Glastonbury Pageant with a child is one thing I extremely suggest to any adventurous dad or mum. The 5 nights we spent there as a household type a few of my all time favorite recollections. Clearly it’s a very completely different expertise to attending with no tasks, I’ve carried out each, and every brings a singular, unforgettable expertise. This publish goes to be about attend the Pageant with a child – attending Glastonbury pageant with a Toddler is an entire different factor that I’ll save for a separate publish!
A number of individuals don’t realise that Glastonbury Pageant is about as much as cater to all age teams (we go to with three generations of our household). There are two tenting fields designated for the ‘pageant households’, which means you don’t must sleep subsequent to a tent filled with drunk individuals. There’s a ‘Kidz Subject’ filled with all the things a child / toddler / baby may want for. There’ll at all times be individuals saying issues like “Taking a child to a pageant is so egocentric”, “Festivals aren’t for infants”. What I’ve come to be taught is individuals will decide your parenting whether or not you sit at residence watching Cbeebies all day, or whether or not you’re taking them to Glastonbury pageant – so that you do you, dwell your greatest life – and in case you and your child are wholesome and pleased, you might be successful.
Pageant prepared
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Getting Glastonbury Tickets
First issues first, you want tickets. And that is undoubtedly the toughest half. After you have your tickets, the remainder is simple!
Register
Earlier than you should purchase tickets it is advisable register, and you are able to do this here
Be certain that everybody you need to go is registered, you will have their particulars when/in case you are blessed with the power to buy tickets. Kids aged 12 and beneath don’t want tickets or registration.
Ticket sale day
The primary alternative to purchase tickets is normally in October. Notice the date and don’t overlook it. Ticket gross sales launch at 9am, normally on a Sunday, and it is advisable be prepared. It’s good to be slick and ready with everyones particulars. These tickets are like gold mud and acquiring them requires some effort. I’ll do one other publish about greatest improve your probabilities of getting via to the ticket buy web page, however for this publish I’ll stick to the fundamentals. On this spherical of gross sales, every individual should purchase six tickets per transaction. You have to a wide range of individuals on a wide range of units, urgent refresh again and again till one in every of you hopefully get to the gross sales web page. If there are greater than six of you wanting tickets, plan who’s shopping for which tickets ought to they get via. Tickets normally promote out in round 30-40 minutes, it is advisable persevere for this entire time, in 2017 we managed to get tickets within the final minute. There’s a separate gross sales day for coach tickets, the place you need to journey the the pageant on a supplied coach. That is normally just a few days earlier than the final sale, so attempt on each days!
Ticket resale
For those who don’t handle to get tickets within the October spherical, don’t quit simply but. A number of individuals buy extra tickets within the preliminary sale that they don’t find yourself needing, individuals resolve they cant attend – these tickets get put again on sale in April. Throughout this spherical you may solely buy 4 tickets however all the things else stays the identical. Coach resale tickets are restricted to 2 per transaction.

First Glastonbury – 12 weeks previous
Getting ready for Glastonbury Pageant with a child
So that you’ve managed to get your tickets – you proudly inform everybody you’re going to Glastonbury Pageant together with your child! That’s when individuals will begin placing doubts into your thoughts, however don’t hearken to them! It was laborious for me as I used to be pregnant with my first child, I knew nothing about being a dad or mum – and I had all of those skilled mums and dads telling me it will be a nightmare. Put all of your vitality into making ready and know you’ll be prepared for any situation.
Fundamentals
A tent large enough to face in (incase the newborn wants soothing through the night time and it is advisable stroll round)
A hardcore Pram/buggy – We have now a 3 wheeled, inflatable tyre, off street fashion pram. You have to one thing that may deal with the terrain and that the newborn might be snug in through the day.
Battery powered fairy lights – Essential for adorning your pram/buggy at night time. Leo would sleep comfortably in his pram while we went about residing our greatest life within the evenings. Having the fairy lights round his pram meant he was simply seen to everybody at the hours of darkness. Clearly we weren’t out partying till the early hours in Shangri la, however we have been in a position to catch the headline acts.
