Hi! I know you are used to hearing from my husband about all things lifestyle, music and Manchester, but it is time for him to step aside and let me do the talking. So allow me to introduce myself; I’m Abbie – or ‘Mrs Molloy’ as Tom likes to refer to me as. I am a hairdresser by trade, but a lover of all things vintage, cats and leopard print.
So, what better topic for my first musing than Glastonbury! Glasto holds a special place in my heart as not only is it a complete mixing pot of everything music, culture and just general fun, but the place in which we got engaged. On a very sunny afternoon in June 2023, Mr M popped the question.
Although arguably the best festival in the world – Glastonbury can be really daunting to a first-timer. It spans over 1000 acres, which is equivalent to more than 500 full-size football pitches and (during the 5 day duration of the festival) becomes the most densely populated area on earth. This year will be my third year attending, with a brief hiatus in 2024 to save pennies for our wedding, which took place in October of the same year. It is safe to say I have weathered the Glasto storm and although I don’t have as much experience of the festival as some hardcore veterans, I have learned a few tips and tricks to make it a pretty user-friendly experience.
Glastonbury packing essentials
My first topic to address will be what to pack. You, of course, have the obvious; clothes, shoes and booze, but I do have a few handy ideas too.
You will need a comfy, accessible and durable bag to carry around with you at all times during the long weekend, and I recommend something spacious but small such as the viral Uniqlo crossbody round bag.
In this bag, you are going to want to pack some essentials:
- Portable charger and phone wire. This may seem obvious but there is nothing worse than a dead phone, lost mates and no charger.
- Anti bacterial hand and body wipes for the toilets. Seriously, they are gross and you want to be able to feel as fresh as possible.
- On the topic of the toilets, there are no hooks on the back of the door! This makes user friendliness a little on the low side, and so ‘S’ hooks (available to purchase online or in camping stores) allow you to be able to hook your coat, bag and whatever else onto the back of the door. Trust me – you will NOT want to put them anywhere near the ground.
- Toilet roll or packs of tissues. Toilet roll at glastonbury is about as rare as flying pigs, and with 5 days of no showers, you will really want to keep as clean as you can. No drip-dry here.
- Refillable water bottle. A non-negotiable essential. You need to stay hydrated, the festival involves a hell of a lot of walking, talking, dancing and grooving. A carabiner clip will allow you to attach a water bottle to your bag! There are loads of points throughout the festival that allow you to fill up your water bottle, and even points where you can purchase a limited edition Glastonbury water bottle.
- Small purse for cash – a lot of vendors cite ‘Cash is King’ and will appreciate a little cash payment for food, drinks or even those miscellaneous purchases.
- Sunglasses. If you are lucky enough to be graced with the Somerset sun, you will need a good pair of sunnies. Pack a few, the Glastonbury Gods require a sacrifice of a lost pair of sunglasses every now and then.
Now, onto the big bag. I have a big old backpack, a huge ugly thing but it does do the job.
Sandwich bags aren’t just for food
One of the best things I have done whilst packing my outfits (aside from picking them out) is putting each outfit into a sandwich bag. Yep, like a butty bag. Clear, resealable large sandwich bags are the best thing to put each individual fit into, complete with underwear, socks, accessories. It means you can literally pull out the bag and not have to root around a messy tent for that pair of earrings that just have to go with your sparkly one piece and cowboy boots. It also means that at the end of the day, or in the morning depending on how your night went, you can put the dirty clothes back into the bag, so they don’t stink up your other clothes in your bag.
I do this with basically everything in my bag, so I have a little space for everything and nothing gets muddled up.
Aside from the obvious clothes, pyjamas, washbag, etc, you will also need:
- Warm socks and blanket for at night. It gets colder than you might think, and it’s useful to have a cozy blanket to huddle under.
- Earplugs. Come on – you didn’t think it all just stopped when you wanted to sleep, did you? I have gone to sleep with the sound of a far away rave thumping in my ears, and woken up to it too. Some people party hard. Not me, but some people.
- Medication! Prepare for everything. I mean, yes, there is a mini hospital and pharmacy onsite, but you don’t really want to have to traipse there for 2 paracetamol for your hangover. My personal first aid kit includes painkillers, imodium (in case you have a dodgy burrito) rehydration sachets, plasters, after sun lotion, eye drops, more plasters, blister plasters, maybe a few more plasters. Blisters are no joke!
Onto the topic of blisters, make sure you take a really reliable comfy pair of shoes that you can walk for miles in. I am sure you have heard that one before. But, make sure to pack a pair of slip-on shoes, like crocs for trips to the toilet in the night.
You will also need bits to keep yourself clean, like a big water bladder, towels, soap, baby wipes and you could even purchase a portable shower.
Of course, you will need to be fed too. Glasto boasts over 400 food stalls, but sometimes, you just get hungry first thing in the morning and can’t really be arsed queueing 30 minutes for a bit of toast. Pack food items that don’t need refrigeration, won’t melt, and you won’t mind scoffing at 5am when you wake up hungry. This calls for a trip to home bargains for ALL of the cereal bars and crisp. I need to stress this, as I have PTSD from me and a few friends eating dry, uncooked KOKA noodles on the trip out of the car park on that Monday morning. We were that hungry.
Toilets and other weird bits
Onto the weird bits. Glastonbury is a weird and wonderful place, and here are some of the weird and wonderful tips I have thought up for you:
- The toilets. Think of the worst toilet you have ever graced. Now think of that toilet, in hell. That’s pretty accurate to a ‘long drop’ toilet at the festival. The name comes from the – long drop – to the river of, well, human waste that runs under these green metal stalls. They smell bad, look bad, (taste? I’ve never got that far) and are quite unpleasant. Hence my previous pleas for you to take antibacterial wipes with you. If you can give it a little wipe, it will just make it a touch nicer for you.
- Lost all hope? Don’t worry! Now introducing the lesser of two evils, all new, improved Compost Loos! These are stalls, with a toilet seat on a bench over a, well, green bin. The waste is covered in sawdust, and is kind of like a human litter box. They aren’t too bad.
- Speaking of, when you wake up, go to the toilet. Like, now. The queue for everyone’s morning excretory relief gets long, so when you get up, try and beat the lines.
- Girls… chub rub shorts. There is nothing worse than chafing, and not when it is hot, sweaty and you have to walk miles. Invest.
- If you see merch you like, buy it. It sells out fast, and really pisses you off when you have slept on the floor for 4 nights, that you can’t get that Elton John shirt you really, really wanted.
- If you haven’t bought your tent yet, 1, hurry up, and 2, get one bigger than you think. Those things get real small after a day or two. Bigger tent, or divorce lawyer, whichever is cheapest. I recommend a blackout tent if you or your camping partner are light sensitive, or a good sleeping mask.
- Make a list of acts you really want to see, and use your Wednesday and Thursday to scope out how long it takes to get from A to B. It is much bigger than you think, and there can be rushes of people from certain points if a lot of people are taking the same route as you. For example, from the Pyramid stage to the Park stage might take 30/40 minutes if it is busy.
But, my most important piece of advice is to enjoy the festival. It really is the best place ever, and has the most amazing energy about it. Try and see, do, and take in as much of the culture and vibes as you can. Enjoy, and see you there!
Leave a Reply