If one has to leave the sun-kissed beaches of Phuket, it better be for something special. Yep, Glasto ’22 was worth it!
Why Glastonbury Festival 2022?
My return to Glastonbury the largest greenfield festival in the world, was an opportunity to check out life in post-pandemic Britain. It’s crazy to reflect that the moment that I’m feeling the most alive, most uplifted, the most me, after the uncertainties of the past few years is paradoxically by being jettisoned into a long-awaited return to the absurdly surreal world that Glastonbury Festival of Performing Arts offers.
It’s nothing short of bonkers, and hard to explain its allure, especially as I’ve never been one to be that fussed about pop concerts!
I don’t often impress my kids, but I do in June when I return for my second year as a volunteer steward. My Thailand hat is given a floral makeover, I’ve biodegradable glitter on my cheeks and a beaming smile. Lost in a massive crowd, together again after two fallow years. We are all beyond excited to have one of the hottest tickets of the European summer.
Guppies Steward Campsite Glastonbury Festival
The Transformation of Worthy Farm
One of the perks of stewarding is to pre-pitch our tents and have a site visit before the gates open. Once Wednesday comes the clover-covered pastures morph into a pop-up tented city for 200,000+ people. We see a jovial swathe of humanity stream past the security checkpoints with laden backpacks and trundle trollies full of booze. Watch out world!
Clover covered fields pre Glastonbury
Glastonbury camping 2022
The scale and attraction of Glastonbury
The festival stretches as far as the eye can see within the 8.5-mile perimeter fence. All generations are represented, from babes in pushchairs conceived after their parents bought their 2020 tickets, to aging rockers with something still to prove, and a few of us in between.
Festival Highlights
There is no greater Mum moment than to Whats App a few snaps of my off-duty Glasto experience in the 120,000-strong crowd with Paul McCartney and talk casually about his rock icon surprise guests Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl and woo hoo Bruce Springsteen. We also share the euphoria of our 1980s university days relived with the Pet Shop Boys, they ask The Who? No, we say! You know, the Pet Shop Boys as in ‘It’s a Sin’…
‘What are you on Mum’, they ask?
The Other Stage: Years & Years Glastonbury
Even our flash mob dancing to Upside Down along with the security guards for legend Diana Ross raises a few ‘you cannot be serious’ looks. You had to be there!
Their faces are a picture when I tell them one of my favourite gigs was the risqué mesh cat suited Olly Alexander of Years & Years. I’m now feeling rather disappointed that I took on board the advice to give rapper Megan Thee Stallion a wide berth as not being my thing. Especially after reading reviews of her thrilling performance by those who choose Megan over Paul McCartney.
With a star-studded line-up of more than 80 artists, impossible timetabling clashes mean choices need to be made. The vastness of Glastonbury is only really comprehended when you are part of the glittered-up crowd trying to work out your route.
Fluttering flags at Glastonbury 2022
Finding calm at Glastonbury
It’s not all about the music though. My time at Glastonbury was at times so exhaustingly overwhelming that I seek out some chill time in the sanctuary of The Green Fields. The Healing Field and gentle craft activities in The GreenCrafts Village provide much-needed calm. Here you’ll also find the sacred stone circle, apparently built not that long ago, but these lands are worshipped by us all!
The Wood aerial treetop walkway
Getting creative
In 2019 I amused those full of stories of the brilliance of The Killers and The Cure, by proudly producing my own Glasto magic moment. Sitting in a tent of random women with floral crowns, I created a machine-sewn material sanitary pee pad made with a solar-powered sewing machine! You can do all sorts of crafts here but woodwork, basket weaving, and pottery all seemed a little tame!
Solar sewing at Glasto 2019
Finding activism – Greenpeace Field
This year a prominent 22m Interactive Rave Tree can be spotted from virtually everywhere. It hosts a DJ booth in the Greenpeace Field and attracts crowds. I always enjoy talking and learning from those who raise awareness of the increasing environmental problems.
Interactive Rave Tree Greenpeace Field, Glastonbury 2022
Alongside the Greenpeace ship and a mega human drop slide has crowds cheering every time someone has the bottle to throw themselves off. A large billboard reminds us Hope is more than a feeling. A sense of urgency prevails here in this field.
There is a feeling that time is not on humanity’s side at the same time this celebration of people power and the potential for change via activism is uplifting.
Hope is more than a feeling
Speakers Forum
The thought-provoking discussions in Speakers Forum, with Billy Bragg on ‘greening music and festivals’ or the ‘How to take down an oil giant’ were amongst my festival memorable moments. I love the way that the Glastonbury bubble is never far removed from political and environmental issues. This year we were stewarding when Greta Thunberg delivered her passionate speech from the Pyramid Stage regarding the global climate crisis.
Billy Bragg Speakers Forum Glastonbury
Roe v’s Wade
Women’s rights and protests over the US Supreme Court’s rollback of abortion rights in the US are core political issues for many of the festival’s acts and attendees. Kendrick Lamar ends his headline set with a pointed reference to the ruling.
