Jenny Vesty, 1970
“I was at the first festival in Pilton with Michale, my ex husband who sadly passed away earlier this year. On either the 30th anniversary or the 40th, probably the latter, I was driving by the site thinking “Was it really that long ago and was I really there?” when on the radio I heard him being interviewed, talking about the first one and what it was like then. He had gone on to work on the acoustic stage in latter years.
As the saying goes “If you can remember it then you weren’t there” All I can remember is that it rained right up to the day that it started, we were there to help set it up so didn't have to pay £1 entrance fee. It was held in two fields, not a lot of people came, there was a St John’s Ambulance, an ice cream van and the sound system was crap!”
Zoradi, 1983
“This photo was taken of me camping next to the stage in 1983, back in the days when you could do that. The first year I went was 1981, a couple of years before this photo was taken. I went with my boyfriend who’d heard about the gig somewhere, I had a two seater triumph spitfire, grew up in Bristol and had never even heard of Pilton, or even Somerset and it felt like hours driving into the unknown with a road map. We went on a Saturday lunchtime, with a carton of 200 B&H, a few cans, and a few quid. Parked at the top of the hill looking down at the stage. I’d never seen people like this.. we slept in the car, didn’t even have a blanket. What sold me was seeing Hawkwind. A green laser went up from the top of the Pyramid all the way to the stars. I was spellbound. My boyfriend was irritable, lack of. food, drink, clothing! We left Monday morning and I knew I’d be back. Now 40 years later, I live in Somerset town about 20 minutes from Glastonbury and I’ve handed the mantel to my daughters. ”
Miranda Millan, 1985
“I was born in Undle Ground field on 23/06/85, after my parents were part of the peace convoy who had been caught up in Battle of the Beanfield. This photograph circa 1989 after spending all day making my outfit in the kids field. Glastonbury is my birthday party every year, best place on Earth.”
Victoria Marsden 1993
“With my children Zoe, Astara and Crystal and Zoe's godmother Samantha in the Kings Meadow by the stone circle preparing to do a handfasting for Samantha and her partner. Astara and Zoe had just done an incense making workshop, when we ran into Zoe's godmother Samantha, on the main drag pathway She asked me to perform a handfasting. We had the incense..element of Air.. which the girls had named Luna. We stopped at the Tiny Tea Tent to buy cake.. element of Earth. Then we bought a candle.. element of Fire and a candle holder. We had a bottle of Glastonbury spring water.. element of Water. So everything had manifested that was needed and we met up by the standing stone circle to conduct the handfasting ceremony. A magical day.”
Victoria Jackson, 1997
“It was an absolute mudfest. I was 18 and it was my first glastonbury with my boyfriend, my older brother (who had been going since the 80s), his wife and a big group of friends and family. I had no idea what to expect as it was my first ever festival. We didn't let the weather put us off (so cold and the rain never stopped) and to this day, its one of the best festival experiences that I've ever had. The pictures in the mud soup were in front of the other stage. I think it was Placebo that were scheduled to play that evening but the mud was that bad that the stage was sinking so there were delays with them coming on stage. We got drunk on tequila while we waited - thats whats in the bottle that I'm holding- and ended up just sliding around in the mud. Everyone around us gave us a really wide berth as you can see in the pictures. Still the best festival ever and can't wait to get back there in 2022!”
Stevie Holmes, 1999
“This is in the dance tent 1999 - I'm the one in the bright orange sarong with the belly out (very nineties!). This photo came about as I always carried an immense polaroid camera around with me at Glasto, and someone spotted it and all wanted in on a mega 'selfie' before selfies existed as we know them!”
Amy, 2000
“I have just had a message from Ranen, pointing out that, at about 6pm on June 22nd 2000, he picked me up from work after answering my plea for a lift share to Glastonbury.
TWENTY YEARS AGO.
The only question I could think to ask him, when he asked if there was anything I wanted to know about him was "Are you an axe murderer?" I promised him sandwiches, which he has still never received. We got stuck in traffic and ended up pitching tents at 4am, then hung out together for the rest of the festival.
He was so hooked on the festival that he set up a walkabout act that we did together for years. Without him, I'd never have dared to buy the Housebox and it would never have made it back on to the road.
Mates for life thanks to that lift-share. I must make him some sandwiches.”
Hannah Solle, 2007
“As a local my pa used to work on the worthy farm radio so from 3 months old I spent every year frolicking in the fields of laughter and dance. I had my first warning of drugs here, I saw my Dad at his happiest here, I fell for my first love here, I had my first heartbreak here, I watched and met famous people galore here.
