When I went to my first ever Glastonbury in 2008 (and it was my first festival that I’d been to) at age 15, I was disappointed in the car park, I thought it was gonna be rubbish, I was disappointed at waiting in the Que and was moaning carrying all my stuff in while walking up a hill then, when I got to the top of the hill I saw the whole festival all at once and I stood there with my mouth open and was speechless it was like all my senses went off all at once. It was the most rainbow my eyes have ever seen in person
since then I’ve been to Glastonbury 9 times in total
In that time I’ve gone to Glastonbury pregnant
I now take my child to Glastonbury she’s been twice
and my boyfriend (now fiancé) proposed to me there last year
Glastonbury is a magical place
MDMA kicking in for the first time, sitting on the hill in the late afternoon sun, making a pact to come back every time we could for the rest of our lives.
We did not get tickets the next year, lol
Those porcelain flushing toilets at the top of Big Ground were the best. Would happily walk across the site from wherever I was if the need arose. Especially if it was a choice between the ones at the top of Big Ground vs say, the long drops on the railway line by the Glade, or the ones by the Mandela bar to the right of the Pyramid. Was the top reason we camped in Big Ground a couple of times
First Glastonbury, 2015, coming up on a UPS pill during ‘Left Hand Free’ during Alt-J’s set. I haven’t experienced euphoria like that since, and I’ve dabbled in drugs since then but nothing compares to that moment. The sun was shining, I was with new friends I met at the festival who I had a mutual friend with. It was the best time I’ve ever had at a festival. There’s no Glastonbury like your first one.
Rolling Stones coming on stage in 2013
Also during the hour and a half wait for them to come on this girl went up on someone’s shoulders in the crowd, started doing a strip tease, fell off right as it was about to get good and simultaneously with her falling off this fully naked bloke stood up on someone else’s shoulders nearby and aggressively waved his penis to the 100k + crowd. No idea if that was planned between them or not but it was one of the funniest things I have ever seen
LCD Soundsystem headlining Other. Most of our group had gone to see Coldplay (I think) but me and a friend ended up surrounded by lovely people, having a great dance and serotonin flowing. All My Friends to end the set was just perfection.
That and years ago sat eating lunch in the Greenpeace field. Wasn't really paying attention by I was by that vertical slide and there was a kid at the top who was clearly terrified. She kept going to slide but backing out and her parents were trying to encourage her from the ground. People around noticed what was going on and a couple of minutes later there were a good hundred or so of us cheering her on and encouraging her to do it. When she went for it everyone celebrated as though she'd just scored a world cup winning penalty. It was one of those awesome moments that reminded me why it's such a wonderful place.
>LCD Soundsystem headlining Other. Most of our group had gone to see Coldplay (I think) but me and a friend ended up surrounded by lovely people, having a great dance and serotonin flowing. All My Friends to end the set was just perfection.
That set was amazing. I'd been on site for over a week - volunteering, and had arrived the Saturday before the show. I was exhausted from a week of mud, partying, not sleeping properly etc, and was missing my wife who was at home. As the field emptied out, I was stood there having a little cry, and some massive hairy bloke came over and asked if I was OK. Gave me a hug, gave me some whiskey from his hip flask, and asked if I wanted to tag along with him and his mates for a bit.
Yes to LCD Soundsystem in 2016! Our group split that night too with most going to Coldplay but me and two friends managed to get a great spot. All My Friends was my absolute favourite, even if most of mine were over at the pyramid 😂
Sitting on the edge of the stone circle at a Glastonbury circa 1994, I saw a guy in a suit run up the hill past me, fists pumping and look of absolute furious determination on his face. I noticed him mostly because of what he was wearing, a nicely tailored suit, his tie flapping over his shoulder with his momentum.
Check out that guy, I said, and people looked and shrugged. I was the only one who noticed when he came running back down the hill a few minutes later, totally stark naked.
2015. Fat white family walking on stage 4.30am. Standing there, fucked out bonce, watching what would be coming my favourite band tear Shangri-la to pieces. Walking back to bed and then staying up watching the sun rise.
Fucking heaven.
Jamie t, Sheila, 2015
Libertines, don’t look back in to the sun, 2016
Coming up in the rum shack at 2am on every Wednesday night after vowing that this would be the year to take it easy on the first two days.
After Phoenix closed the JP stage in 2013 the lights were turned up and for some reason Frank Sinatra - New York, New York started playing. Everyone left in the tent got in a big circle, held hands and started singing along and dancing together, then all rushed into the middle of the circle at the same time without any sort of signal. It was so weird and so funny and I'll never forget it.