Solidarity with Ukraine
I applaud how Solidarity with Ukraine is a top issue. Volodymyr Zelensky President of Ukraine urges truth and urges the Glastonbury crowd to end Russian War via a video message at the start of the Libertines set. The Kalush Orchestra play their first UK performance since they triumphed at Eurovision 2022. I stop by the Ukraine supporter’s fundraising tent to sunflower up my hat and have a chat with the ladies.
Ukraine Supporters Glastonbury 2022
Theatre and Circus Fields
Another Glasto must-see is to take a rest to watch at least some of the incredible Cirque Du Soleil’esque performances in the Theatre and Circus zone. You will be amazed at who and what you will bump into on a wander and walkabouts here. Oh and another must is a late-night laugh at the Mavericks tent.
My Iron Woman Challenge!
I call Glastonbury my Iron Woman challenge. I walk over 90 km during the festival and work 3 x 8-hour-long shifts over a period of 5 days (Wednesday – Sunday). We will complete an awake 24-hour’er including my nightshift stewarding in the infamous late-night South East Corner, often referred to as the ‘naughty’ corner. Yes, it was eye-opening!
South East Corner
Photo credit: Caitlin Izard stewarding & just chillin’
Stewarding at Glastonbury
As a steward, I receive a wrist band that allows full festival attendance hence the second part of the iron woman challenge to get by on minimal sleep. Instead of payment, Glastonbury donates to our chosen Somerset charity ‘The Growing Space’.
For me, Glastonbury is a gift. My volunteer stewarding is unlike anything I do in my regular life. We have a great team and a wonderful team leader. Stewarding connects us with behind-the-scenes activities. Our patch in The Unfairground finds me in a late-night field known for radically subversive music and art. We meet some really interesting people that make my festival experience.
There is some incredible creative talent that goes into every stage performance from the performers to the pyrotechnics, to sound, lighting, and the rest. It is mind-blowing the amount of effort for a three-day festival.
Sam Fender Glastonbury 2022
Headliners and Legends
I enjoy having the opportunity to watch those I would never normally pay for!
Billie Eilish
We watched the youngest-ever headliner the 20-year-old Billie Eilish. I’m tickled pink to have bopped around to her minimalist pop although am happy to leave her concerts for Gen Z in future, impressive as she is for all her global success at such a young age.
Paul McCartney
The history-making 80-year-old Paul McCartney gave me my Glasto musical highlights with the singalong moments of Blackbird & Hey Jude, we sang and sang. We were lucky McCartney’s set lasted nearly three hours allowing us time to rush from our final stewarding shift finishing at 10 pm and still see two hours of the show.
Paul McCartney Glastonbury 2022
The reunited duet with his old bandmate John Lennon, using special effects pioneered by the Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson was pretty cool. Some say McCartney’s voice was disappointing and I agree if you listen to the playback on the television it might seem so. But not if you were amongst the crowd in front of the Pyramid Stage that night. I won’t have a word said against him!
Pyramid Stage Glastonbury 2022
Diana Ross
Same when we sang I will Survive and Chain Reaction with Diana Ross it was a brilliant Glastonbury triumph. Sure both voices may not have the strength of yesteryear but do a Glasto crowd care? Did the vocals seem poor to those there? Hell No! For You can’t hurry Love and Stop in the Name of Love we were just a field full of glittered up people having the times of our lives.
The Spider at the DJ Arcadia Stage Glastonbury
It’s a wrap!
Our final night after the last band finished is spent at the DJ Arcadia stage for the pyrotechnic spider show. It’s an angry beast with a flaming hell of a fireball, which transforms into a moment of surreal calm as a scantily clad lady floats past swirling and twirling suspended under a giant balloon. Yes in some ways this is the perfect ending. Glasto is still utterly bonkers!
Save and Pin!
My lasting Glasto memories
My Glasto memories are always as much about the broader performing arts, the alternative lifestyle, and the political element as they were about the music.
No two persons’ Glastonbury experiences will be the same. What is the same, is an extraordinary five-day experience living a life where everything glitters and almost anything goes.
Glittering up at Glasto 2022
Life is freer, people seem nicer and kinder to each other than out in the real world. We are all drawn together to share a long weekend, a moment to put the past two years behind us, to party, and create lasting memories.
Photo credit: T Baylis Glastonbury Stewards 2022
A remarkable feat
As we drive out on the last day we receive a message from Emily Eavis, organiser:
“A remarkable feat by all artists and crew. Thank you to everybody who played a part and everyone who came and created such an amazing atmosphere of joy and love. Safe travels home. See you next year!”
This long-delayed 50th birthday celebration of the Glastonbury Festival was an epic remarkable feat. If you could bottle the excitement and energy of Glastonbury Festival the world would be a happier place. If you could channel the compassion and inclusiveness of Glastonbury, planet earth would be a better place.
More on Wandering Glastonbury in 2019 here.
Glastonbury is as much a part of a big British summer as The Henley Royal Regatta, Wimbledon, the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition, and dare I say it buying a Mr. Whippy 99 ice cream!
