Glastonbury: music, mud and magic on a Somerset farm

Glastonbury Festival is the UK's most famous music festival, held on Worthy Farm in the Somerset village of Pilton. Beyond the big headliners on the Pyramid Stage, it is a vast temporary city of theatre, circus, art fields and late-night areas, with a strong hippie spirit.

Fun facts

• Farmer Michael Eavis held the first festival in 1970, and tickets included free milk from the farm.
• The festival usually takes a fallow year about every five years to let the land recover.
• A share of its profits goes to charities such as Oxfam, Greenpeace and WaterAid.

What to see

• The Pyramid Stage, one of the most iconic stages in music.
• The Stone Circle and Healing Fields, especially at sunrise.
• Glastonbury Tor, the hill with a ruined tower just outside the town.

What to taste

• Somerset cider, the county's traditional drink, sold all over the site.
• Cheddar cheese from the nearby village that gave it its name.
• A West Country cream tea with scones, jam and clotted cream.

What to do

• Explore beyond the main stages: the smaller fields often hold the best surprises.
• Pack wellies and a rain poncho for the famous mud.
• Visit Glastonbury town and Wells Cathedral before or after the festival.

💡 Tip: Tickets require advance registration and sell out very quickly. Bristol is the nearest airport; shuttle buses run from Castle Cary station during the festival.