Part 5

Can I work at the Festival?

Yes there are lots of opportunities to work at the festival and many people do stewarding, litter picking, recycling, green policing and other work in order to fund their enjoyment. The majority of “ticket workers” are expected to work a total of between 20 and 24 hours over the course of 5 days but they are free to enjoy the festival at all other times. Most still have to pay a deposit which is roughly equal to the face value of a standard ticket but this is refunded once you have completed your allotted shifts.  Some organisations also supply you with food and private toilets and showers.  You can also apply to do paid work for one of the organisations who provide security for the festival but you will find that working hours will be considerably longer and often very unsociable.

You do have to apply early however. People who have proved to be reliable in the past tend to get first dibs and anybody who doesn't complete their shifts gets placed on a blacklist to ensure that they are unable to apply to work at the festival in future years. But it is a great way of getting involved, meeting new people and feeling part of the festival. Having worked for the first time a few years ago I can certainly recommend the experience.

More details on working at Glastonbury can be found HERE.

 

Is there much litter?

 

OK this is where I get on my soapbox and have a bit of a rant! Worthy Farm and the surrounding Vale of Avalon is an incredibly beautiful place. And yet far too many people who come to Glastonbury are just too damn lazy to put their rubbish in a bin or to bag up all their crap when they are leaving and as a result the whole site just degenerates into a huge tip. There are at least 17,000 bins distributed across the site. That’s nearly 1 bin for every 10 people. You can't miss them. They're all brightly painted. Please use them.

Don't drop cigarette butts! They are non-biodegradable and every single one has to be picked up before the site can revert to being a dairy farm. Portable ashtrays are readily available these days. If you are a smoker then please add one of these to your kit list essentials.

And when you leave on the Monday, bag up your rubbish and make life a little easier for the litter and recycling crews who have to tidy up after you. If you don't do it then somebody else has to! Green (recycling) and Black (landfill) bin bags are handed out by the stewards near the gates and are also available from Camp Site Stewards and Info Points so there really is no excuse for leaving your camp site litter lying around when you go home.

It costs an estimated £800,000 to clean up after the festival each year.  That’s nearly £6 from the cost of every ticket sold that could have been donated to the festival’s chosen charities if it weren’t for people’s laziness and ignorance. ”Love The Farm – Leave No Trace”. It’s not just a nice slogan, it’s a very real problem which could so easily be overcome if people were just a little more thoughtful about their surroundings.  So please people - let’s SORT IT OUT!!

 

Does it get very crowded?

 

Even with nearly 180,000 people on site there is generally plenty of space for everybody. However there are times when large crowds are on the move, especially in the evenings when people are moving between stages, or after the headline acts finish when people are heading in and out of the late night area in the South Eastern corner of the site. Most of the "pinch points" such as gates and bridges have been widened over the years but nevertheless it can be scary for those who aren't comfortable in large crowds. So please be careful, think of others, and don't add unnecessarily to any crowd situation.

 

What times do the bands start and finish?

The first acts hit the stage at around 11 O’Clock each morning and there is a curfew on the main stages of midnight on the Friday and Saturday and at 11:30pm on the Sunday.   In previous years the headline acts continued for a further 30 minutes each evening but this was amended in the 2010 license conditions as a compromise for allowing an increase in volume. However, many of the other stages continue after midnight and a number of the smaller venues carry right on going all through the night.

Which stages should I spend my time at?

The simple answer is as many of them as you possibly can! Different teams are responsible for running each of the stages and as a result they are all individual and all have their own unique atmosphere.

 

With there being so many stages spread over such a large area it is pointless trying to decide on all of the bands you want to see in advance because you will find that there are so many other things going on that you will be constantly distracted. Don't restrict your Glastonbury experience by just staying at the main stages. By all means pick two or three "must see" performances each day and then spend the rest of the time wandering and discovering new things. There is a surprise around every corner.

Changes to the locations and set up of the various stages are regular occurrences and this is symptomatic of the continual evolution that we see at the festival where old favourites disappear to be replaced by new surprises every year. However, to give you an idea of what goes on where, here is a quick resume of how the stages lined up last time.

