Every year, the end of June means one thing for me: Glastonbury. This month, I’ll be heading to Worthy Farm for the 20th time, and I’m as excited as if it was that first visit in 1999, when I arrived on the Wednesday morning as a bewildered, bucket hat-clad student with a borrowed tent and charity shop clothes. More than two decades have passed since then, and every Glastonbury in between has been filled with equally weird and wonderful experiences: trudging through mud in 2005 to mingle with Kate Moss and Pete Doherty in a press catering tent; taking 2am selfies with Jarvis Cocker in the Green Fields in 2013; getting into the festival on Kanye’s guest list in 2015, only to swerve his headline show to watch Suede instead, and then spending the next day trying to glimpse the Dalai Lama, who had turned up onsite. With over 3,000 performances across the weekend, Glasto is easily one of the most impressive places on earth, but the 900-acre site – which becomes the most populated area on the planet for that one summer weekend – can be hard work at times. Walking for miles, losing your friends, getting rained on, and going five days without washing your hair can occasionally start to feel like an endurance test.
Here’s everything I’ve learnt over the past 19 years to help you swerve any downers, and have the best possible Glastonbury experience.
Arrive on Wednesday
While the festival “officially” starts when the main stages open on Friday morning, it’s common for festivalgoers to arrive on Wednesday or Thursday to set up camp, try and get their bearings, and enjoy a few emerging acts and DJs on a handful of smaller stages. This year, there is enough quality entertainment lined up for Wednesday and Thursday to fill a regular festival. Wednesday is jam-packed with music, talks, dance classes and films from noon, with Tilda Swinton making an appearance to introduce Constantine at the Pilton Palais Cinema. Experience one of two opening ceremonies in the evening, head to the Green Fields’ Sacred Space for a spiritual blessing and join a mantra for peace, or opt for a spectacular circus and theatre show in the Pyramid arena – the first of its kind since the ’90s. Whichever you choose, look to the heavens at 10.45pm for the fireworks. This year, Thursday will have everything but the nine main stages up and running from midday – that’s a lot of entertainment, bearing in mind the almost 100 stages and venues on site – making it a great day to really experience the festival without the stress of running around trying to catch the headliners. That’s not to say there aren’t big names in the mix: don’t miss Jordss at 7.45pm at The Rum Shack or Yung Singh at 9pm at Firmly Rooted, and then make the difficult choice between Toddla T Presents sets at 10pm at Blind Tiger and Nooriyah, who hits the Lonely Hearts Club at 10.30pm.
Get your head around camping
As long as you have a rough idea of where you want to camp before arriving, you can avoid most of the stress. When choosing your camping ground, study the Glastonbury map to see which stages you want to be closest to, and from there, work out which car parks are nearest, to avoid hours of trudging with all your stuff. If you want to be right in the mix, Oxlyers camping ground gives easy access to the Other Stage, Arcadia and The Park, as well as the Silver Hayes dance section – aim for car parks closest to pedestrian gate D for the shortest walk. If you’re going for new music at the Woodsies tent, or want easy access to the Pyramid Stage, then Michael’s Mead, Hawkwell and Hitchin Hill camping grounds are great options via pedestrian gate A (also close to the public transport drop-off), as are Wicket Ground for family camping and the Spring Ground accessible campsite. Keep your eyes peeled for festivalgoers (usually with wheelbarrows or wagons) willing to carry your stuff onto site to earn some extra spending money ahead of the weekend, and expect to pay upwards of £25 per trip. If you want to dodge dragging your tent and belongings onto site altogether, there are still a few luxury glamping options left a short walk off-site at both The Pop Up Hotel and Winding Lake, or for a more cheap and cheerful option that’s still walkable, The West Pennard Patch offers camping spots and yurts starting from just £240.
What to bring… and what to leave at home
A reminder that glitter, glass and gazebos are not allowed.
