Glastonbury, a festival held at Worthy Farm in England, has become Europe’s largest such gathering for music fans. Its five-day run ended Sunday, after entertaining nearly 175,000 fans. Heavy rain and mud greeted the attendees, who paid 195 pounds (about $310) for a basic ticket compared to the 1 pound when the show began in 1970. The next festival will take place in 2013. – Lloyd Young
www.boston.com/bigpicture
Music and mud: Glastonbury Festival 2011
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uncivilized europeans
I just saw Ziggy Marley yesterday. Biggest gathering of stoners I have ever seen.
My music taste is far too narrow for these sort of things – I do nip into a lot of genres but I don’t tend to like the majority of “band” stuff – cant justify the £200, rather go to 6-8 decent nights with exactly my taste.
The chick in the red dances like Elaine Benes.
Les Vielles Charrues in France gathered 270.000 people this year, and this nothing compared to Sziget festival, Budapest.
If this is the first time you ever heard of the Glastonbury Festival you are really lagging. The Glasto is MASSIVE and the best in Europe/UK, it began in 1970 (41 years). It raises record amounts of pounds (money) for charities. You’ll find 3 generations there now, from grandparents to their grand kids all enjoying the same music.
It’s a weeks worth of incredible and every year never disappoints. Personally, I now get about 4 weeks of holiday (vacation) time here now and I always use one of those weeks doing the Glasto. I’m gay and met my husband 12 years ago at the Glasto. We and about 20 of our mates hate disco (and Madonna & Lady Caca) and are all die-hard rock fans (don’t stereotype us).
The Glasto offers every music genre on several size stages, from small coffee-house tent venues to the grand Pyramid main stage. If you can’t make it for the whole week try and do the last weekend for the best acts on the two main stages. I’ve seen everything from Johnny Cash (probably his greatest comeback performance) to U2.
If you’re wondering about coming, be prepared. Accommodations can be anything from literally 4 star luxury tent/cabin accommodations to just a sleeping bag on the ground. Eating is everything from fast-food, small kitchen to top restaurant tents with top prices. Glasto can be known for its mud parties with good chances of rain – so be prepared. Rain-proof everything, bring a good raincoat and some wallies (rubber boots) and your set for a great time.
These will give you a small idea of the Glasto.
www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/news/glastonbury-daze-short-film
www.bbc.co.uk/news/10356174
Their main website is:
www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/
www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/line-up-poster/
pretty insane amount of artists to be fair. Some alright stuff for me but totally totally drowned out by pop and bands.
If you have an easy going attitude to music and can tour around genres quite happily, it must be an amazing thing, but I’m cursed with a narrow idea of what fun music is, and I practically cant go to bars because of how much I dislike pop music.
If I went anywhere near Kesha a couple of tears would roll down my face.
Shit was so cash. Totally going again in 2013.
“…paid 195 pounds (about $310) for a basic ticket compared to the 1 pound when the show began in 1970.”
Progress…
Gone is the original spirit of the festival, and now theres corporate sponsored tents and enclosures, and wankers who only go to be “seen” at an event like this being choppered in and out again with out even having to get their Hunter Wellies dirty, fucking tragedy…