Glastonbury is not an ordinary festival! It’s a feast for your ears, eyes and tastebuds. There is so much going on at Glastonbury that it’s impossible to experience everything within 4 days. That being said, there are some key things you need to know to make sure you are ready to have the best time possible! These 10 things to know for Glastonbury Festival will turn you from Glastonbury newbie to total festival pro!
1: You will do a lot of walking!
Prepare for a lot of walking at Glastonbury Festival. The site is MASSIVE – more than 2.4km across, with a perimeter of about 13.6km! Wear comfortable shoes, take blister plasters, and prepare to be on your feet a lot during the festival.
2: You must keep your paper ticket after getting your Glastonbury Festival wristband!
You will be sent a paper festival ticket in the mail and need to show this when you arrive at the festival to collect your wristband and gain entry. Once you have your wristband, make sure you keep your paper ticket with you! If you want to leave and re-enter when you go to the car park, campervan area, glamping sites, or off-site for any reason, upon re-entry you MUST show your paper ticket, wristband, ID and a dedicated ‘Pass-out’ ticket which you’re given when you leave the festival.
Not having my paper ticket with me when I went to grab something from my car during Glastonbury festival in 2019 was one of my biggest Glastonbury mistakes!
3: You should research the Glastonbury campsites & choose BEFORE arriving!
There are lots of campsites to choose from at Glastonbury. All have their pros and cons depending on what you want from a festival campsite. Knowing where to camp at Glastonbury in advance can make your life a whole lot easier when you arrive! Do you want to party all night? Do you want to be close to a certain stage? Do you want to escape festival madness at night and get a decent sleep?
Make sure you have a look at which campsite will be best for you BEFORE you arrive. When you arrive, If it’s full, or you think ‘actually this is not the one for you’, have a backup option!
>>⛺ Where to Camp at Glastonbury Festival ⛺ <<
If you’re getting a coach, or parking in one of the many car parks, there will be certain campsites which will be better and closer to you. This avoids a very long walk from your car to your tent/campsite spot!
>>⛺ Camping at Glastonbury Festival: Tips & Hacks ⛺ <<
4: You might not be able to shower!
There are showers at Glastonbury Festival however they are not 100% reliable! In 2019, the weather was glorious at Glastonbury, but it meant that the water supply was scarce and so festival organisers had to turn off the water supply to the showers in the general campsites! Glamping and staff areas still had their shower facilities, and all the drinking water taps were still available to everyone, but if you were in general camping… it meant no showers after Day 1!
5: You should pace yourself!
Glastonbury is a long festival, running from Wednesday > Monday so pace yourself, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Make sure you: Eat proper meals, drink enough water, get enough sleep, and pace yourself when it comes to drinking alcohol too!
6: You can take your own food & alcohol – everywhere!
Speaking of alcohol, you can take your own food and alcohol (NO GLASS) to the festival! Unlike most UK festivals that only allow alcohol and food to be brought into the campsite, Glastonbury allows all attendees to take their own food and drink anywhere around the festival site! It’s a great way to save money at a festival, and it’s perfect if you are doing Glastonbury on a tight budget!
7: Plan what to take with you in advance!
As the festival site is so big, you will do a lot of walking! It’s important not to overpack and get stuck carrying extra heavy bags!
Planning outfits in advance and wearing your bulky items like boots or wellies when arriving will limit the amount you have to carry! Download/print my FREE Essential Festival Packing List to ensure you have all the right things you need. Want a more in-depth list? Check out my comprehensive packing list below.
>>🧳 Glastonbury Festival Packing List 🧳<<
8: Glamping, Campervan and Caravan campsites are mostly all Off-Site!
Although Glastonbury Festival offers Glamping and luxury camping at the festival, as well as Campervan & Caravan pitches, be aware that these are mostly all off-site! This means they are a fair walk away from the main hub of the festival and will require you to enter and exit the festival multiple times!
9: You should arrive & leave at ‘off-peak’ times!
Arriving and leaving the festival can be easy or it can mean hours of queuing and waiting. I had been told stories from friends that waited 6 hours to leave the car park on Monday when they tried to leave the festival at lunchtime! A BIG NOPE FROM ME!
The Busiest Times to Arrive & Leave Glastonbury Festival:
Busiest Times To Arrive: Wednesday Afternoon, Thursday 8am-5pm, or Friday morning!
Busiest Time To leave: 7am-3pm Monday.
I arrived at the festival on Thursday night at around 10pm. I breezed through to the car park, parked my car and walked straight through security and bag check, got my band and had no issues! I was lucky enough to camp in Tangerine Fields Glamping Campsite on the first night as when I arrived it was dark, so putting up a tent would have been trickier! The next day, I moved across the festival site to camp with friends in Diary Ground Campsite within the festival!
I left at 3am on Monday morning and it was perfect! I was EXHAUSTED but I didn’t have any waiting around or delays in leaving the festival! Earlier that day (Sunday afternoon) I took down my tent and packed up my bag, walked back to my car and dropped all my stuff off. I then walked back into the festival and carried on with only a small bag to see me through the rest of the final day and evening. It meant that as soon as the headliners had finished on the main stage and I had watched friends perform on a small stage in Shangri-La, I could simply walk to my car, all my stuff was already there, and I could leave without any queuing or waiting!
10: You must leave no trace!
Don’t be a dick – pick up your litter, take your tent home with you and leave the festival as you found it… as if you were never there!
>> Check out my other handy posts about Glastonbury Festival <<
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