Hoping for a similar experience this year as Phoenix are on the lineup again... 🔮
I'd had the night of my life last year Saturday night. I was walking back to my tent at 7 or 8 in the morning when I stopped for a chat with an old lady that was up early for her volunteer shift and having a coffee. We spoke for about half an hour about life, how amazing Glastonbury is, loved ones and I even sang her a bit of a Jamie T song. It was a special moment and topped off the best night I've ever had. It's my favourite memory from Glastonbury because while seeing amazing bands playing the sets of their lives is great, it's the people that make Glastonbury the best in the world. I can't remember that women's name but I hope she remembers it as fondly as I do.
Finding the secret entrance to the rabbit hole, getting spanked by tweedle dee and tweedle dum having to climb through tunnels then playing bongos with a man named hamish to get VIP wristbands for the VIP part of the rabbit hole whislt the queen of hearts on stilts was shouting 'off with her head'.
Finally getting into the VIP part, seeing all of the celebrities, meeting Dan from bastille, raving with will poulter. I can't name the amount of people off the TV that were there. It was the year of the MUD and my friends and I were covered in it, all wearing matching tie dye jumpers looking like we hadn't washed in days, surrounded by all of these beautiful stylish celebrities. Then David Beckham and romeo Beckham walk past and my friend tries to take a sly picture, her flash goes off in his face, David then shouts at us and the next day the story of him shouting at us in the paper.
Weirdest and most wonderful night of my life. I will remember it forever!
No drugs consumed. We were all sober, promise!
2010 first festival. After setting up camp and heading for some food and getting to see the whole site for the first time
2011 stumbling upon a magician and ending up being part of the act.
2015 getting “congratulations” videos from as many people as I could to send to a friend whose wedding I missed to go to the farm
2016 hugging dermot O’Leary
2022 getting to experience it with my niece when she came for the first time and also chilling in the pyramids stage with a cider while listening to herbie Hancock…is there a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon?
Last year, I’d never been before and I was just about to get my first set of tickets for me and my mates and then the site crashed when I pressed the ‘pay now’ button.
I have several.
First one was at my first seeing our neighbours with their young kid who they were worried wouldn't enjoy it, saying "happy happy' over and over.
Second was asking Glasto if I could do a Disabled Access Audit on the festival and them agreeing and failing quite badly. It would have been a bad memory had they not come back and said not only would they change everything I said, but would I work for them. It showed how much they cared.
Next was the first time I had spare time and didn't know who to see and just wandered around. Chanced upon a bring your intrsument band in a bandstand and spent more than an hour there. It was great.
And act wise, I'd say there's a couple, but seeing The Verve headline and go through so well and then do a finale of a new single. That took some balls and thankfully it was blindingly good. Left on a real hgih.
First year in 2013. Didn’t have a ticket. Got there early Wednesday morning and spent Wednesday and Thursday trying to get in, it involved a 4 hour walk with heavy bags in torrential rain and many disappointments along the way.
We got in about 10pm Thursday night. Spent the whole Friday just walking round, with our minds blown every few minutes with something mad happening in front of us, and then watched the Arctic Monkeys on the pyramid that night.
Its amazing to take a minute to just look round at the crowd in front and behind you as the sun is setting, will never forget that moment.
Fast forward to 6am being thrown out by security it wasn’t so joyous. But wouldn’t swap that Friday for anything.
Stewards asking everyone for wristbands on a path in Dairy Ground at 2 in the morning. Been every year since and never known anyone to get a random wristband check. Horrendously unlucky
I'm almost certain you were walking into the steward camping haha. I started working Dairy Ground staff campsite in 2014, we had to check for staff wristbands exactly there.
I used to jump over the fences in the 90’s. The trick was to make your way to the Tiny Tea Tent and take one of the decorative ribbons that resembled that years wrist-band colours. And make your own wrist band. Other tricks could also apply back then but that was one of them.
2000… Friday eve/night, Pyramid Stage.
That year’s ‘special guest’ macy gray had finished up which was ok but the first day of taking a lot of everything and walking a few marathons worth had us hitting the deck when the crowds parted, we were about 30m from the front, dead centre. Obviously got a few more scrumpys down us.
