Back from somerset. . .
Having just returned from my third Glastonbury festival I thought I should take some time to write a little about it.
First off its huge, there is no possible way you can see everything. Due to the size of the festival and the amount of different things which are going there is little chance that any two people would have the same experience or see the same things. After three years there are still tings i have not experienced, still things that i have not seen and still so many thing i would like to do at future festivals. This post is largely about the spirit and sole which i think exists at Glastonbury festival not a day by day account of what i got up too. Having said that i would just like to say that Blur where amazing!!
Its easy to say before you go to a festival or on a journey for that matter that you want to do this and that. In reality, for me at least you have to pick a few things which you really want to do and fill in the gaps with whatever comes along, there is always something unexpected around the corner. Glastonbury festival in particular welcomes anyone with an open mind and a spare weekend at the end of June to go on a short journey to somerset and feel like you are a million miles away, day and night there is always something to see or do. I like to keep my posts reasonably short and I just want to capture a couple of the thing which I i think are truly magical about the Glastonbury Festival.
The Glastonbury festival atmosphere overwhelms
For those among you who have attended the Glastonbury Festival i am sure there are few places you have been where there s a better atmosphere (if you think there is, please please let me know as i would love to visit). Jason Mraz coined it a festival of love. I certainly believe this is the root of the atmosphere which is now so prominent at Glastonbury. I am sure that not all the people who attend the festival would say this, there where in fact a couple of people around me during Jason Mraz who thought it was a load of shit. but this is very much the minority view point. What i think everyone would agree with is that the festival does offer everyone a good time on a large scale, whatever style of music or art you are interested in, there is something for everyone.
What this then creates is a care free atmosphere where you feel that you can do whatever you want, be accepted for who you are. For me this is Glastonbury, a place which truly detaches you from th real world and cuts out all the bull shit. If you want to eat something good you have to cue, if you want to walk you have to make way for others and if you want to use the ‘facilities’ you have to hold your breath. I feel there are not many places in the modern world where all of these things happen as peacefully and harmoniously as they do at Glastonbury Festival. This amazing atmosphere is of course helped by the amazing line up of performers which the festival attracts each year but don’t let this dampen your belief in the human spirit!!
Green Festivals in the UK
The number of people and the scale of Glastonbury is phenomenal. The commitment of the organisers and teams on the ground to make the festival as green as possible can be described in this way. Having 200,000 people descend on worthy farm in somerset has a huge environmental impact. Having worked at the festival for 3 years now i have met many people who are willing to get stuck in to make the festival happen.
I work as part of the recycling crew for event recyle, the first year, 2007 was a bit of a wet one and as it was our first time at Glastonbury working for the recycling team we had the lovely job of picking up littler from the other stage. This seamed like a monumental task. In reality there are is a huge team of people who work together to get the job done and i have to say it ain’t all bad. So that was the first year, i know have the slightly more easy going, cleaner and more fun job of handing out recycling bags on one of the many gates at the festival. You do three days work and then you have the weekend to enjoy the festival. More information about working at the festival can be found on the site its self. I find that working at the festival makes you part of it, it may be the case at other festivals around the world but at Glastonbury you are some how made to feel appreciated. This of course could be a completely intrinsic feeling and one not shared by all but i like it all the same.
Not only the largest but the most inspiring festival in the UK
The spirit of Glastonbury lives on in many of the people who attend the festival. I am convinced it has the ability to make people, better people. Thousands attend and thousands come away having learnt something. This can be on so many levels. Learn something about them selves, learn something about the environment, learn something about life or simply learn what its is to respect people for who they are. I am sure for a lot of people the latter is possibly one of the most difficult things to pick up!!
Every year the festival inspires me to change. To recycle, to change the way i look at the world, to pay attention to whats going on around me and move forward with me life. It sounds idyllic in this modern and complicated world, doesn’t it! The truth is that if there where more people who thought in this way, if there where more people who felt this way the world would be a better place. One of the biggest things that emerged at the festival this year, or maybe i noticed it this year was that the power should be with the people and we can all make a difference, we are all responsible. Ah-men to that!
Did not take my camera, a little disappointed really. Instead i have lined up a couple of blogs which have captured the weekend in pictures
The Best Pictures i Have found of Glastonbury Festival 2009
Of course you can always check out the Glastonbury Festival web site and NME.
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