To accommodate the more laid-back reveller, more chilled out areas like the West Holts and Acoustic areas are in easy walking distance. At the top of the site is the Sacred Space — the stone circle is a modern construction, but it has already seen as much celebration and ceremony as some of its forebears.
Sun-up on a Sunday morning, with drums and torches and chanting and an astonishing measure of joy from the sleepless revellers at the Stone Circle is a glorious sight to behold. The Festival takes place in a beautiful location — acres in the Vale of Avalon, an area steeped in symbolism, mythology and religious traditions dating back many hundreds of years.
Then there are the people; thousands of them in all their astonishing and splendid diversity! There is only one common characteristic of a Glastonbury-goer — they understand that Glastonbury Festival offers them more opportunity than any other happening to have the best weekend of the year or even of a life-time, and they are determined to have it!
Supporting political action is at the heart of the Festival and this is documented through pamphlets and imagery. It was attended by 1, people. Audiences enjoyed performances by Marc Bolan's Tyrannosaurus Rex who played in place of the Kinks who were due to headline. By the festival had been renamed The Glastonbury Fayre and the date was changed to coincide with summer solstice, an anniversary celebrated at nearby Stonehenge, home to the world-famous Neolithic monument.
Key organisers now included Andrew Kerr and Arabella Churchill. The team drew up a manifesto which set out the environmental and spiritual focuses at the heart of the Festival's ethos. The Festival founders saw the event as a place for the "expression of free-thinking people".
In the same year, the first Pyramid Stage, a replica of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, was designed and built by Bill Harkin and crew out of scaffolding, expanded metal and plastic sheeting.
The location of this now iconic stage was determined by the Glastonbury Abbey and Stonehenge ley line, an invisible line that runs through the Vale of Avalon and is commonly believed by esoteric traditions to demarcate 'earth energies'. The founders acknowledged Glastonbury's 3, year history and its importance as a destination for pilgrims for centuries, captured by William Blake in his poem Jerusalem , later used as the words for Hubert Parry's hymn.
Bowie and Quintessence performed on the first Pyramid Stage in The film is a great record of the Festival and reveals how it attracted hippies who identified with the counterculture movements that emerged in the late sixties. Sadly it does not include Bowie's memorable performance. For the following years there were a few impromptu gatherings in the Worthy Farm fields with performances by Ginger Baker and Jimmy Page, but it was not until when the Glastonbury Fayre team decided to stage a three-day festival around the Year of the Child, led by Arabella Churchill and establishing her Children's World Charity.
The Festival began to gather real momentum in the s under Michael Eavis's guidance, establishing itself as a powerful voice for social and political change and for raising money for good causes.
In , proceeds went to the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, a partnership that continued up until the end of the Cold War. The Festival attracted activists who were campaigning against Margaret Thatcher's government and seeking a fairer society. Join Mailing List. The UK's most famous music and performing arts festival. Headliners Billie Eilish. Diana Ross has been confirmed to appear in the 'legends slot' on Sunday 26 June.
FAQs How do I get to the festival? Parking is available on site, however, this will require a fee. At night, fires and torch lights illuminate the circle and the sound of a thousand-and-one djembe drummers beating in near unison fills the air.
Hash for cash! There are cash points on site, but expect long queues and transaction charges. Gun and violent crime was a problem in previous years but has largely been dealt. Toilet facilities per head are limited, and they are usually stinking by the end of day one. Bring your own toilet roll. There are a few flushing loos on site so suss out their locations and use every time you pass through.
There are few showers on site: expected to get sweaty, dirty, and stink by the end. The service stations on the nearest stretch of motorway to the site are another notorious post-festival gathering for scraping off the mud, washing, and three days of suppressed bowel relief. Because of the isolated location of the site, and the vast numbers of people churning up the grass lands, even a slight rain shower can turn the grounds boggy, so if you like things calm and clean this is not the festival for you.
Bring wet weather gear, a pair of good old British wellington boots, and check the forecast in advance. Or how about a shower curtain: take it to the festival and voila — an instant waterproof rug, rain coat, an extra blanket and something to lay over your tent if it starts to leak!
There are plenty of international cuisines to experiment with like Creole, Chinese, Lebanese, and lots of veggie and vegan options so dig in. In the dark, your cheapo identikit tent could look remarkably similar to the other 70, or so. Get there early and pitch up near a recognisable landmark — and mark your tent with paint or a flag — glow-in-the-dark accessories will help you see your way home.
Likewise, a torch will come in handy. There are plenty of better buys at the hundreds of festival stall like new age jewellery, crafts, ethnic clothes, CDs, posters — all the hippy chic you can imagine and at competitive prices.
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