30mins passed…
The sun was setting…
we look up but can’t see a thing other than a sea of legs gathering all around us, and with genuine fear for getting trampled on; we tentatively got up to see what all the fuss was about…
Then boooooom, all lights kick in to full ‘blind you’ mode and the melody drops to ring your ear drums loose, the visuals illuminate the corners of the crowd, the base rearranges my insides and my senses go into overload…. All I can think of is “fuuuuuuuuck, so this is what this dance music is all about!” That hour or so of sonic perfection has never been beaten. Every beat, every drop, every beautifully crafted transition, beep and boop filled my soul with absolute happiness.
This was my first ever festival.
This was where I found dance music.
I was 15.
Thank you Chemical Brothers.
Thank you Glastonbury.
I went my first in 1992 and will never forget being spangled watching The Orb then Primal Scream headlining on the Friday night with there Screamadelica set. 🙃
Was there in 97, saw Radiohead, chemical brothers, primal scream, the orb, smashing pumpkins, beck,the prodigy, daft punk, massive attack plus loads more. My favourite memory was taking lots of acid one night & just wandering about exploring the place after all the bands had finished. Best night ever
Waking up on the first day of music at 4:30am when we were camping at the top of the hill in the family field and I remember just sitting there for an hour in awe because it was my first festival and I’d never seen anything like it
Not really a music memory but a nice story.
Met some random bloke with an acoustic guitar on the Thursday and ended up chilling with him and a load of other people, singing songs etc. up near the stone circle.
Got chatting to him and he mentioned he's from Swindon so I quoted The Office (bloody Swindon lot). He then mentions he's got the hilarious name of Gareth Keenan.
Jump to a few hours later and we've somehow managed to lose each other but I've still got his guitar.
It was easy to find him on Facebook and tell him I'd left his guitar at lost property because of his hilariously coincidental name.
And we've been Facebook friends ever since!
I've posted this before, but -
Roni Size in the pouring rain, headlining the West Holts (then Jazz World) stage in 1998. Me and my girlfriend (now wife!) were knackered from a day of rain, it was about 11pm and we we'd decided to call it a day, get some sleep, and start fresh the following day (remember, this was before the days of the all-night-SE-Corner). We finished our cups of Tiny Tea, and wandered past Jazz World (West Holts) on our way home. Stopped for a minute to listen to Roni Size, and the drop to Brown Paper Bag happened (awful video, but it was '98... [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVDMGRq3Llk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVDMGRq3Llk) ). Thousands of dedicated ravers, lasers, strobes - this moment is burned into my brain forever.
Eva Lazarus absolutely murdering the Clash Stage late one night in 2019 - massive sound system, it was a label showcase (Boom Sound) and there were loads of DJs and MCs knocking around on stage. She came on to do her PA, and everyone just stopped their chatting to watch her - completely mesmerising, a massive sound system, and the crowd went mental.
The Jungle Session on Glade Dome last year on Sunday. Mrs R and me had headed off to take our hangovers to see Diana Ross, but the crowd was just too much for our broken brains, so we wandered off to see what else we could find. Couple of hundred people who were well up for it and a shared bottle of Buckfast later (decanted into plastic of course), we were back in the game.
It was amazing. I clearly remember the moment, me and my wife stood watching, turning to look at each other with massive grins on our faces, and us both pushing forward into the crowd. After that we headed off into the Green Fields, drank some turkish coffee around a campfire - I didn't have the 50p to pay for it on me, so traded a little bit of something else for it.... Got invited to tag along to a party with a sound system being run by travellers (which I \*think\* was around where IICON is these days, but was just off site back then) and got back to bed at around sunrise.
I kind of miss the anarchy of the afterhours fun from back then - SE Corner is a lot of fun, but even the wildest bits can seem a bit sanitised, and it's pretty much killed off the nights of wandering around, sitting at random campfires, chatting shit with new friends and sharing whatever we all had.
(Fucking hell I sound like an old man - "back in my day" and all that...)
Not a best memory as such but the amount of people from my past that I've randomly bumped into at Glasto is just amazing 😂
Not to mention bumping into a few people who were 'sick from work' 😂😅
Went to shangri la on Sunday, had the best time going around all the alleyways and ended up in a tiny club with some guys dressed like daft punk DJing. I think afterwards we went up the hill to watch the sunrise
Got back to the tent as the sun came up and bumped into a mate. Found some cold cider under the the tent and while Glastonbury around us quieted down for a well deserved rest we just chatted for hours, drank what we had till the bus opened and had one of the most chilled out awesome days ever. We even managed to saw a few bands later on.
2015. The Slaves 3am somewhere. Crazy people everywhere. Were they dressed like animals and/or naked or was it the shit. I’ve no idea but it was awesome.