Climate management – Be ready for the freezing chilly, torrential rain and scorching scorching temperatures. We had garments for all climate. In addition to waterproofing, battery powered followers, and make shift shelter ought to the solar get an excessive amount of. Don’t overlook a rain cowl and a solar umbrella on your pram. We occurred to finish up having 36 diploma C temperatures, in a tent, with a tiny child. I might have fortunately welcomed the rain at any level! The battery powered followers and common software of moist flannels to Leo made positive he stayed snug.
Ear defenders – Important to guard these little ears. We spent the week earlier than the pageant getting him used to the sensation of them on his head. We’d apply them whereas strolling round the home, throughout a nap – it’s necessary to know they’ll preserve them on while you get there.
Have a feeding plan – Simple in case you are breastfeeding. We have been doing a mixture of breast and bottle as I wasn’t producing sufficient milk. To sterilise the bottles we took Milton sterilising tablets and a container to fill with water. We had a small fuel range to boil water to make use of for making up the method. We needed to make it half an hour earlier than we deliberate to present it, to permit it to chill.
A spot for child to sleep – We took the carry cot high to our pram and used this for his mattress at night time. Be sure you have sleep swimsuit choices for if it is rather chilly, or highly regarded. We took a foil blanket to place beneath his carry cot, to ensure the chilly from the bottom didn’t undergo to him.
Conserving (semi) clear – Take Biodegradable child wipes – and many them! Although there are showers to be discovered on website, we didn’t hassle with the effort and saved ourselves semi-clean with wipes. We took a plastic storage container as a method of transporting a few of our issues, and this doubled up as somewhat bathtub for Leo to chill him down and clean up. There’s child bathtub time within the NCT tent within the Kidz Subject too.
One thing acquainted for nighttime – whether or not its a sleeping bag, blanket, smooth toy, musical bear – no matter their factor is that helps them will get them to sleep, ensure you take it!
Keep in mind!
Glastonbury Pageant is sort of a small village. There isn’t a lot you wont be capable to acquire when you are there. For those who turned up with nothing, you possibly can purchase a tent and all the things you wanted (for a value!). You’ll doubtless be nearer to nurses and docs on the pageant than you’d be at residence. You’ve shelter, meals and water – it isn’t THAT a lot completely different to being at residence. So chill out, float, and have a tremendous time!

Breast feeding wherever on the pageant wasn’t a problem
Arriving on the pageant
The pageant begins on a Wednesday and runs via to Monday morning. The automobile parks open late on Tuesday prepared for the gates opening on Wednesday morning. Everybody has completely different arrival ways, however we normally arrive Tuesday night time and sleep within the automobile, after which get within the queue round 4am on Wednesday morning. This implies we’re proper by the entrance of the queue, we get onto the positioning early and get prime choose of the tenting spots. Leo slept simply within the automobile, and continued to snooze within the queue. There are two household tenting fields as I’ll talk about beneath. On being the primary to reach we shortly realised that the sphere we selected (Wicket floor) is far much less fashionable than the opposite (Cockmill). We may have turned up on Thursday or Friday and nonetheless discovered a (much less interesting) spot.
Which discipline?!
The 2 household fields are Wicket floor and Cockmill meadow. Every has their very own professional’s and con’s. Personally I believe Wicket floor is healthier for households with younger infants, and Cockmill is healthier for these with toddlers/children who want extra entertaining.
Wicket floor: That is the one tenting discipline with a fringe fence and safety on the gate. Solely households are allowed in right here making it the most secure discipline to camp together with your child. You’ll want to park within the Yellow automobile park and enter at Gate A. From there the Wicket Floor is just a brief stroll. The bogs on website have been the nicest of all those we used through the pageant. I take advantage of the time period ‘good’ evenly, however households gave the impression to be much more respectful when going to the john! The down aspect (or you possibly can say up aspect) to the placement is that it’s a honest stroll to the primary levels. This provides you the good thing about relative quiet in comparison with different websites, however does imply you may have an extended solution to go to get your older children to the kidz discipline!
