Greenfields
Setting up
Dave Matty is spending the weekend at Glastonbury without seeing any major bands and hanging out at the 'other' side of Glastonbury. He's reporting here about his adventures.
This will be my 12th Glastonbury. A lot has changed since 1990 when you could arrive on site several days before the gates opened and easily find the perfect area to set-up camp. There would be a steady trickle of people arriving, pitching tents and setting-up stalls. The masses would arrive on Thursday night to fight over the remaining best camping spots and pitch their tents in the dark.
Now everyone has discovered that its best to arrive when the gates open on Wednesday morning. I went to sleep on Tuesday night in an almost empty field. When I peered out of my tent at 10 o'clock the next morning, there was a sea of new tents in front of me. I've never seen the festival as busy as it was Wednesday night. There was hardly anywhere to sit in the sacred space. People seem to be taking a whole week off work for Glastonbury now, rather than just the weekend. It shows how popular the festival has become.
The rain has been causing problems for those setting up attractions in what are known as the 'other' fields, such as Lost Vagueness, Green Futures and the Healing Field. A friend tells me some attractions are a long way behind schedule and there is concern not everything will be ready in time. The ground is wet and muddy and people are digging drainage ditches. Everyone remembers what happened last year when a security guard blocked up a drainage tunnel to stop people crawling in without tickets. A months worth of rain fell in a few hours and large parts of the festival were completely submerged.
The Lost Vagueness field has been extended to cope with the increase in visitors. I spoke to one of the stall-holders who remembers the chaotic scenes last year when it became so busy there were fears for people's safety. "It was total madness, total chaos! We had a 'one-in, one-out' policy to stop people being crushed. Everyone heads here after the bands finish. Its the only place to lose yourself after dark."
Meanwhile, the other big attraction in the Green Fields is likely to be the Groovy Movie solar powered cinema. There was a huge crowd there last night for the opening 'party'. Unlike the big cinema screen in Glastonbury, at Groovy Movie you can watch empowering films made by independent, environmentally-conscious film makers, offering an alternative to the mainstream.
The Green Fields wouldn't be complete without the odd rumour, either. I remember a few years ago a friend took over one of the Information stalls after the person running it wandered off. He mischievously told everyone asking for information that some poor chap was seriously ill after falling out of a tree in the Stone Circle. A few hours later we met someone who said he'd heard that a man had fallen out of a tree and landed on a hippie and both were killed. 'News' travels fast!
This year I've already heard rumours that anti-capitalists will be burning real money in the Green Futures field and also that there is a secret CCTV system being used to spy on everyone.