 

If you’ve seen footage of Glastonbury on the telly before you won't have any trouble recognising this as the main Pyramid Stage. The Pyramid Field slopes gently uphill away from the Stage. There are also large screens on either side of the stage and at the back of the mixing tower, so it is possible to have a good view of what is going on well away from the stage itself, even with a crowd approaching 100,000 in the field. Some of the headline acts also benefit from having some of the best lighting and pyrotechnic displays you are likely to see in this country.

Acts who played the Pyramid Stage in 2011 included U2, Coldplay, Beyonce, Morrisey, Elbow and Pendulum.  The photo above shows the Pyramid Stage crowd enjoying an afternoon set by legendary bluesman BB King.

On the Sunday things tend to get a little more cultural. There is often a lunchtime session of brass bands, choral or orchestral music. We were even treated to a performance by the English National Opera on one occasion.  Sunday afternoon also usually includes a golden oldies slot. In 2011 Don McLean and Paul Simon both made appearances and in the past legendry names such as Shirley Bassey, Johnny Cash, James Brown, Tom Jones and Leonard Cohen have all trodden the Pyramid Stage boards.

 

This is the second or "Other" Stage, which some people still refer to as the “NME Stage” even though it hasn’t officially been called that for many years. The field here is flatter and, unless you got fairly close to the stage, it used to be quite difficult to see the bands until they provided screens for the first time in 2007. Acts on the Other Stage tend to be primarily indie orientated although major dance acts have also appeared here over the last few years.

The lineup on the Other Stage in 2011 included Chemical Brothers, Primal Scream, Queens Of The Stone Age, Mumford & Sons and Kaiser Chiefs.

This is West Holts, which prior to 2010 was known as "Jazz World". It's my personal favourite of the 3 large outdoor arenas, as it has far more of the small festival vibe and atmosphere that I tend to prefer. This was the first area that benefited from the addition of dozens of the giant silk flags, which have gradually spread around the rest of the festival site in subsequent years. 

The diverse array of performers who played on this stage in 2011 included Kool & The Gang, Cee Lo Green (above), Big Boi, Chase & Status, Jimmy Cliff and Duane Eddy.

photograph courtesy of Bob Rose

For many years, Glastonbury had one huge 6,000 capacity Dance Tent. This was the venue for historic sets by the likes of Fat Boy Slim, The Chemical Brothers and Scissor Sisters, and was also the scene of the infamous Toilet Truck incident in 1998 when one of the lorries was brought in to pump out mud and was accidentally set to blow instead of suck!

In 2005 the one big Dance Tent was replaced by a number of smaller stages to create a Dance Village which in some years has been home to as many as 7 different dance music venues. For the last few years there have been two quite sizeable marquees. The largest of these is called 'East Dance' and in 2011 this hosted such luminaries of the dance music scene as Fat Boy Slim, Carl Cox and Pete Tong.

Close by used to be the marginally smaller 'West Dance' tent. However in 2011 this venue merged with another, previously known as the ‘Queens Head’, as part of a regular reshuffle of venues and was renamed Oxlyers In West.  Live bands appear on stage here during the daytime with DJs and dance acts taking over in the evening.

Cubehenge is an excellent outdoor dance venue.  At night time the huge cubes which form the “henge” are illuminated in a myriad of shifting colours.  It’s also a fantastic place for enjoying a bit of a boogie in the sunshine.

WOW! is a live music venue which has a lounge bar in an adjoining marquee.  They often have some fairly big name acts in here to kick off the festival on the Thursday evening and in 2011 the line up included Mercury Music Prize, Brit & MOBO Awards winner, Ms Dynamite.

Magic Bubbles was a new venue in 2011 but I have to confess that the whole Dance Village area was so muddy that I only paid it a very brief visit.  So I can only report what the official website had to say about this particular venue, which was; “an outdoor space dedicated to funky grooves of all flavours and an easy-going atmosphere. Doubling as a cafe and art space, the three adjoining pods have everything you need to keep you grooving right into the wee small hours”.  Sounds cool.  Must make a point of getting there if it’s back in 2013.

