My last day at Glastonbury was very productive. As I knew we would be leaving very early the next day, I tried to cover as much ground as I could.
My first stop was The Park on the South West corner of the farm.
I saw the gorgeous ribbon tower.
Some giant flowers.
The Silent Disco tent.
Here you are given a set of headphones and tune in on what the DJ is playing (which will probably be a whole bunch of different things at the same time). Basically, if you are not wearing headphones, it’s hilarious to watch everyone dancing in a room with no music.
Nice colorful panels.
And mud! (Of course.)
The weather was actually nice, for a change! It was cloudy early on and then really sunny as the day progressed.
That afternoon, everyone went to the Pyramid Stage to see Dolly Parton, and I do mean, everyone!
I saw a red indian.
These guys with matching Hawaiian shirts.
And I finally found Wally! (A few Wallies in fact.)
I never cared about Dolly Parton in the past and I was considering seeing someone else at another stage, but the atmosphere in the Pyramid Stage was so good, that I decided to stay. Turns out, I know a lot of her songs! Not well enough to sing along to, but still! She is also very funny and sweet. It was a great set. I was glad I stayed.
Also on the Pyramid Stage, I saw The 1975 and Ed Sheeran. I didn’t know them at all, but quite liked them! I love hearing new musicians, especially when they’re playing live. I am not sure if I would have liked these guys if I had heard them on the radio or on Spotify.
But the REAL REASON why I was there (and perhaps the main reason why I came to Glastonbury in the first place) wasn’t Ed Sheeran, or Dolly, or whatever… It was because of two men from Ohio: Dan and Patrick of The Black Keys!
I had never seen them playing live before, so I was VERY excited about their set! They were great, as I expected. No bullshit, very back-to-basics rock n’ roll and totally addictive. Similar to Jack White, but in a different style. Their songs sound like something that Jim Morrison would play. 100% American with a bluesy twist.
After The Black Keys, Kasabian closed the festival with a HUGE show.
I had seen them before, many years ago, at a festival where they opened for the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Lisbon. They were a lot smaller then. I didn’t even recognise the singer when he came on stage! I thought: “Didn’t he used to have long hair?!” And then I saw Serge Pizzorno. For a few minutes I was very confused. I thought HE was the frontman (and part of me wishes he was. He is certainly more interesting than the other guy). Anyway, this is irrelevant. I like their music and I LOVED the energy of their set. It was impossible to stand still! Sometimes these indie bands can be really repetitive, so I was very surprised by the variety. They sang Praise You by Fatboy Slim, for God’s sake! How can anyone NOT love that?
After Kasabian, I decided to go and check out the after-party at the Arcadia Spider. I had seen it during the day, I had seen it on pictures, so I thought I should go and see it live, in its full glory.
This is what it looked like during the day.
Not much to see, right?
This is what it looked like at night:
It was amazing! The lights and the flames appear according to the beat of the music and people go absolutely crazy under them. The centre of the spider it is where the DJs play. My pictures don’t do it much justice but take my word for it: it’s very, very cool.
What an incredible experience! If I was to summarise my entire 3 days, this is what I would say:
♥ Top 3 Best things about Glastonbury
The plain vastness of it – Even though you know that you won’t be able to see everything, just knowing that it’s there, is already pretty cool. The expectation of what you will encounter round the corner is exciting! Glastonbury is unpredictable and full of surprises.
The creative energy – It’s one huge space entirely dedicated to fun and performing arts. It’s impossible not to feel inspired or exhilarated by all the madness.
The organization – It may look like a chaotic hedonistic paradise but Glastonbury is organized to perfection! I was never lost, I always knew where everything was: where I could get food, where the toilets were, the stages, the bars, etc.
♥ Top 3 Worse things about Glastonbury
The toilets – By far the worse toilets IN THE WORLD. Oh my God. I know they are supposed to be good for the environment but… so bad. I won’t go into too much detail. It suffices to say that at some point I stopped drinking so I wouldn’t have to go! – Which was probably a good thing in the end: no hangovers!
The annoying kids who just don’t get it – There are people of all ages at Glastonbury so inevitably, the place is packed with 20-year-olds. Most of them are really nice but there are always the ones who will get wasted before 2pm, who will shove and push, and be generally rude and obnoxious. I felt homicidal a couple of times. Thankfully, it was only a couple of times.
The rain/mud – It’s not that bad if you’re well prepared.
♥ 3 Best music sets
In this order: The Black Keys – Jack White – Arcade Fire.
♥ 3 Best surprises
The after-party venues – I was not expecting them to be so cool. Especially Shangri-La.
The unexpected performers that popped out everywhere – I would be chilling out, having a drink at a bar, when suddenly, out of nowhere: trolls! Dozens of them! Holding signs that said “Hug a Troll”. I would turn a corner and suddenly: ninjas! Running around, jumping over the tables and chairs. At some point it becomes normal, “just another day at Glastonbury”, but no less delightful.
The variety and quality of food on offer – Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE to eat. I am always hungry and thankfully, there was food everywhere in the festival. You could find everything from sushi, to Italian, to French desserts, to cupcakes, etc. There was even a Brazilian restaurant! I mean, really? I love you!
♥ Top 3 most valuable tips for beginners
Wellies – It’s simple: if you don’t bring wellies, you won’t be able to walk in the mud. End of story. Buy a comfortable pair so you don’t get blisters. My boots were 1 size bigger than my normal shoes and they were perfect!
LOTS of baby wipes – The hardest thing for me was to accept that I wasn’t going to take a proper shower. Believe me, this is one of the worse things that can happen to a Brazilian girl. Brazilians are OBSESSED with showers. BUT, the fact is: unless you are willing to stand in a line for 3-4 hours (there were about 10 showers for 200,000 people), you will have to find alternative ways to keep clean. It’s not ideal but everyone is on the same boat and it’s only for a few days. I packed hundreds of baby wipes and used them all! Did I feel nice, and clean, and lovely? No. Did I feel totally disgusting? No. Did I die? No! – There you have it.
Arrive EARLY. Preferably the day before – Otherwise you run the risk of having nowhere decent to set your tent. You might have to camp miles away from everything, or worse: next to the toilets!
Don’t be scared though. It is soooo worth it!
I love you, Glastonbury. See you next year.
Scroll down or click here for Day 1 and Day 2.
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