where I spent most of my time, obviously ;) ) a Greenfields area where all the peace and earth loving people were, a Stone Circle, a Tipi Village, a Shangri La (where Mick Jagger and Prince Harry were spotted), and a big Glasto sign very much like the Hollywood sign that made me feel right at home!
They had everything anyone in the world could enjoy! We were a big little community, all there for the same reasons... A little bit of nature, good food, a zest for adventure, and a big love for music!
In Glasto... we were ALL Hippies! :) |
Having Fun at the Kidz Tent with Trinity! Uke Lessons by Eartha :) |
The Tipi Huts! |
THE MUSIC
Now, on to the good stuff! The festival had several music stages (Pyramid Stage for the biggest acts, Acoustic Stage for acoustic acts, etc..), and you can choose which act to see at a given time. It can get a little overwhelming because two artists you might like could be playing in different stages at the same time (which happened to me on one occasion).
Glen Hansard at the Acoustic Tent |
I was really excited to see Glen Hansard perform at the Acoustic Stage, especially since I have just seen Once, The Musical in the West End, and I am still on a high about how great a show it was! Glen is such a passionate musician, and plays so much better live!
Gabrielle Aplin |
Gabrielle Aplin was someone I was so looking forward to see as well. I love her songs, and she has such a beautiful and soothing voice... She looks a little bit like Nora Jones, but sounds like a better version of Birdy and Ellie Goulding.
Lianne La Havas |
Lianne La Havas was a big pleasant surprise. My friends were big fans of hers and I tagged along. She was amazing! Sounds like Alicia Keys!
The Lumineers! Hey! Ho! |
I managed to see a little bit of The Lumineers. I didn't realize they were so big in the UK - they performed in one of the bigger stages and there were thousands of people!
Liam Gallagher |
Celebrity Alert! Dominic West from The Wire, Chicago, A Midsummer Night's Dream, etc :) |
THE ROLLING STONES
Mick Jagger is a BEAST |
Dude - The Rolling Stones were amazing. Being there felt like I was a part of music history...
Keith Richards NAILING IT! |
MUMFORD AND SONS
Now these guys were the ones I was looking forward to seeing the most! Mumford and Sons closed out the festival despite one of their members having a scare with a blood clot in the brain! Thank goodness he's alright... you wouldn't have thought anything was wrong seeing them play the way they did. They were incredible!
I was actually in the middle of seeing Gabrielle Aplin perform at the Acoustic Stage when I heard the familiar chords of, "I Will Wait" blaring from outside her tent. I feel slightly bad about this, but I ran out of her tent and dashed onto the Pyramid Stage where I knew Mumford were 'waiting for me'.
Mumford's unique stringy sound and beautiful catchy melodies have made them a regular in Glastonbury, making this their 5th time performing there, working their way up from the smaller stages up to the closing act in the Pyramid Stage. Seeing them perform was a really great end to an amazing and legendary 5 days.
The complete gang (plus a couple extras) all together for Mumford on our last night |
The Glastonbury Festival costs 205 GBP, and tickets for next year's event will go on sale sometime on October this year. So if you guys ever want to experience music in an epic, absolutely legendary way, I'd recommend keeping tabs on the Glastonbury website to secure tickets. I guarantee you will have a blast, and it will change you forever. :)
At least that's how it was for me. <3
Peace and Love from The Fam. |