Glastonbury Festival 2008 is go (and sunny!)

United Kingdom | | 26 June 2008

If, as the doom-mongers are predicting, Glastonbury has lost its edge then let's just keep this little party in Pilton a secret, shall we?

Tens of thousands swarmed through the gates of Worthy Farm from 8am yesterday (Wednesday), taking advantage of sunny weather and an extra day of festival fun as an atmosphere of fevered anticipation swept across the 1000 acre site.

The festival has not sold out but by Wednesday night more than 85,000 people were on site, 70,000 of those ticket holders, around half the capacity.

And, on first impressions, it looks as if Michael Eavis’ attempts to attract a younger crowd have paid off with the majority of Glasto goers looking under 30, perhaps swayed by bookings spanning Jay Z, Foals and Vampire Weekend.

Fans of old were reminded of Glastonbury’s unique atmosphere, while first timers were wowed by the buzz of anticipation circling the site, often in the form of the famous ‘Mexican cheer’ which roared around the farm.

The camp sitegs quickly filled throughout the day, particularly on high ground as revellers remained vigilant over the possibility of flooding, yet while light rain is forecast over the weekend, the day itself remained dry and sunny.

By night, fans flocked to the Jazz World to drink cider and later to the Stone Circle where bongos were played and floating lanterns lit until dawn. A cold mist swept through the valley but it did nothing to dampen the spirits of thousands of excited fans.

No stages were open on the opening day, but small, fringe performances went off in the Green Fields, one of the most popular being the didgeridoo ‘looper’ Sandy Lawson playing as part of Radio Reverb.

The Queen’s Head, Left Field and Shangri La stages open up musical proceedings today (Thursday) with performances from Glasvegas, Santogold and The Levellers expected to draw huge crowds. All of Glastonbury’s stages will be open from Friday and we’ll be on hand to bring you the action as it unfolds.