Although festivals are synonymous with wellies, I’ve started to leave mine behind in recent years – they’re bulky to carry, not that comfy to wear over long periods, and the weather hasn’t been too bad. There’s a chance of some rain this year, but the festival site is much better prepared in terms of drainage these days, so pack a pair of Dr Martens, walking boots or trail shoes instead. Bring a battery pack for charging your phone (there are Vodafone charging points onsite, but it’s a good idea to have one for emergencies), and take some cash in case the card machines at the bars fail – the queues for cash points are long. Don’t bring lots of food and booze. Decant spirits into plastic water bottles (which are lighter), and buy soft drinks on site to use as mixers. Bring wine in paper boxes. The best drinks to get onsite include the pear cider from Brothers Bar next to West Holts, or from the famous Cider Bus in the Village Inn area – it’s been a fixture at Glastonbury since the 1970s. Head towards the Theatre and Circus fields for the Pimm’s Bus and cocktail cage. In terms of food, bring breakfast options and snacks only – most things are going to get hot and sweaty in your tent. The food options at Glastonbury are vast, and if you’re on a budget, hundreds of stalls take part in Glastonbury’s £6 meal initiative.
The toilet and shower situation…
Visiting one of the 5,000 toilets onsite is among the less enjoyable of the universal Glasto experiences. My advice? Opt for the open-air long drop toilets over the Portaloos, or seek out the compost ones. Sanitiser is available at most toilets, and free toilet paper and soap can be picked up from the complimentary property lock-ups around the site (I tend to take my own toilet paper). Showers are scarce, but there are usually a few in the Green Fields and at the bottom of the Kidzfield – head there in the early hours or in the evening when the big bands are on, or prepare to queue for over an hour. Failing that, use the soap and water at the sinks and water points for a wash. Wipes (even the biodegradable ones) are not encouraged on site.
Always keep festival etiquette in mind
Glastonbury is crowded, which is all part of the fun but can sometimes mean finding yourself surrounded by people who are a bit irritating. Pack your patience – it will be tested – and try to keep your manners in check. In an attempt to not be the annoying person yourself, try not to jump queues for toilets, food, the bar, the cash machine – or in fact any queue. Don’t push past people to get to the front of a stage, just apologise or ask politely to pass through. Also, don’t be that person who won’t let people pass even when they’ve asked nicely – yes, it’s irritating but it’s part of being at a festival. Don’t ask celebrities for selfies when they’re eating or deep in conversation with someone else. Don’t drop litter, don’t leave your tent behind when you go home and absolutely do not use the stage areas or walkways as a toilet because you can’t be bothered to find the loo.
Keep track of your mates
Getting lost, losing your friends and finding yourself without phone reception are all inevitable parts of the Glasto experience, so arrange your meeting spots well in advance. My friends and I have used “left of the sound desk” at most stages for years and despite the increase in attendees, it still seems to work. Pick something that doesn’t move, like a food stall, or take a flag that your whole group will be easily able to spot. Alternatively, use the interactive map on the official Glastonbury 2025 app: you can drop pins on your meeting points ahead of time, or share your pin to let mates know where you are.
Decide who you really want to see…
The Glastonbury app lists every act on site and allows you to create your own personal line-up. But it’s impossible to see everything – especially given that some stages are almost an hour’s walk apart – so make a list of the top five or 10 acts you want to see most, and decide the rest as you go. This will eliminate the stress of marching around site the whole time. If you’re keen to explore music you’re not familiar with, link your Spotify account with the festival app to receive personalised recommendations from the music platform based on your listening history. Spotify also has playlists for all the major stages at the festival, so you can get a taste of what’s to come.
What about the clashes?
This is one of the biggest frustrations. You’ve established the acts you want to see most, only to discover that two or three of them are playing at the same time. In some instances, it is possible to double up if you plan it well. Last year the big clash was Idles and Fontaines DC. I managed to catch a large portion of both sets and I plan to do the same with this year’s major clash: Charli xcx and Doechii. Charli starts her set on the Other Stage 15 minutes before Doechii comes on at nearby West Holts, and she finishes 15 minutes after the rapper, this means, so I’ll hopefully catch part of her set either before or towards the end of Doechii’s performance. If you’re going to try something similar with other artists, take into account the distance between stages, the exact start and finish times, and work out where to stand to make the quickest exit to your next destination.
