Glastonbury 2011

For those seriously considering attending Glasto 2011 (surely all of you?!) here are a few pointers about the process…..

First things first; everything you need to know about Glastonbury Festival is on their website and I would definitely encourage you to take a look at it at some point before June 2011!!

http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/

Dates/Venue
Glastonbury Festival is held at Worthy Farm, Pilton, Somerset. Full details can be found on the website.

Glasto 2011 is taking place from: Wednesday 22nd to Monday 27th June 2011.

The festival site opens at 8am on Wednesday however car parks are now open from 9pm on the Tuesday…. Although there are no food/drink facilities and you have to stay in your car. The main music stages run Friday – Sunday however a few of the smaller music stages are now running from the Thursday, as are a number of the circus/alternative areas. You must leave the festival site by 5pm Monday.

Tickets
Unlike all other UK festivals, before you can (attempt to) buy a ticket you must register your interest. This is in order to receive a reference number which is then used to complete your booking. To register for Glastonbury 2011 go to: http://www.glastonburyregistration.co.uk/
You will need to upload a photo before you can submit your registration – photos are printed onto your ticket so use a fairly recent one. If they are not convinced the picture on the ticket is you they will refuse entry at the gate….. apparently.

Once your registration has been accepted you will be sent an email (to which ever address you provided at registration) - you MUST keep this email as it will have your registration number on it ready to purchase tickets.

Ticket release date has not yet been set for 2011 however they normally go on sale on the first Sunday of October (of the previous year). I’m therefore expecting they will be released on 5th October 2010. You can purchase tickets in 2 ways, you can either buy your ticket in full on this date, or you can pay a £50 deposit per ticket. If you choose the latter you have until the end of February 2011 to pay the balance. Tickets for 2010 were £185 (plus booking fee). If you are driving to the festival (recommended) you will also need a car pass (per car) at £15 – these can be purchased when you pay the deposit or added to your booking when you pay off the balance at a later date.

Once the release date has been announced I’ll post it on here.

I can not stress enough how busy the phone/internet lines will be. Glasto normally sells out within the first few hours of the tickets being released. Internet booking is still the best way to go – esp if you have access to an office with high broadband speeds but I generally have 2 laptops and a phone going… I know it seems excessive but you learn by your mistakes! If you do not manage to get tickets in October there will be another chance (generally May the following year) to buy any returned tickets. This is NOT to be relied on though (and you will still need a registration number).

Accommodation
There are various accommodation options just outside the festival grounds and in the local villages. I’m not going to post the info on here though as I do not recommend staying anywhere other than within the festival site. There are 2 options;
Camping – Camping grounds surround the site (light green on below map). I’ve been 5 times and always camped. If you get there in good time and can secure a nice little circle for you and your mates (of course leaving room for the obligatory camp fire!) its fantastic. Its wise to think about positioning though as, if god forbid it rains, you don’t want to be camped at the bottom of a hill or next to walk ways. I would also recommend camping away from the main stages and ‘family areas’. Fires are allowed and a few wood piles are dotted around the site. Normally only those arriving on Wednesday will be in luck. Firewood can be also be bought from a number of dedicated stalls.

Tipis – I have to admit I have never stayed in a tipi but Joe and Brinnie have sold me on the idea. There is a separate tipi field within the site and these can be hired from Wed – Mon. Tipis come with a groundsheet and rain catcher, but you will need your own bedding, camping equipment, etc, and any necessary creature comforts. There are toilets and water points nearby and tipi campers will also have access to Solar Showers and a log fired Yurt Sauna. They sleep 6 persons each and cost £820. The cost of hire does not include your festival. You can not book your tipi until you have paid the balance on at least one festival ticket. To add a tipi to an existing booking call: 0844 412 4626.

Line-up details for 2011 wil not be announced until 1st June (although rumours have started already….)

That’s it for now. I’ll post any more info as it comes in. Don’t forget to register!!!!!

Longest post ever?