“I’d rather sit crying in my tent than watch the Pet Shop Boys,” said one Glastonbury-goer this morning, as he forced a tent peg into the hard, cracked earth at Worthy Farm.
The music debate always starts early as the rickety double-deckers ferry encumbered revellers to the festival site, though this year it is England’s chances against Slovenia that are on everyone’s lips as they rush to set up their tents in time to watch the match on the big screens at the Pyramid stage.
The gods are smiling on the 40th anniversary of the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, as Somerset swelters in glorious, energy-sapping sunshine. The ground, which became a swamp-like mudbath in 2005, is now rock solid and unyielding, frustrating every tent peg and guy rope that tries to penetrate its surface.
Though the music does not kick off until tomorrow, the mammoth site is already a cacophony of stereos blaring out an odd mix of tunes into the afternoon air, punctuated by the occasional vuvuzela horn, brought in to bring a flavour of the (irritating) World Cup atmosphere to the Pilton Pop Festival.
It has been much more packed today than it was on Glastonbury Wednesday last year, as football fans plan their arrival around the impending football match, knowing that England’s progression through the first round would mean their next match would also be shown at the festival on the weekend.
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“I hope we see the game — I don’t care what the result is,” said one man in an England shirt with “Rooney, 9” on the back. It was hard to believe him.
For five days every year Worthy Farm becomes the second biggest city in the southwest of England, as almost 200,000 people pour into the festival, reinforced with a steel fence that surrounds the site.
A special train set off from Paddington at 8.18 this morning, as hundreds of young people with colossal rucksacks jostled for space with bewildered businessmen headed for Exeter. With military-like precision, the hordes — including myself and Times reporters Caitlin Moran and Mary Bowers — were herded from train to bus and on to the site.
On arrival, it seems the supposed ban of gazebos has clearly been roundly ignored, as they continue to spring up around the site, marked out by inflatable giraffes and flags of bleeding badgers by festival-goers hopeful of finding their way back under the cover of darkness and the influence of alcohol.
The first day of official music starts on Friday, when late addition Gorillaz will be headlining in place of U2, though smaller stages will kick off proceedings tomorrow with My Luminaries on the cosy Old Queen’s Head stage.
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On the hill at the south of the site, a Hollywood-style sign reads “Glastonbury 40”, along from the tee-pees that line the hillside. Flags flutter in the refreshing wind above the lush, green grass of Worthy Farm — which will not be lush for long, despite the glorious forecast for the next few days. Wellies have been banished to rucksacks, tents stretch as far as the eye can see, flesh is on show (lots of it) and the sun-cream (and beer) is flowing as Glastonbury 2010 kicks off.