There’s way more to Glastonbury than music…
Even if you didn’t see a single band at Glastonbury, you could be kept busy with everything else that is on offer: the festival is home to amazing and eccentric art and design installations, quirky set builds, circus and stage entertainment, talks and debates, poetry, comedy, films, activism, spirituality, art workshops, dance lessons, wellness… the list goes on. For a slightly different journey around the site, join the Ravers 2 Runners 5K at 9.30am on Thursday morning, or instead head to Yin Yoga at Humblewell Active Platform or a gong bath at Ancient Futures. You can also hear about politics, social justice, the climate crisis, the housing crisis, trans rights and more at talks across the site, including in the Green Fields, at the Left Field tent, and at NOMAD and The Information stages. Guest speakers this year include Reni Eddo-Lodge, Priya Ahluwalia, Nicholas Daley, Gary Lineker, Bimini Bon Boulash, Danny Price, Venetia La Manna, Munya Chawawa and Ash Sarkar. Definitely don’t miss actor Ambika Mod and MP Zarah Sultana in conversation at 3.45pm on Thursday at The Information.
How to spot a celebrity
The easiest way is to keep an eye on the side of the stage when you’re watching acts, I’ve seen David and Cruz Beckham watching Liam Gallagher, Florence Welch at the Maccabees, Kate Hudson, Stella McCartney and Rami Malek at Blondie and Lewis Hamilton and Aaron Taylor-Johnson enjoying Elton John. But they can also be in the pit (remember Jay-Z and Gwyneth Paltrow watching Beyoncé?) or just in the crowd. I’ve seen Matt Smith, Billie Piper, Lily James, Kate Moss and so many others enjoying a band or just wandering around. I’d also suggest keeping an eye on the crowd barriers at Charli xcx, as there’s bound to be a secret celeb waiting to cameo as the “Apple” girl, à la Chappell Roan at Primavera Sound and Amelia Dimoldenberg at Lido. For more than a fleeting look, head to the talks and debates at The Information or Pilton Palais Cinema, as there’s an incredible line-up of actors including Jodie Comer, Paul Mescal, Andrew Garfield, James Norton, Ncuti Gatwa, Taron Egerton and Paapa Essiedu slated to appear. For some indie music legends, catch The Libertines frontmen Pete Doherty and Carl Barât talking legacy and creative chemistry with Miranda Sawyer on Sunday at the Astrolabe Theatre.
There could be secret acts
There are always a few “TBC” gaps left on the schedule, so highlight them when making your personal line-up in the app. The ones to look out for this year are on Friday at 4.55pm on the Pyramid Stage, Saturday 7.30pm on the Park Stage, and also the fake band name of “Patchwork”, also on Saturday at 6.15pm on the Pyramid Stage. Rumours are swirling around Pulp, Lorde, Lewis Capaldi and Sam Fender, so keep an eye on X and Instagram for tips. Also, activate your alerts on the Glastonbury app, keep an ear on Worthy FM (87.7FM), the onsite radio station, check chalk boards outside the stages and tents with TBA announcements, and have a chat with crew, stewards and security at the various stages – they’re always the first people to know.
Missed out on tickets?
You can keep up to date with performances from the main stages across BBC iPlayer and BBC radio stations throughout the weekend, but if you’re keen to catch your favourite acts live, many of the artists are playing other gigs in the UK this summer. Catch Doechii, Barry Can’t Swim, the Maccabees, CMAT and other Glasto performers at All Points East, and see Alanis Morissette and Olivia Rodrigo on their UK tours throughout June and July – Rodrigo is actually playing BST Hyde Park the same weekend as Glastonbury, and Neil Young plays there a couple of weeks later. Kneecap will be supporting Fontaines DC at Finsbury Park on 5 July, and the Libertines have a huge show coming up at Gunnersbury Park in August.
