During June, I attended Glastonbury festival of performing arts. It's one of the longest festivals in the biz, the grandaddy of music festivals keeping those whippersnappers like the Reading/Leeds festival and T in the Park in line. This year was the forty year anniversary, and I've gotta admit I was pumped for weeks beforehand. This was a big shebang, as I'd always wanted to go to Glastonbury, see the sights, soak up the atmosphere, and catch some killer bands and finally this year I was ticking one major thing off my life list.
One of the things I'd definitely advise is- be careful while packing. If you're like me, you'll want to pack the kitchen sink. Different shoes for different occasions, clothes in case it rains, clothes in case it's sunny, clothes in case there's a sudden freak clothes shortage and all your other clothes mysteriously fall down the rabbit hole, and as much homely comforts as possible. But when you try to fit all that on your back you soon realise that maybe less is more, and you won't need to beg forgiveness to your spine again soon after. It's like 'let's play at camping and roughing it for a weekend.' And one word that for some people would send shivers down their spine- practical. Yes, practical.
But don't get me wrong, what you choose to wear is important. The festival fashion thumbs up (almost alliteration there, gutted!) for this year at Glastonbury was 'keep cool, keep stylin'. It was so hot that weekend that people were ending up in hospital with heatstroke, so nobody really minded if you looked a bit sweaty and had skipped the make up sess that morning. I wore cheap tops, mostly from Primark and Peacocks, because no matter how careful you are, at the end of the day your clothes are all covered in dust, grime and stains that you don't even want to know the origins of. So it might be best not to take your favourite tees. Have a few spare items of clothing is a good idea too. Sensible shoes are a must, sandals and flipflops will eventually make your feet ache walking around the festival, and anything like pumps won't work on the uneven ground. If you're wearing skirts or dresses be careful,you don't want anything too long dragging on the ground but not too short either, you're still camping out, after all. And being bang on trend isn't so critical either- nobody wants to have to step out a playsuit in a portaloo that hundreds of thousands of people have used that weekend, eek (more on those later!)
So, you're packed. You've struggled with your tent and put it up inside out and the exits all in the wrong place a couple of times. Got yourself a nice cup of cider (at Glasto you're in Somerset, can't go there without trying some homegrown cider my friends! Yes, I'm a southern belle, ssh.) and chilled out on the fields a bit which believe me, amazing atmosphere.
Now it's time to dare the loos. My top tip for the festival? Baby wipes, and antiseptic hand gel. They were a godsend with every loo trip, grass stain and at the end of the night. As for the loos, they're not very nice. But you'll be surprised how quickly even the most squicked out girlie (IE: me, Miss OCD, Germs are gross and the enemy and must be avoided at all times) learns to cope.
And now, to my favourite part, the music! During the weekend I caught 22 bands. 22?! That's insane! Some of my favourites were found hovering around tents and giving new bands a go, something I definitely recommend. If you have an opportunity to hit up a festival, go to the jazz tent, the accoustic, the BBC Introducing. There might be your new favs out there to find.
My personal favourites were Muse, as their light show was incredible and their performance is so top notch, I'm not surprised they're one of the most successful live acts in recent years. I also enjoyed Florence and the Machine as she was so hyped up (her little giggles were adorable) and her enthusiasm was incredibly infectious.
(Photo taken by Winona H.)
I Blame Coco were also a lot of fun, as were Rodriego Y Gabriela whose instrumental based jazz was just the thing to make a Sunday afternoon perfect. And although I wasn't able to catch Slash properly which was such a bummer due to the heat, these Slashes more than made up for it:
There's far more going on than just a music festival, though. There's a chance to get involved in quite a few good causes if you're so inclined, or get in touch with your spiritual side. The main message is of peace and unity, treating people nicely how you'd want to be treated which isn't such a bad thing to stick to, now is it? I loved how friendly and open to chat everyone was, families and teenage girls felt equally safe and you could dance and mess about to your heart's content without anyone taking the mick out of your dodgy Shakira moves. (And believe me, my hips lied. My hips lied quite a lot.)
It was a fabulous experience- I can't wait to go next year- and have some amaze memories from it. So lucky with the weather as well, although at some points over the weekend I would have loved a classic Glastonbury rainstorm, haha! I also had the best bath ever when I got back, you never appreciate a good bath until you've been away from it for a few days. I'll leave you with this:
Ems xx
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