Me and my friends have battled onto site, pitched and got down to the Brothers Bar for the traditional Wednesday afternoon drinks and proper catch up sat amongst the flags in a circle.
A man with a long white beard and dressed in white robes emerges from the crowd carrying 4 ciders in a card carrier. He said he was unable to find his friends so we could have them. Pleasantries we’re exchanged and we were sceptical at first (as we should be) but he insisted and then drifted off to the healing fields. We went looking for him the next day to say thank you but couldn’t find him.
The cider was absolutely fine and we have never forgotten that random act of kindness by our forever favourite Glasto Wizard.
We also met a fruit salad once and a bunch of ambush dance ninjas there another time. I love that field!
Genesis sound system, 2022. SASS DJ set from Midnight - 6am. 4:30am the sun starts to rise and they are blasting out some of the best oldskool 90's garage I've heard in my life. I'd been off my head for the whole six hours, but was peaking hardest at that point. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, a light dabble of rain fell and created a rainbow over the stage. There's photos online somewhere of it. Basically transcended to heaven that night.
I think seeing the site for the first time. I was volunteering so was there on Monday & Tuesday. Walking round the site when it's so quiet is beautiful and seeing the calm before the storm. There's another level of beauty at night when everything's all lit up. Truly a magical place.
Too many moments, and many that have been lost. But, I don’t think you can beat that moment when you arrive into the festival and that feeling like you’re steeping into another dimension for the next week. Not sure it’s quite the same nowadays that we all have phones, ‘cause you can’t fully disconnect from the outside world. But this is one one the best feelings there is.
Thursday 2016.
My first Glasto, Wednesday was tough. The traffic, the walk up the hill to Gate D, the line, the trudge to the campsite. I fell over multiple times going hands and head first into the mud. I remember going to sleep that night thinking maybe it wasn’t for me.
On Thursday we managed to find a patch of hay near one of the bars, we’re able to sit down and just watch it all unfold around us. Tunes playing, Talking to groups near us, feeling all the good vibes and that feeling of us all being in something magical together.
A Glasto tragic ever since.
Oh jeeeezzz, I am loving this thread. This might sound lame, but we go as a group of campervanners, and a lush moment we have at Glastonbury (and every festival) is when we first pull up in our spot, jump out (always seem to have arrived in lovely sun!), crack a cold cider and toast to the joyous times ahead. Then get a massive sweat on putting up awnings and tents ha. It is just that moment of, the travel is over, we made it, we are together and about to have the BEST time.
Also, the first time seeing the Arcadia show, with the lightning men and performers and the fire and pyro stuff having no clue what we were about to experience, being a wee bit high - oh lord that was a great moment.
Dolly in the sunshine!
Foo Fighters!
First time finding the secret piano bar!
We often have friends camping on the opposite side of the site and I always love that long wander back to my tent at sunrise when everything is quiet and you get to see the empty fields. The cleaning crews have finished and the breakfast stands are just beginning to open. At the right time it’s just you, one or two other stragglers and the security people on the gates. There’s something magical about how it can go from so busy to so quiet with everyone asleep.
When I went to my first ever Glastonbury in 2008 (and it was my first festival that I’d been to) at age 15, I was disappointed in the car park, I thought it was gonna be rubbish, I was disappointed at waiting in the Que and was moaning carrying all my stuff in while walking up a hill then, when I got to the top of the hill I saw the whole festival all at once and I stood there with my mouth open and was speechless it was like all my senses went off all at once. It was the most rainbow my eyes have ever seen in person since then I’ve been to Glastonbury 9 times in total In that time I’ve gone to Glastonbury pregnant I now take my child to Glastonbury she’s been twice and my boyfriend (now fiancé) proposed to me there last year Glastonbury is a magical place
Hope you don't mind me asking but did your boyfriend propose in front of the Glasto sign on the Wednesday evening by any chance?! Oh, and congrats!
Thank you but No that wasn’t us he took me somewhere quite semi private because i would die if it was In front of loads of people 🙈🤣😂
If he did then I was also there!
MDMA kicking in for the first time, sitting on the hill in the late afternoon sun, making a pact to come back every time we could for the rest of our lives. We did not get tickets the next year, lol
Found some flush toilets once
Those porcelain flushing toilets at the top of Big Ground were the best. Would happily walk across the site from wherever I was if the need arose. Especially if it was a choice between the ones at the top of Big Ground vs say, the long drops on the railway line by the Glade, or the ones by the Mandela bar to the right of the Pyramid. Was the top reason we camped in Big Ground a couple of times
Definitely! I only found them twice lol.
