Rain/Mud deepens as Glastonbury Pagan/New Age Festival begins
Pastor Dale Morgan
*Perilous Times, False Religions, False gods
Rain/Mud deepens as Glastonbury Pagan/New Age Festival begins*
By Iona Millership in London
June 23, 2007 03:51am
Article from: Reuters
GLASTONBURY, the world's biggest Pagan/New Age green field arts and
music festival, has opened with a record 177,500 people braving rain and
mud to hear British rockers Arctic Monkeys, Icelander Bjork and the
haunting sound of Canadian band Arcade Fire.
The Pagan/New Age festival in the heart of rural southwest England is
notorious for torrential downpours and mudbaths.
Rain throughout the day, interrupted by brief patches of sun, meant by
evening the mud was deepening for Glastonbury 2007.
Michael Eavis, the Pagan/New Age Festival organiser, told Reuters that
the drainage system he had installed after a 2005 quagmire meant that
the weekend event “would not flood in the same way” and the mud would
not be deeper than around two or three inches.
Eavis, who made his farm into a hippy musical haven in the 1970s, said
that the “weather could have been a lot worse” so far and he felt “very
lucky”.
There was no festival last year.
Loyal festival-goers in high spirits wandered around unperturbed by rain
in brightly coloured ponchos and raincoats with umbrellas and
traditional English rubber Wellington boots.
Many smeared themselves with mud and tumbled around in it.
Other bands performing include indie rock-fusion Kasabian, critically
acclaimed Bloc Party, US groups Modest Mouse and Bright Eyes, plus Super
Furry Animals, the Fratellis and Mr Hudson and the Library.
Eavis was particularly looking forward to seeing the Arctic Monkeys as
he saw them two years ago and thought they were “the best I've seen for
years.”
The Pagan/New Age Festival goers, many of whom arrived two days early to
secure prized camp sites overlooking the main stages and on high ground,
were buzzing with excitement on the first day of music.
Headliners during the pagan festival include rock godfathers The Who,
Kaiser Chiefs, Manic Street Preachers, with classics like Iggy and the
Stooges and newcomers Patrick Wolf and Mr Hudson and the Library.
Many party-goers had been up all night at the silent disco, where
revellers plug into personal stereos to listen to dance tunes.
The aim is to dance the night away in silence.
Coco, a 21-year-old student wearing leggings, a purple sweater and
sunglasses, described the disco as “amazing” but said it was not totally
silent as many party animals “screamed along to their own music”.
Another big Pagan festival attraction was at the King's Meadow where
Banksy, an anonymous graffiti sensation who has rocked the art world,
had erected a mock version of the Stonehenge prehistoric site out of
graffiti-strewn mobile toilets.
“A lot of monuments are a bit rubbish, but this really is a pile of
crap,” was his verdict on his own work.
As well as rock bands, the festival fields boast performance artists,
circus performers, comedians and alternative lifestyle therapists
including masseurs, aromatherapists and breadmakers.
“The Big Kiss” aims to break the Guinness World Record for mass kissing
trying to encourage 45,000 couples to kiss at the same time, while
organisers aim to get 100,000 festival goers to sign up to the “I Count”
campaign to stop climate change.
There are solar-powered showers, pedal-powered mobile phone chargers and
tents will be left behind for use in poor nations.
About 160,000 rolls of recycled toilet paper were distributed.
One police officer on duty told Reuters that there was “practically no
crime to bust”.
The perimeter fence, first erected in 2002, helps prevent crime as it
stops all gatecrashers who do not want to pay the £145 ($340) for
tickets which this year carry photo-ID.