Cockmill Meadow: This discipline is geared toward households, nevertheless anybody can camp right here. There isn’t a perimeter fence or safety dictating who enters. It fills up shortly so you will have to get there early on Wednesday to get a good spot. You’ll want to park within the purple automobile park and enter at gate B. Cockmill meadow is true by the Kidz Subject, so an ideal location for these with toddlers and older kids. Additionally it is proper by the medical centre and near the primary levels. We can be tenting right here after we subsequent go together with Leo now that he’s older.

Queueing for the Pageant
You’re at Glastonbury Pageant with a child!
So you may have your camp arrange, it’s formally taking place – now what?! I keep in mind feeling extraordinarily protected in my fenced off camp website, with my child comfortably laid within the tent, and for a second pondering “Lets simply keep right here?”. However then I appeared round and there have been lots of of households, all as loopy as us, organising their adorned trolleys, cracking open a can of beer and on the brink of head out into the jungle! The environment is buzzing and there’s a actually robust feeling of group amongst the pageant households.
The primary pageant doesn’t formally kick off till Friday, however there’s a lot to see and do on the Wednesday and Thursday. After you have your tent arrange, go for a stroll across the website. It’s completely big, and there can be a lot on your child to have a look at alongside the best way. You possibly can seize some lunch, have just a few drinks and take an enormous deep sigh of reduction that you’ve made it, and it actually isn’t as scary as you thought it will be!
Feeding a child at Glastonbury Pageant
We have been doing a mixture of breast and bottle feeding so we bought to expertise each. Breastfeeding was so much simpler as we may do it simply wherever (and there’s completely no judgement at a spot like Glastonbury!) plus it didn’t require any gear. For bottle feeding we introduced a big tub to chilly water sterilise the bottles. We had a flask that we stuffed with boiling water within the morning, then used this to combine with method as we wanted it.
Bathing a child at Glastonbury Pageant
There’s an NCT tent in the back of the Kidz Subject which is a sanctuary for infants and oldsters. Right here you may bathtub your child. In addition they have child meals, spare garments, altering mats, child toys, books – all the things you possibly can probably want.

Enjoyable within the Inexperienced Kidz Subject
What to do with a child at Glastonbury Pageant?!
There are tons of areas that your child can take pleasure in. However you may nonetheless benefit from the music and do what you need to do too (to a level!) Get them arrange comfortably of their pram with their ear defenders on. For lots of the pageant Leo was sleeping or simply stress-free within the pram, while we loved units from the again. Huge levels just like the Pyramid stage mean you can safely sit on the again and benefit from the artists with out it being too loud and crowded for the newborn. We’d put a picnic blanket down on the Pyramid discipline within the afternoon and luxuriate in just a few units while Leo rolled about simply as he would have at residence.
Nice locations for households with infants
Kidz Subject – watch some performances on the Huge Prime, benefit from the common parades, older infants can play in a small smooth play space. Take heed to a narrative within the Story Tellers Marquee.
NCT tent – for consolation. You can too play within the big sandpit simply exterior, learn some tales, play with some sensory toys.
Inexperienced Kidz Subject – there’s a fenced off child space with cozy locations to put them down, books, toys and crafts.
Circus and theatre fields – A number of parades, performers and enjoyable issues going off all day.
Inexperienced Fields – actually peaceable household pleasant space. A number of crafts and shows to stroll round and take a look at. The therapeutic fields provide massages, homeopathy, palm studying, tarot readings – it was nice to discover these areas that we might have in any other case missed.
Glastonbury on Sea – a seaside pier with a bandstand, penny arcade, sweet floss, Punch and Judy, dodgems and an helter skelter!
The Park – there’s a large hill on the park with a tremendous view over the entire pageant, a fantastic place to go and sit and benefit from the sundown.
Hopefully now you’re feeling somewhat extra ready for taking your child to Glastonbury Pageant, you’ll undoubtedly have the time of your life!
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