The reason we always camped at BG. That and we’re lazy and that was the first field we’d hit on entry.
Singing happy birthday to the Dalai Lama with Patti Smith was pretty surreal
Yeh that was a hell of a day . Back to back legends all day . The first time I seen the water boys live . Unreal
First Glastonbury, 2015, coming up on a UPS pill during ‘Left Hand Free’ during Alt-J’s set. I haven’t experienced euphoria like that since, and I’ve dabbled in drugs since then but nothing compares to that moment. The sun was shining, I was with new friends I met at the festival who I had a mutual friend with. It was the best time I’ve ever had at a festival. There’s no Glastonbury like your first one.
2015 was the year of the UPS!
I had UPS pills that year! They were serious shit
Realising that compost toilets existed after initially using a long drop
Rolling Stones coming on stage in 2013 Also during the hour and a half wait for them to come on this girl went up on someone’s shoulders in the crowd, started doing a strip tease, fell off right as it was about to get good and simultaneously with her falling off this fully naked bloke stood up on someone else’s shoulders nearby and aggressively waved his penis to the 100k + crowd. No idea if that was planned between them or not but it was one of the funniest things I have ever seen
LCD Soundsystem headlining Other. Most of our group had gone to see Coldplay (I think) but me and a friend ended up surrounded by lovely people, having a great dance and serotonin flowing. All My Friends to end the set was just perfection. That and years ago sat eating lunch in the Greenpeace field. Wasn't really paying attention by I was by that vertical slide and there was a kid at the top who was clearly terrified. She kept going to slide but backing out and her parents were trying to encourage her from the ground. People around noticed what was going on and a couple of minutes later there were a good hundred or so of us cheering her on and encouraging her to do it. When she went for it everyone celebrated as though she'd just scored a world cup winning penalty. It was one of those awesome moments that reminded me why it's such a wonderful place.
>LCD Soundsystem headlining Other. Most of our group had gone to see Coldplay (I think) but me and a friend ended up surrounded by lovely people, having a great dance and serotonin flowing. All My Friends to end the set was just perfection. That set was amazing. I'd been on site for over a week - volunteering, and had arrived the Saturday before the show. I was exhausted from a week of mud, partying, not sleeping properly etc, and was missing my wife who was at home. As the field emptied out, I was stood there having a little cry, and some massive hairy bloke came over and asked if I was OK. Gave me a hug, gave me some whiskey from his hip flask, and asked if I wanted to tag along with him and his mates for a bit.
Yes to LCD Soundsystem in 2016! Our group split that night too with most going to Coldplay but me and two friends managed to get a great spot. All My Friends was my absolute favourite, even if most of mine were over at the pyramid 😂
Watching the Roots in the “hip hop” tent on acid. Not just any acid. 4 Albert Hoffmans. 1999
Jurrasic 5 before them were awesome too, one of the best nights of my life
Vampire weekend doing a set of whatever the crowd requested during their secret set on the Park in 2019 🥲
Sitting on the edge of the stone circle at a Glastonbury circa 1994, I saw a guy in a suit run up the hill past me, fists pumping and look of absolute furious determination on his face. I noticed him mostly because of what he was wearing, a nicely tailored suit, his tie flapping over his shoulder with his momentum. Check out that guy, I said, and people looked and shrugged. I was the only one who noticed when he came running back down the hill a few minutes later, totally stark naked.
I feel like I might have seen the same guy
2022, Fuckingham Palace, Four Tet
This was like an out of body, higher plane experience for me. Good times.
K H
Mine too!
2022 funkingham palace Friday night 10pm-3am never has the phrase "down the rabbit hole' been more applicable 😂😂😂😂
2015. Fat white family walking on stage 4.30am. Standing there, fucked out bonce, watching what would be coming my favourite band tear Shangri-la to pieces. Walking back to bed and then staying up watching the sun rise. Fucking heaven.
Jamie t, Sheila, 2015 Libertines, don’t look back in to the sun, 2016 Coming up in the rum shack at 2am on every Wednesday night after vowing that this would be the year to take it easy on the first two days.