 

The Pussy Parlour is housed inside a beautiful old wooden "spiegeltent". It has its own bar and you can sit at the benches which surround the wooden dance floor. DJs and acts often play later here than at the other venues in the dance area which are affected by the midnight curfew.

Although not exactly a dance venue this area also plays host to the BBC Introducing stage, where up and coming bands from around the country are invited to play, having been chosen for the honour by local BBC Radio stations.

 

 

Beyond the Dance Area, towards the western edge of the site, you will find a huge yellow and blue striped marquee which hosts the John Peel Stage. This was previously known as the “New Bands Tent” but was renamed in memory of the legendary DJ in 2005. The John Peel tent gets bigger and more popular with every passing year and often has appearances from well established performers as well as up and coming stars of the future.

Well known names who played the John Peel Stage in 2011 included DJ Shadow, The Streets and Glasvegas.

The pointed roof of the impressively proportioned Acoustic Tent is visible from around the Festival site. This is where some fairly big name rock acts play acoustic sets as well as the more folky regulars. It also benefits from having the Cockmill Arms Real Ale Bar right next door.

The stellar line up of acts who played the Acoustic Tent in 2011 included Suzanne Vega, Deacon Blue, Imelda May and Nick Lowe.

 

2007 saw the introduction of a completely new entertainment area which was positioned at the top of the Park Home Ground camping field. Simply entitled The Park the area was initially programmed by Emily Eavis so that she could hone her skills before assuming more of the overall responsibility for the festival from her father Michael.  The Park includes several venues and the diversity and quality of entertainment here almost sets it aside as being a mini-festival all of its own which many smaller events would struggle to match.

 

 

The main Park Stage is positioned in a natural amphitheatre with impressive flaming columns to either side.  The line up here often includes a number of mystery “special guests” and rumours are always rife at the festival as to who these might turn out to be.  Radiohead and Pulp both turned up unexpectedly in 2011.  The picture above is one I took of Norman Cook & Damon Albarn performing together on the Park Stage a few years ago as part of Albarn's Africa Express project.

The Avalon Stage is one of my personal favourites.  It’s only a short walk from West Holts and has a nice friendly club-like atmosphere.  Acts who played the Avalon Stage in 2011 included The Beat, Flogging Molly, KT Tunstall, an acoustic set from Guillemots and, much to Michael Eavis’ disliking… The Wombles.

In the same field you will find the Avalon Café which has bands playing long after the main venue has shut up shop for the evening.

Bourbon Street is positioned centrally and close to the main Meeting Point.  Here you will find that jazz, blues, swing and boogie are very much order of the day.  They also boast 20 of the World's best bourbon whiskies, as well as other drinks, from the bar at the back of the venue.

Leftfield is where you can listen to & get involved in political debate and educational films & lectures. Tony Benn has famously made several appearances here and this is also where politically motivated musicians like Billy Bragg and Seize The Day do their thing as well as hosting late night DJ sets. For a number of years Leftfield was located at the main Meeting Point next to the iconic tug-of-war tower, which still remains in its position due to the fact they would have to dig new foundations in order to relocate it.  However, Leftfield was absent from the festival in 2009 and when it returned in 2010 it was moved to the Holts Field, which is actually where it originated.

Also in the Holts Field in 2011 was the Spirit of ’71 stage which was created to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first appearance of both the first Pyramid Stage at the festival and the use of the word “Glastonbury” in its title.  Although not pyramid shaped the stage did host a number of stars who made appearances back in 1971 such as Arthur Brown, Edgar Broughton (pictured above), Nik Turner and Melanie.

Nearby, in the Cubana Salsa tent, live salsa music is played throughout the weekend and experts and beginners alike can hit the dancefloor and join in the fun.  I also found the cheapest cocktails here in 2011 with a very quaffable Mojito only costing £5:00.

 

Croissant Neuf is the biggest of the Greenfield venues and usually has a mix of more hippified acts. It is powered entirely by natural energy resources. As well as the main 2,000 capacity tent there is also a small bandstand situated nearby. If you like what you see and hear and fancy some more, Croissant Neuf organise their own “Summer Party” Festival in Wales.