My ultimate favourite memory was, I believe, in 2007 when I was 15. In the middle of the day I stumbled across the roots tent, which had a secret act about to appear. As I wiggled myself through a small crowd the Marley brothers were up on stage prepping.. A huge, tall rasta man guided me to the front, handed me a huge flag on a pole and said ‘I got ya, now soak it up kid’. And so I was there alone, with no woman no cry being sung to me by the Marleys themselves, holding my hand and everyone else with their lighters up. Wow, wow. I cry to this day hearing that song. The fields of Avalon and stone circle will always have a huge place in my heart”
Beth Rowley, 2011
“This was our first sunrise at the stone circle together. I was performing with my band and I invited him as a plus one… we’d not long been together. This night seemed to go on forever. I remember this moment at the stone circle so clearly, it felt like we were in a dream. I wanted to carry on forever and I knew I would never forget how perfect it was. He looked so beautiful. New love! No where on earth like it and no one else like my baby.”
Heidi Wesson, 2013
“In June 2013 I was 9 months pregnant but the baby was not due until July. My other babies had been born two weeks late so I was not expecting anything to happen just yet. I had been to watch the Rolling Stones on the viewing platform but we left after a few songs (controversial but we were bored!) we went to see Chase and Status instead. I felt a few twinges then but thought it was just her enjoying the music as she often did. Her dad, Sean, had arrived on site that day and gone off with one of our friends to Naughty Corner. I sat in crew camp with a few friends and we rang them to come back. They thought I was joking and came running into the caravan saying he hadn't done a risk assessment that it couldn't happen! Tracy's daughter, Lindsey, called it in on the radio they asked if I was breathing, she said “very heavily she's in labour!!” they couldn't find us so Stu ran to find them. A little festival ambulance van took us to Ivy Mead and we were stopped at every gate. Lindsey ran across site and somehow managed to get to the hospital tent before us and apparently face planted on her way she told me later... no midwife was available and someone told Tracy I had been taken in. She called Lindsey to see if I was alright and appeared in her panda outfit (Glasto-style!). She said very calmly “let's get her out!”.... Emelia (or Acadia as the festival family call her) was born at 3.10am on 30 June, weighing a healthy 6lb 6oz. Tracy, still dressed as a Panda, was crying her eyes out and covered in blood. Her & Sean cut the umbilical cord.”
Emma James, 2015
“That’s me in the background with the rainbow hat. I think the girl was actually a woman knelt down on her knee. He was so gracious and stopped to speak with several of us along the route. He held my hand just before this shot and I wished him a happy birthday.”
© photo taken by Vanessa Miles
Ali Bird, 2016
“2016 - gosh that was a hard year. Going to the Jo Cox Memorial and listening to Billy Bragg sing so sweetly on the Thursday, then waking up to hear the Brexit vote result reverberating across the site with tent after tent just going "fuuuuuuuuck". That was HARD. This picture was taken while we were waiting for ELO to start on Sunday afternoon.”
Gaia & Calum, 2017
“Quite a crowd had gathered for the ceremony which we hadn't expected and it was quite nerve wracking being in front of so many people, but we just focused on each other and we soon forgot about everybody watching .The ceremony itself was more than we could ever have hoped for and we are so grateful to Sandie and Andy for all the hard work they put in to it for us, two complete strangers.
At the end, we jumped over the broomstick we had made into our new lives together. Sandie and Andy then presented is with a hand written card from Michael Eavis wishing us the best in our marriage and expressing his happiness that we chose to be handfasted at his festival. We knew they were local but we didn't know how local! It was an amazing moment.”
Amy Harris, 2019
“This picture was taken in 2019. Our girl gang have been together every year for the past 10 and this was the first Glastonbury we had together after losing our best friend, Faye in a tragic way. As you can see in the pics we are carrying a pineapple. Faye always said she was the pineapple queen, if you knew her you would know exactly why, she shared so many wacky attributes with the tropical fruit. After her death, many people remembered her by buying pineapples and there was even a memorial where everyone brought one along. We carried the pineapple to every stage so we could have her with us, especially listening to Liam Gallagher (we are proud Mancunians)
The most magical moment happened when a woman we had never met approached us and asked us if the pineapple was for Faye. We couldn’t believe that out of thousands of people this would happen.and that her legacy had reached so many people.”
Inga, 2019
“The Beat Hotel at Glastonbury left some very special memories for me from the first time I went in 2017, and knowing that 2019 was their last year - I spent a large proportion of my time dancing there. It’s one of those places at Glastonbury where once you’re inside, you completely lose track of time. The strangers you end up dancing with are on a different energy level. My Kimono Partner - the girl I never even asked the name of, was full of that incredible energy. I swapped my kimono with her and the next thing we knew - we have started a clothes swapping chain with other dancers too!”