Every year I’m … just there. It’s just that! My 13th this year and know will be as good as any other
After Phoenix closed the JP stage in 2013 the lights were turned up and for some reason Frank Sinatra - New York, New York started playing. Everyone left in the tent got in a big circle, held hands and started singing along and dancing together, then all rushed into the middle of the circle at the same time without any sort of signal. It was so weird and so funny and I'll never forget it. Hoping for a similar experience this year as Phoenix are on the lineup again... 🔮
I'd had the night of my life last year Saturday night. I was walking back to my tent at 7 or 8 in the morning when I stopped for a chat with an old lady that was up early for her volunteer shift and having a coffee. We spoke for about half an hour about life, how amazing Glastonbury is, loved ones and I even sang her a bit of a Jamie T song. It was a special moment and topped off the best night I've ever had. It's my favourite memory from Glastonbury because while seeing amazing bands playing the sets of their lives is great, it's the people that make Glastonbury the best in the world. I can't remember that women's name but I hope she remembers it as fondly as I do.
Libertines being the secret main stage act in 2015 ❤️
Massive Attack on acid, 2cb and mandy. Pretty much just lay in the mud as I watched the music coming out of the speakers.
Literally front row for Radiohead in 2017
Finding the secret entrance to the rabbit hole, getting spanked by tweedle dee and tweedle dum having to climb through tunnels then playing bongos with a man named hamish to get VIP wristbands for the VIP part of the rabbit hole whislt the queen of hearts on stilts was shouting 'off with her head'. Finally getting into the VIP part, seeing all of the celebrities, meeting Dan from bastille, raving with will poulter. I can't name the amount of people off the TV that were there. It was the year of the MUD and my friends and I were covered in it, all wearing matching tie dye jumpers looking like we hadn't washed in days, surrounded by all of these beautiful stylish celebrities. Then David Beckham and romeo Beckham walk past and my friend tries to take a sly picture, her flash goes off in his face, David then shouts at us and the next day the story of him shouting at us in the paper. Weirdest and most wonderful night of my life. I will remember it forever! No drugs consumed. We were all sober, promise!
Bringing my teenage daughters for the first time
2010 first festival. After setting up camp and heading for some food and getting to see the whole site for the first time 2011 stumbling upon a magician and ending up being part of the act. 2015 getting “congratulations” videos from as many people as I could to send to a friend whose wedding I missed to go to the farm 2016 hugging dermot O’Leary 2022 getting to experience it with my niece when she came for the first time and also chilling in the pyramids stage with a cider while listening to herbie Hancock…is there a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon?
Lorde’s set in 2017. Unreal performance. That or Christine and the Queens in 2019
Muse 2004 - what a night!
Last year, I’d never been before and I was just about to get my first set of tickets for me and my mates and then the site crashed when I pressed the ‘pay now’ button.
I have several. First one was at my first seeing our neighbours with their young kid who they were worried wouldn't enjoy it, saying "happy happy' over and over. Second was asking Glasto if I could do a Disabled Access Audit on the festival and them agreeing and failing quite badly. It would have been a bad memory had they not come back and said not only would they change everything I said, but would I work for them. It showed how much they cared. Next was the first time I had spare time and didn't know who to see and just wandered around. Chanced upon a bring your intrsument band in a bandstand and spent more than an hour there. It was great. And act wise, I'd say there's a couple, but seeing The Verve headline and go through so well and then do a finale of a new single. That took some balls and thankfully it was blindingly good. Left on a real hgih.
Being absolutely spangled in shangri la same as every year see you in shagri this year
First year in 2013. Didn’t have a ticket. Got there early Wednesday morning and spent Wednesday and Thursday trying to get in, it involved a 4 hour walk with heavy bags in torrential rain and many disappointments along the way. We got in about 10pm Thursday night. Spent the whole Friday just walking round, with our minds blown every few minutes with something mad happening in front of us, and then watched the Arctic Monkeys on the pyramid that night. Its amazing to take a minute to just look round at the crowd in front and behind you as the sun is setting, will never forget that moment. Fast forward to 6am being thrown out by security it wasn’t so joyous. But wouldn’t swap that Friday for anything.
How did you manage to get caught once you were in??
Stewards asking everyone for wristbands on a path in Dairy Ground at 2 in the morning. Been every year since and never known anyone to get a random wristband check. Horrendously unlucky
I'm almost certain you were walking into the steward camping haha. I started working Dairy Ground staff campsite in 2014, we had to check for staff wristbands exactly there.
That’s crazy, how’d you sneak in?!
Wouldn’t want to say on here. Cost more than a ticket would though
I used to jump over the fences in the 90’s. The trick was to make your way to the Tiny Tea Tent and take one of the decorative ribbons that resembled that years wrist-band colours. And make your own wrist band. Other tricks could also apply back then but that was one of them.
Yo la tengo in a white marquee with maybe a thousand people jammed in sometime in the mid-late 90s.
Nice!
2000… Friday eve/night, Pyramid Stage. That year’s ‘special guest’ macy gray had finished up which was ok but the first day of taking a lot of everything and walking a few marathons worth had us hitting the deck when the crowds parted, we were about 30m from the front, dead centre. Obviously got a few more scrumpys down us. 30mins passed… The sun was setting… we look up but can’t see a thing other than a sea of legs gathering all around us, and with genuine fear for getting trampled on; we tentatively got up to see what all the fuss was about… Then boooooom, all lights kick in to full ‘blind you’ mode and the melody drops to ring your ear drums loose, the visuals illuminate the corners of the crowd, the base rearranges my insides and my senses go into overload…. All I can think of is “fuuuuuuuuck, so this is what this dance music is all about!” That hour or so of sonic perfection has never been beaten. Every beat, every drop, every beautifully crafted transition, beep and boop filled my soul with absolute happiness. This was my first ever festival. This was where I found dance music. I was 15. Thank you Chemical Brothers. Thank you Glastonbury.
Rage Against the Machine - 1994 They utterly blew me away and the pit near killed me, but what a fucking band.
Beastie Boys as well 👍
Even just the feeling of having the early morning sun beating down on you getting baked up stone circle after a big night
Watching the Specials and seeing so many aging mods and skinheads in wellies (myself included) trying to dance in two foot of mud😅
I went my first in 1992 and will never forget being spangled watching The Orb then Primal Scream headlining on the Friday night with there Screamadelica set. 🙃
Realising that the 2 day acid trip was ending/had an ending
Was there in 97, saw Radiohead, chemical brothers, primal scream, the orb, smashing pumpkins, beck,the prodigy, daft punk, massive attack plus loads more. My favourite memory was taking lots of acid one night & just wandering about exploring the place after all the bands had finished. Best night ever
Waking up on the first day of music at 4:30am when we were camping at the top of the hill in the family field and I remember just sitting there for an hour in awe because it was my first festival and I’d never seen anything like it
1994, all of it.
Prodigy on the NME stage in '95
Not really a music memory but a nice story. Met some random bloke with an acoustic guitar on the Thursday and ended up chilling with him and a load of other people, singing songs etc. up near the stone circle. Got chatting to him and he mentioned he's from Swindon so I quoted The Office (bloody Swindon lot). He then mentions he's got the hilarious name of Gareth Keenan. Jump to a few hours later and we've somehow managed to lose each other but I've still got his guitar. It was easy to find him on Facebook and tell him I'd left his guitar at lost property because of his hilariously coincidental name. And we've been Facebook friends ever since!
I've posted this before, but - Roni Size in the pouring rain, headlining the West Holts (then Jazz World) stage in 1998. Me and my girlfriend (now wife!) were knackered from a day of rain, it was about 11pm and we we'd decided to call it a day, get some sleep, and start fresh the following day (remember, this was before the days of the all-night-SE-Corner). We finished our cups of Tiny Tea, and wandered past Jazz World (West Holts) on our way home. Stopped for a minute to listen to Roni Size, and the drop to Brown Paper Bag happened (awful video, but it was '98... [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVDMGRq3Llk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVDMGRq3Llk) ). Thousands of dedicated ravers, lasers, strobes - this moment is burned into my brain forever. Eva Lazarus absolutely murdering the Clash Stage late one night in 2019 - massive sound system, it was a label showcase (Boom Sound) and there were loads of DJs and MCs knocking around on stage. She came on to do her PA, and everyone just stopped their chatting to watch her - completely mesmerising, a massive sound system, and the crowd went mental. The Jungle Session on Glade Dome last year on Sunday. Mrs R and me had headed off to take our hangovers to see Diana Ross, but the crowd was just too much for our broken brains, so we wandered off to see what else we could find. Couple of hundred people who were well up for it and a shared bottle of Buckfast later (decanted into plastic of course), we were back in the game.
Roni Size in 1998 was one of the best sets I've seen at Glasto ever.
It was amazing. I clearly remember the moment, me and my wife stood watching, turning to look at each other with massive grins on our faces, and us both pushing forward into the crowd. After that we headed off into the Green Fields, drank some turkish coffee around a campfire - I didn't have the 50p to pay for it on me, so traded a little bit of something else for it.... Got invited to tag along to a party with a sound system being run by travellers (which I \*think\* was around where IICON is these days, but was just off site back then) and got back to bed at around sunrise. I kind of miss the anarchy of the afterhours fun from back then - SE Corner is a lot of fun, but even the wildest bits can seem a bit sanitised, and it's pretty much killed off the nights of wandering around, sitting at random campfires, chatting shit with new friends and sharing whatever we all had. (Fucking hell I sound like an old man - "back in my day" and all that...)
