Eva’s view on Glastonbury 2015

I have lost count how many times I have been to Glastonbury but it never ceases to excite and energise me.  My very first time was in 1980 when Glastonbury Fayre as it was known then, was just one field and you could park the car by the tent which was very near to the main stage.  This time we walked for well over an hour to get from the car to where we camped.

Glastonbury today has morphed into a totally different event from those early days but the concepts of escapism, joy, friendship and caring for fellow festival goers remains.  I am beginning to sound a little like the Dalai Lama now and to be honest seeing him was the most special part of this year’s Glasto for me.

The search for the secret visit of the Dalai Lama  took up much of the weekend, with initially it just being a series of rumours that he may arrive on Sunday in the Green fields but no-one could confirm the details. As Sunday grew nearer, the information did not become any clearer.  However, we were woken at about 10.15 on Sunday morning by our neighbour announcing the Dalai Lama would appear in less than 30 mins at the other end of the festival site.  We have never got ready so fast and the usual 30 min walk to the Green fields took us less than 20.  We arrived at the already crowded field in time for a rendition of Happy Birthday Dalai Lama before the man himself appeared.  Thousands of us stood in the rain listening to this inspirational man talk about happiness and compassion.  The questions were the best bit especially when he was asked how much he liked to listen to music given that he was in the midst of thousands of music lovers – “Not Much” was his reply – the crowd roared with laughter.  After a final rendition of Happy Birthday he was on his way.  However, I was amazed and delighted that just a couple of hours later here he was again appearing on the Pyramid Stage with one of my favourite singers Patti Smith and yet another rendition of Happy Birthday Dalai Lama.

On to other highlights – too many to mention but they include:

·         Being at the front of the stage for the Proclaimers – a real sing along and good time band.

·         Listening to Tom Robinson – a voice from my youth and still as political as ever.

·         Florence and the machines racing across the stage with such energy.

·         Paloma Faith, The Charlatans, Rudimental and lots lots more

·         Finally the Who – I didn’t realise I knew so many of their songs

We decided against Kanya West but with over 85 stages to choose from it is easy to find something for everyone.

Yes Glastonbury is enormous, it takes over an hour to walk from one side to another, there are 5675 toilets (well I found this fact interesting and believe me finding a good toilet at Glastonbury does become incredibly important when you are there).  

There are over 500 food stalls and unlike my early days at Glastonbury when food was the least of my interests, nowadays seeking out the best food places at Glasto is part of the joy.  Favourites include: 

·         The Vintage Tea Shop where we had afternoon tea in real china cups and half way through  the waiting staff all burst into a 1940s style  song and dance routine.

·         Green Fields for great veggie breakfasts and authentic Chai Tea

·         The Brothers Bar with great new flavours:  Coconut and Lime and Strawberry and Lime

·         Best of all - the Cider Bus with its wonderful hot spicy cider.

Besides the Music and the Food, there is Circus, Cabaret, Fire Shows, Green Crafts, Therapies, Kids fields, Talks, Comedy and so much more.

It will always be hard to explain Glastonbury to someone who has never been and watching it on TV will not do it justice.  It is the experience that Glastonbury brings to each individual that can stay with you until the next time.  Until the next time ….