Organizers take seriously the event motto: “Respect one another. We try to keep our footing on the trampled, browned pasture grass among a growing pile of empty cans and ketchup-stained trays with a few rejected fries. “There is nowhere else on this Earth where I want to be!” one woman shouts toward me, clearly echoing the sentiments of many who made it this far. Sequined Elton John costumes abound, along with faux-diamond-encrusted square glasses.
I am in the crowd, hoping to find room to breathe, with my 2-year-old son in a backpack strung with fairy lights, and with my wife – who is six months pregnant – dancing with arms raised. The scene and its exuberant vibe are unforgettable: A heaving sea of festivalgoers – sunburnt, tightly packed, and happy beyond measure – roar the words to the song “Rocket Man” with Elton John at the piano, as fireworks blast off from the Pyramid stage to cap a live-set finale.įorgotten now are all the challenges of physically getting to this moment of communal joy at the Glastonbury music festival: the 150,000 public tickets that sold out months in advance, in just 11 minutes the precision preparation for five days of tent camping, cooking, and keeping hydrated during a heatwave, after hauling everything by hand from distant car parks and the sheer exhaustion from navigating a never-ending smorgasbord spectacle of music and culture that plays out across more than 100 stages.
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