First published: Prospectmagazine.co.uk, 27/06/2016
Festival-goers were largely oblivious to the extraordinary developments taking place
Glastonbury is over for another year. It was one of the muddiest I can remember thanks to torrential rain the previous weekend. It was also one of the strangest, because it started on the day of the referendum—and UK voters decided to trigger one of the most significant economic and geopolitical events since 1945. But how did this affect the spirit of one of the world’s biggest festivals, with an audience the size of a small city? And when Glastonbury kicks off again this time next year, what will the state of our country be?
The short answer to the first question is not much. Glastonbury is a bit of a bubble. You can get the Guardian and Observer here and there but no other newspapers. There are many bars, but no TV. There’s drink, junk and street food a-plenty but only from private stall holders, not from chains. The only advertising is by Oxfam, Greenpeace and Water Aid. After the headline acts finish at around 11-12pm, the majority of festival-goers flock to the parts of the site designed for partying….Read more:
