When most people think about the ultimate iconic music festivals of the world, Glastonbury is one of the first and most popular ones that spring to mind. We’ve all seen the images of people in their wellies and rain coats, slushing their way through the ankle-deep mud, balancing their beers in both hands and partying their way from one stage to the next to see a world-class line-up of acts.
Glastonbury (affectionately referred to as Glasto) is one of the most quintessential British experiences that you can have whilst living in London and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Even if music festivals aren’t really your cup of tea, this isn’t just any music festival, it’s one of the most famous in the world. We’re talking artists like Oasis, Metallica, Amy Winehouse, Paul McCartney, Rolling Stones, Beyonce, Blur, Bowie, Pet Shop Boys, oh man the list could go on!
While it can be tricky to get a hold of a ticket, if you manage to get one it makes it all the more special and exciting.
Tickets for Glastonbury 2015 go on sale from the 1st October 2014, which is fast approaching, so I’m here to talk you through the process so you can get you and your friends as prepared as possible.
To be able to purchase a ticket, you must first register before 23:59 on Tuesday 30th September 2014. To register, you’ll need your name, address and a passport style photo of yourself, which will go on your ticket. For more information, check out their official website.
Keep in mind that if you register with a UK address, you’ll have to pay using a UK debit card (e.g. Visa Debit). International registrations will need to pay with a credit card that has a non-UK billing address.
There are two types of tickets you can purchase:
- Coach + Ticket Packages go on sale at 7pm on Wednesday 1st October
These tickets mean you must get to and from the festival via the official organised coach. You will not receive your ticket until an undisclosed time on the coach, on your way there. This is an eco-friendly initiative to help decrease the amount of cars and traffic going to and from the festival.
There are 15,000 tickets available and last year, they were one of the easiest ways to get a Glastonbury ticket, as this option wasn’t as popular as the standard ticket option. You will need to pay a £50 ticket deposit plus pay the coach cost in full upon booking. - Standard Tickets go on sale at 9am on Sunday 5th October
9am on Sunday – get your alarms set and switch on every computer, tablet and smart phone that you have available to try and get these tickets! This method works best in numbers so many sure all your friends who are going with you also have all their browsers up and running, and get familiar with the keyboard shortcut for ‘Refresh’, you’re gonna need it.
Details:
• The next Glastonbury will take place on June 24th – 28th, 2015
• Tickets will go on sale on the official website
• Full price of a ticket is £220 + £5 booking fee, however you will only be required to leave £50 deposit per ticket upon booking. The remainder of the cost will be due in the first week of April 2015.
• You can purchase up to 6 tickets per transaction, so make sure you swap registration numbers with all your friends before the tickets go on sale, so as soon as one of you gets through, you can book tickets for the others
• If your registration number has already purchased a ticket, you will be unable to purchase another one. This is good for those situations where your friends get through to the purchase stage without telling you, so you don’t double up on tickets and end up paying twice!
• The line-up isn’t announced until the Spring, a month or two before the festival, though there is always plenty of speculation and some artists always manage to let it slip early or tweet it to the world anyway (we’re looking at you Lily Allen)
Tips:
• Make sure you have all the registration numbers and post codes of your friends ready prior to the ticket sale date, as you’ll need these details to buy your friends’ tickets. Start a Facebook message or WhatsApp group to keep each other updated on your progress
• Have a Word doc open with all registration numbers, corresponding names and post codes ready, as well as your payment details on hand (card number, name, expiry, CVV), so that if you get through to the booking page, you can quickly enter all the details and click next to avoid missing out
• Missed out on a ticket? There’s a ticket resale around late April 2015 (keep an eye out on the website for the exact date and time), when all unpaid ticket reservations go back up for sale. In 2014 I got through to the purchase stage of this much more easily than the original sale date (as did 3 of my friends who were also trying), so I think that this is a much less popular time to buy tickets which is good news for you. I’m not guaranteeing that you’ll get one, but it’s definitely worth a try!
Camping:
• BYO: Most people bring their own tents and pitch it wherever they like. It’s best to take a good look at the Glastonbury map and try and work out which area you would most like to pitch your tent in, then head straight in that direction on arrival to get a good spot.
• Worthy View: You can also purchase pre-erected camping at Worth View. It’s a bit of a hike to get up there as it’s situated on a big hill, so once you leave your tent for the day you’re not likely to go back to it until bed time. It is, however, much cleaner and easier, and it’s one of the only places where you can take a shower at Glastonbury.
• Tipis: If you have a slightly higher budget then booking a tipi is a really fun option. They’re in a great location, a short walk to the craziness of the festival without being directly in the middle of it. Tipis cost £950 to hire but accommodate up to 6 people, so it’s not too bad once you split it. You still need to bring your own mattress and camping gear, as literally all you will get is the tipi and a plastic floor covering, but showers are also on available in the tipi village, which is a big bonus.
• Campervan/Caravan: You can also get a pass for your campervan or caravan, if you have one then it’s probably one of the comfiest options. Check out the official page for FAQ’s on this
I’ll write up a Glastonbury Guide a little closer to the festival date so stay tuned. In the meantime, here are some photos from my amazing Glastonbury 2014 experience earlier this year…