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[and-could-he-play-blog]

After securing your ticket one of the most important things can be your tent. Even though you might not spend much time in it, your festival tent will be your home away from home as you catch up with friends, after seeing bands and enjoying the night life.

If the notorious festival rain comes down, a good tent can be a godsend. Maybe you want a luxury tent that you can use again and again, or perhaps you need to adhere to a strict budget after forking out for the tickets themselves. We would suggests saying clear of single layered pop up tents, they have flimsy poles, poor waterproofing, weak zips and insufficient anchorage. Your tent will have to put up with a lot of abuse (from rain, wind, mud, to unsteady drunken festival goers that may lean or fall on tent).

You want to have a tent that suits your level of experience when it comes to pitching, as well as your budget and your party size. Consider your rucksack and gear as a person when choosing a tent, so if you have 2 people, you need the space for 2 people as well as 2 rucksacks. In this instance, a 4 berth tent will suffice for the minimum amount of room.

As well as the berth of your festival tent, also look at the height. Its always nice to stand up in the tent, as this makes is easier to get ready in the morning. Another bonus is a porch area, if the festival is a muddy one its a good place to put damp and muddy gear.

Choosing a Camping area/ground

Glastonbury differs from “arena” style festivals like Reading/Leeds and V in that, the whole festival is entirely within the main fence. There is not a separate camping and “arena” / main stage area. Returning festival goers tend to return to the same camping spot every year.

The most common and probably the best way to choose a camping area is to pick the stage or area that you will be sending most time at. Other factors can be where you park your car, or get dropped off as there can be a massive walk to camping areas, as well as thinking about how much sleep you’d like. Although there is no separate “arena” and camp-site there are areas where tents are off limits. These off limit areas tend to be near high traffic areas.

Camping Areas

Darble

The first field you come to if you enter via Gate A is called Darble and it is therefore perfect for those who arrive by public transport/coach. There is also a designated area specifically reserved for people who cycle to the festival.

Nearest Area: Silverhayes (Dance Village) Nearest Stage: John Peel Walk to Pyramid: 15 Mins

Disadvantage – Long walk to naughty/night corner

Pylon Ground

The name comes from the pylons that run through the grounds. There always seems to be plenty of space on this site and there is room between tents to comfortable walk. They introduced compost toilets near this site and for festival toilets these can be quite pleasant. If you have travelled by coach this campsite is fairly near to the drop off point.

Nearest Area: Silverhayes (Dance Village) Nearest Stage: John Peel Walk to Pyramid: 15 Mins

Disadvantage – Long walk to naughty/night corner

Rivermead

The field is fairly flat so easy camping, but on a wet year with the camp grounds proximity to the river it can make it rather muddy underfoot. There is usually plenty of space here for late arrivals.

Nearest Area: Silverhayes (Dance Village) Nearest Stage: The Blues Walk to Pyramid: 15 Min

Disadvantage: Can get muddy in damp whether, and fairly long walk to the naughty/night corner