Glastonbury Festival

Festival Location: Glastonbury, England

Festival Type(s): Rock Festivals , Parties , World Music Festivals

Featured Festival: Glastonbury Festival

Festival Photos of Glastonbury Festival: gallery 1 gallery 2 gallery 3

Getting Ready for the Glastonbury Festival

by © Ariel Meadow Stallings 2008

As a culturally-stunted American, I've listened to countless friends talk about the differences between the rave scene here in the states, and the one in England. You see, although there's an emerging above ground in America, there's still a tight little underground. We still revel in parties of only 100 people where the DJs hang out and chill with the dancers before and after their sets, where the organizers of the party pass out vegan ice-cream sandwiches and free fruit. I've had well-intentioned Brits explain that they hope I'm not expecting the same kind of underground lovey fests, because it's just not like that in Olde England. They warn that it's just a lot of clubs and dilated pupils, no vibe. Quite honestly, I don't believe them. Call me naive, but I anticipate if there's underground electronic-music loving freaks and oddfolks to be found, I'll find `em at Glastonbury.

I can't really afford to go to England this summer, but there's no way I would consider missing the infamous Glastonbury festival. After years of hearing about all the fun that everyone else had, I just couldn't live with myself if another June passed and I hadn't had the chance to go. I want to be buried in mud, rained on in the dance tent by human feces, surrounded by deliciously bizarre people, and maybe (hopefully) catch some of the world's best electronic music performers along the way.

I must admit though that it's really not the musicians who are seducing me to sell my clothes just for a few weeks over-seas. I've found that the action on stage is usually not worth watching. Sweaty techno boys and their amazing rave machines are not nearly as entertaining as the true spectacle of the crowd! My work with Lotus Magazine has dragged me all across the US, and watching people dance has become an obsession (only when I'm too tired to shake a tail myself, naturally). I'm not the first to have found that every region in the US has a different style. Kiddies in San Francisco use their housey spastic kickstep. Folks in Chicago magically slide their way around with floor without moving their feet (really, it must be seen to be believed). The East Coasters play with their invisible rave ball, always wearing something very name-brand and stylish. In Los Angeles they all stack up in front of the speakers, writhing and groping and vibrating in their overalls made out of kiddy sheets. And in Seattle? It's this strange give-me-my-space blissed out groovy stoned thing. Somebody once called it hippy hop.

If American dancers can vary so much from region to region, I can only imagine how us culturally-deprived yanks would compare to the international flavor of Europe! I'm sure I'll spend more than a few hours at Glastonbury completely enchanted by the wacky Euro-dancers. My British friend here in Seattle is a big fan of incessantly hopping up and down, and after watching him defy gravity at various state-side parties, I'm prepared for anything. Surely, not everyone in Europe dances like they've got a pogo stick up their bums (I think that's British for butt).

Really though, what I'm the most excited about the whole survival thing. Yes, there's the music, and yes, there's the people. But all those people have to relieve themselves somewhere, and I've heard stories of scaries hiding in what one friend called the poo pits, waiting to peek at the bottoms of unknowing people seeking to relieve themselves. Imagine! I'm quite excited about it myself, and trust me, I'll be peering between my legs the whole time I'm taking care of business. Hello, down there, I'll shout...are you enjoying the view? If you see me, be sure to wave, won't you?

So, here I am in Seattle, trying in vain to save money so that I can eat at Glastonbury, and all I can think about is WHO NEEDS FOOD WHEN YOU'VE GOT THAT MUCH MUSIC? I'm thinking of developing a cow-like ability to eat grass, although from the sounds of it, I might be smarter to learn how to eat mud. I might finally master the art of photosynthesis and be a pretty dancing flower, which would be grand--although again, from the sounds of it Glastonbury hasn't seen much sun these past couple years. Maybe I'll just be very very hungry. I have trouble thinking that my stomach will be hungry when my mind and eyes will be so full.

This article first appeared in the Bristol Evening Press.

by Ariel Meadow Stallings

Festival Photos of Glastonbury Festival: gallery 1 gallery 2 gallery 3

Glastonbury Festival Dates and Location

Glastonbury is held in June or July every other year. Glastonbury takes place at Worthy Farm, Pilton, eight miles from Glastonbury - a four and a quarter hour bus journey from London.