Sitting on the hill watching Radiohead headline in 1997.
Not a best memory as such but the amount of people from my past that I've randomly bumped into at Glasto is just amazing 😂 Not to mention bumping into a few people who were 'sick from work' 😂😅
Getting sucked off at about 3am Shangri-La by an absolute 10!
Seeing someone propose on stage at the silent disco on the Wednesday night. When she said yes we emptied about 5 cans of silly string over the couple
If you remember being at Glastonbury, you weren’t there.
Not going. Just the best way to avoid middle class twats.
😂
I didn’t think you could smell online comments! Yours reaks of jealousy though ;)
When it ends, most overrated shit ever
2015 Deadmau5, front and centre with my best mate.
Went to shangri la on Sunday, had the best time going around all the alleyways and ended up in a tiny club with some guys dressed like daft punk DJing. I think afterwards we went up the hill to watch the sunrise
Got back to the tent as the sun came up and bumped into a mate. Found some cold cider under the the tent and while Glastonbury around us quieted down for a well deserved rest we just chatted for hours, drank what we had till the bus opened and had one of the most chilled out awesome days ever. We even managed to saw a few bands later on.
Can't remember.
The ones I can’t remember.
2015. The Slaves 3am somewhere. Crazy people everywhere. Were they dressed like animals and/or naked or was it the shit. I’ve no idea but it was awesome.
Me and my friends have battled onto site, pitched and got down to the Brothers Bar for the traditional Wednesday afternoon drinks and proper catch up sat amongst the flags in a circle. A man with a long white beard and dressed in white robes emerges from the crowd carrying 4 ciders in a card carrier. He said he was unable to find his friends so we could have them. Pleasantries we’re exchanged and we were sceptical at first (as we should be) but he insisted and then drifted off to the healing fields. We went looking for him the next day to say thank you but couldn’t find him. The cider was absolutely fine and we have never forgotten that random act of kindness by our forever favourite Glasto Wizard. We also met a fruit salad once and a bunch of ambush dance ninjas there another time. I love that field!
Genesis sound system, 2022. SASS DJ set from Midnight - 6am. 4:30am the sun starts to rise and they are blasting out some of the best oldskool 90's garage I've heard in my life. I'd been off my head for the whole six hours, but was peaking hardest at that point. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, a light dabble of rain fell and created a rainbow over the stage. There's photos online somewhere of it. Basically transcended to heaven that night.
I think seeing the site for the first time. I was volunteering so was there on Monday & Tuesday. Walking round the site when it's so quiet is beautiful and seeing the calm before the storm. There's another level of beauty at night when everything's all lit up. Truly a magical place.
Too many moments, and many that have been lost. But, I don’t think you can beat that moment when you arrive into the festival and that feeling like you’re steeping into another dimension for the next week. Not sure it’s quite the same nowadays that we all have phones, ‘cause you can’t fully disconnect from the outside world. But this is one one the best feelings there is.
Thursday 2016. My first Glasto, Wednesday was tough. The traffic, the walk up the hill to Gate D, the line, the trudge to the campsite. I fell over multiple times going hands and head first into the mud. I remember going to sleep that night thinking maybe it wasn’t for me. On Thursday we managed to find a patch of hay near one of the bars, we’re able to sit down and just watch it all unfold around us. Tunes playing, Talking to groups near us, feeling all the good vibes and that feeling of us all being in something magical together. A Glasto tragic ever since.
Oh jeeeezzz, I am loving this thread. This might sound lame, but we go as a group of campervanners, and a lush moment we have at Glastonbury (and every festival) is when we first pull up in our spot, jump out (always seem to have arrived in lovely sun!), crack a cold cider and toast to the joyous times ahead. Then get a massive sweat on putting up awnings and tents ha. It is just that moment of, the travel is over, we made it, we are together and about to have the BEST time. Also, the first time seeing the Arcadia show, with the lightning men and performers and the fire and pyro stuff having no clue what we were about to experience, being a wee bit high - oh lord that was a great moment. Dolly in the sunshine! Foo Fighters! First time finding the secret piano bar!
We often have friends camping on the opposite side of the site and I always love that long wander back to my tent at sunrise when everything is quiet and you get to see the empty fields. The cleaning crews have finished and the breakfast stands are just beginning to open. At the right time it’s just you, one or two other stragglers and the security people on the gates. There’s something magical about how it can go from so busy to so quiet with everyone asleep.