 

There are several other smaller and very intimate venues to be found in the Greenfields area. If you look hard enough you’ll find live music playing from Wednesday afternoon all through the weekend at the Tadpole Stage, the Small World Stage, the pedal powered Mandala Stage and also the famous mobile Rinky Dink Sound System (see above).

 

Until 2000 The Glade (or G Stage as it became known in 2011) was just a bunch of trees and a very smelly toilet.  From then until 2005 it was an outdoor dance venue which changed in format pretty much every year and spawned the electronic music festival of the same name.  For the first time in 2007 the main stage area was fully covered with less DJs and more live music being played than had been the case in the past.  However there are still plenty of tunes to dance to late into the night at the nearby Glade Lounge.

 

The largest venue to be found in Shangri-La is the lavishly decorated Club Dada. The line up here often includes a number of special guests.  Here’s Lady Gaga and her exploding brassiere making a surprise appearance in 2009. In 2011 festival legends The Destroyers were among the many delights on offer right through until dawn on the Monday morning.

Also in Shangri La the central area, known as The Hub, has an outdoor stage where you can catch bands performing before the crowds arrive after the main stages close each evening.  You’ll find plenty of live entertainment as well as DJ’s playing at several other smaller venues both in this amazing space, in The Unfair Ground and also in Arcadia, The Common and Block 9 just across the disused railway track. See the “What Happens At Night?” section in Part 6 for lots more information on these.

The Bandstand is situated in the middle of the main market area and is a great place to get away from the crowds and sit and listen to some of the unknown gems that play there through all 5 days of the festival. Who could possibly forget the rampant skiffle of Flaky Jake and The Steaming Gringos a few years ago?!

On the track which leads from the Pyramid Stage to the John Peel tent you can find the Beat Hotel.  There have been several venues here over the years.  In 2010 it was the “Cocktail & Dreams” karaoke bar and prior to that it was the “Guardian Lounge”, where some of the big name bands playing on the main stages over the weekend played more intimate sets.  The line up at the Beat Hotel included a good mixture of live acts and DJs right through to 3am each night from Thursday to Sunday in 2011.

In the Dragon Field, just about slap bang on top of the place I used to pitch my tent, the Tripod Stage could be found in 2011.  It formed part of the “Great Direct Action Space” and hosted music, debates, poetry and cinema screenings.  Here’s one of my favourite bands, Tragic Roundabout, playing on the stage in 2011.

As well as all of the above, several of the bars, cafes and stalls dotted around the site have small stages where acts will entertain you while you glug your cider and munch your falafels. You are unlikely to find any details of who is playing or even where these venues are in the programme. You'll just have to wander and discover them for yourselves.

How long does it take to walk between the stages?

The answer to this is very much dependant on several factors.  For a start you need to consider how many people are likely to be on the move at the same time and whether you are going to be moving with or against the flow of traffic.  Then you have to allow for the ground conditions because if it’s muddy then everybody tends to stick to the paths and metal trackways and it all becomes very congested as a result. 

In dry conditions with relatively few people about it is easily possible to stroll from the front of the Pyramid to the Other Stage in less than 10 minutes but when it’s crowded and muddy the same journey can take half an hour or more at an excruciatingly slow shuffle.

You’ve also got to remember to factor in the dietry & toilet requirements of all of your mates and the possibility of being waylaid by a 9ft unicycling grasshopper en-route! 

 

 

I would suggest that it would be more useful to give you a rough idea of how far it is between the various stages and then you can work out how long these journeys are likely to take accounting for the conditions at the time.  So based on the highly technical “ruler & piece of string” method I reckon the following distances in metres from the Pyramid Stage are reasonably accurate:-

 

• Other Stage 600m
• Acoustic 600m
• West Holts 700m
• Dance Village / Oxylers In West 700m
• John Peel 700m
• Cabaret 800m
• Avalon 900m
• Croissant Neuf 900m
• Shangri-La 1100m
• The Park 1200m
• Stone Circle 1300m

Go to Part 6