Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts

Festival Location: Glastonbury, England

Festival Type(s): Varied Music Festivals, Arts Festivals, Parties

Featured Festival: Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts

Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts Media:

Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts

By: © Pauline Sewards 2009

Glastonbury - the best known, most written about festival since Woodstock - may seem familiar even to those who haven't been there. Everyone's seen all those images of mud-larking. But it's well worth making the effort to actually attend a 21st century Glasto.

It is a magic potion of a festival with both constant, unchanging elements and ingredients flung new into the mix every year. Pilton village, about three miles outside Glastonbury town, is the site of the festival. It is charmingly accessed through narrow roads laced with blossoms - the essence of English midsummer. Road side vendors sell flagons of scrumpy - the essence of Somerset. This may be responsible for the golden glow which emanates from this festival even in the rain.

Why is Glastonbury so great? Why must everyone come here at least once? Musically the line up is always staggering - headline acts with wide appeal. By staying at the Pyramid Stage and the Other Stage you'd be guaranteed to see a stunning line up of current stars and old favourites. There are so many other places to watch the music though. The John Peel Tent, which used to be known as the new bands tent, is enlarged almost every year such is the quality of, mainly new, music staged there. With unerring certainty smaller acts, whose star is rising, will have been booked well in advance, often needing to be switched to even bigger venues.

A more specialised output can be found in other areas, including the Jazz World Stage and the Acoustic Tent. There is an entire Dance Village with many stages and tents relating to all aspects of the genre. Around the site there are dozens of other performance spaces.

The Park area, run by Emily, daughter of Michael, the festival founder, has for the past three years staged a mini festival within the festival. Here, from a fifty foot viewing tower, you can observe the site, by day a colourful pixellation of tents and trees, glorious sunsets if you are lucky, then at night a brilliant display of lights and lasers.

There is so much more than the music. Circus, theatre, poetry, healing, permaculture gardening, crafts, endless opportunities for unusual shopping and therapies. All types of food are available from the functional - chips and burgers grabbed between the bands - to the finest destination outlets - organic sausages, gourmet fish and chips, Pieminister, Leon to name just a few. Veggie, vegan and gluten free diets are well catered for but there is plenty of joy for the committed carnivore.

A less obvious attraction is the design of the festival. Every aspect is well thought out. Dyed banners signify the different areas of the festival. Monumental willow sculptures are sited in the green fields. A witty wallpaper and washing line theme enlivens the decor of the Park. This is where you can find sand sculptures. Dazzling constructions enhance the natural beauty of the festival site.

Glastonbury is roughly divided into two halves. The flatter area around the main stages is characterised by broadly mainstream culture. Up in the green fields the terrain is more rugged and uneven, here, in fields which unfold like a series of secret rooms are the more esoteric aspects of the festival. The hippy spirit of the festival is at its strongest here. But you can also find the post punk dystopias of Shrangri La and Trash City - venues for all night partying. The sacred stones are here, a sculpture, not an ancient artifact, usually half hidden under a haze of smoke, this is where many linger in personal utopias and to watch the sunrise.

Every cult and enthusiasm is catered for at Glastonbury. A true community spirit prevails here. Oxfam staff the gates, stewarding and stalls benefit local schools. These days the festival is well equipped, the toilets really aren't so bad and hot showers can be found.

The glory of Glastonbury is that not everything can be controlled. The weather, despite improved drainage and liberal use of straw bales and corrugated walkways can wreak havoc. Whatever the weather the sheer scale and unpredictably of the site leads to a communal ethos. Exposure to different musical cultures, the mingling of tribes. This is what makes the Glastonbury experience so very special.

by Pauline Sewards

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Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts Dates and Location

Glastonbury is held over the last weekend in June in Pilton, England. For up-to-the-minute dates and details check out the Glastonbury Festival website.