Lets talk mud and music!
Glastonbury is one of the longest running festivals in England, based in the heart of Somerset. It’s a festival filled with a variety of contemporary art and music but in all honestly its complete madness and filled with such a wild variety of acts.
In summer 2016 i experienced Glastonbury behind the scenes by working as a steward at the festival. I volunteered with the charity Oxfam and had to work three 8 hour stewarding shifts as well as being able to have some free time.
Now if Glasto is famous for anything, it is mostly for the mud, and oh boy was there plenty! It poured down for the first two days and i ended up basically living in a swamp. It was so wet that my so-called waterproof tent got drenched and i was sleeping in a pond for the week. Wellies became 10x heavier due the amount of mud clinging to your boots and to my belief the portaloos were actually cleaner then the festival itself.
I’ve been to a fair few festivals in my time so being able to experience Glasto behind the scenes was quite different. I had previously gone to mainly music festivals for the line up, but Glasto isn’t just about the music. It’s about the people and the stories behind their art. Between stewarding shifts I explored with my fellow oxfamily and despite being there 6 days i didn’t manage to see everything. There was just so much to see and do. The best parts were the little gems hidden away in fields or forests untouched by the festival audience. One day off we took it upon us to try to see everything and we found a meditation circle, a thermal spa in a forest, university lectures taking place, tattoo artists a tap dance class and so much more random things. I never thought all this stuff could be at a festival.
Apart from the wacky acts, we have to talk about the music. As mentioned earlier, because this festival is more than just the music, the line up is not for everyone. But, never the less it was still a great lineup. I managed to watch ELO, The Lumineers, Bastille, Skepta and many more. For me though i have to give a special mention to Cold Play. Oh my god, i am still speechless. The performance they gave was incredible, Before the show they handed out bracelets across the festival which lit up during their performance with different colours at different times. It was incredible to see the entire crowd like millions of multicoloured fire flies. My heart was filled warm with happiness. They put on such a great show and ofc their music are all hits. They did a special mention to Viola beach who were an upcoming band who unfortunately died in a car crash. They also got the found on stage Michael Evis to sing with his children. Watching Coldplay wasnt like just watching any old performance it was like being part of an experience. They were definitely a highlight of the weekend.
I went last year and it was the wettest in 10 years! Luckily all the festival goers this year have great weather!
What other festivals do you know around the world?
Sophiemagsx
No Comments
Maggie
24/06/2017 at 12:54 pmWhat an awesome festival! That mud situation is craziness, though 😱😂 that’s really cool that you got to work there! That Cold Play concert sounds epic.
hopelessblog
24/06/2017 at 3:59 pmhaha it’s so crazy i’ve never seen so much mud in my life!! it’s a great experience xxx
diaryofaveragegirl
24/06/2017 at 9:08 pmIf you love festivals but not the mud then you’d love benicassim in Spain. Amazing festival and a lovely little holiday thrown in at the same time! Arctic monkeys were headlining the year I went and they were on amazing form as per usual 👌🏻 x
hopelessblog
24/06/2017 at 9:37 pmaw i haven’t heard of that one! it sounds super fun! how long does it run for?x
diaryofaveragegirl
25/06/2017 at 9:10 amIt runs from Thursday to Sunday but your ticket includes camping for the week so you can get there and camp from the Monday. It’s pretty good value for money considering that you get holiday at the same time. I Would definitely recommend! X
hopelessblog
25/06/2017 at 5:32 pmooh sounds like good value for money! thanks i’ll check it out <3
therealpinkblogger
25/06/2017 at 9:38 pmWhat an awesome festival idea!
Keep up with the good work and have an awesome day!
xx, Kris
https://dreamingofpink.wordpress.com
thegirlinthegreycoat
25/06/2017 at 9:39 pmAmazing, just love the details you put in , wow the pictures are amazing, another wow for coldplay haha, you are a very interesting person, i love it!
hopelessblog
25/06/2017 at 9:43 pmaah thank you very much!! it’s definately an experience that has to be lived 🙈
thegirlinthegreycoat
25/06/2017 at 10:27 pmmy pleasure! yeah you are so right 🙂 a very memorable experience
Brandy
26/06/2017 at 8:02 pmNot so sure how I feel about the mud, but it sounds fun overall. I’ve never been to a festival but I’m not sure whether I’d go to one, because I have crowd anxiety. :/
I loved the photos though. The last one is epic! So much detail and you can actually see the confetti.
everydaystrangeblog
27/06/2017 at 12:01 pmThe biggest one in Charlotte, NC is Carolina Rebellion. I’ve never been, but it always looks awesome.
hopelessblog
27/06/2017 at 12:06 pmOh right what is that festival about?x
everydaystrangeblog
27/06/2017 at 12:08 pmMainly rock and alternative music, I’m pretty sure Marilyn Manson has headlined in the past.
hopelessblog
27/06/2017 at 12:16 pmsounds like my kinda fest 🙌🏻
purrpale
27/06/2017 at 6:17 pmSo jealous that you got to go! The line up was to die for! Lovely post x
hopelessblog
27/06/2017 at 9:03 pmThank you! Its a definitely a must go to x
crescentmoonramblings
03/07/2017 at 8:04 amI’ve visited Glastonbury but not for th festival. There are a couple of festivals in Australia: Woodford and the Byron Bay Blues Fest that are held at particular times of the year that ensure lots of rain and mud. Wellington boots are a required fashion accessory.
hopelessblog
03/07/2017 at 12:00 pma festival doesn’t seem right without a bit of mud I suppose, sounds like Australia have some good events on x
Adult-ing – Hopeless Wonderer
08/07/2017 at 6:43 pm[…] my life I have been in a so-called “adult job” while also maintaining a youthful life. Festivals, clubbing, pub nights, it hasn’t stopped just because I now work in an office. But everyone […]
2weekendwanderers
05/12/2017 at 10:18 pmGlastonbury is up high on the wish list, one day I will get those tickets!
Lovely article, thanks for sharing.
https://2weekendwanderers.com