Exactly fifty years ago, the fans of quality sound and outdoor festivals formed a monastery, which within a few years became a cult place for fans of pop and rock music. Talking about the British open-air Glastonbury. During its half-century history official the ticket was not the only way to get inside. From a fan of illegal immigrants was only required to run fast and not be afraid to get dirty in the mud.
From the first years of its existence, the festival has gained the reputation of “British Woodstock”, and now he is considered one of the major musical events in England. Traditionally Glastonbury (Glastonbury) took the farm of Michael Ibiza, who invented it in 1970-m to year. It is 1100 acres of land at the mouth of the river Whitley (Whitelake), which Glastonbury was often diluted with water. So the music is not the only feature of the “British Woodstock”. There is still dirt and space the ticket prices.
In 2009, the festival attracted more than 190 thousand people, and one “input” it costs 195 pounds. Almost 17 thousand rubles at current exchange rate. But the British, it seems, no matter what money the mud puddle to your favorite music. In 2014 Glastonbury set another record – 150 thousand tickets in 29 minutes. So tireless adventurers is only one way out – to climb “hare”.
In the 1990s, when the popularity of the festival grew rapidly, the hacks were particularly common. In 1995, according to various estimates, the tickets bought 80,000 people. And the same broke into the gate. Desire of farm people was separated by weak barriers and the corrupt guards. It is not surprising that ticketless passage became a rite of passage. Yes, and Michael IVIS, founder of the festival, actively encouraged it. Once the farm owner woke up in the night and raised the fence to skip 2 thousands of revelers.
But after a rich break-ins in 2000, the year when Ibiza was fined for violation of licensing conditions, his team built a super fence and returned to the audience only a few years later, putting an end to mass breaches.
“In truth, I never cared about, do people pay for admission or not, until we sell enough tickets to keep going. But it was clear that his need to control and keep safe,” wrote IVIS in his book “Glastonbury 50: the official history of the Glastonbury festival,” published last year.
journalists of the BBC found three brave souls who over the years has infiltrated the music farm.
Julie Sendl: “I first climbed the fence in 1992. Every 15 minutes there was a patrol security service. We had about 40 people. We hid behind trees and waited, when they leave. Then there are the corrupt guard who had to pay 10 pounds. But it was a roofing��on the first fence. The second was much higher. The girls crawled under him, and the boys made their way from the top. He was somewhere near 12 feet tall. My friend Susie was bigger than all of us, so climbed with the boys. And when I went down, broke his ankle and was limping then all weekend. Of course, the festival lost its edge after the 90s. But now he got better. Still, security is very important.”
Martin brown was the “rite of passage” together with my two best friends in 1998. According to the memoirs of Martin, they had not planned to go to Glastonbury just happened to be there. And then the adrenaline had already done its job. “We saw a group of 30-40 people, who were hiding behind the trees. They invited us to join. Around the perimeter stood the guards. But I guess they didn’t care. Moreover, that someone all the time openly to unfasten their money,” recalls brown.
the Main problem was the fence. The closest distance 12 pounds seemed a giant structure. “We found a hole. Other people even came up with the system. They put some kind of rag and pull on it people. Just lay you head down and back carabellese on the fence. Oh, and the mud completely covers the body.”
You would think that after 2002 the history of break-ins are gone. But even in 2019 the guests of the fest do not cease to violate the order. “Of course, now it has become more difficult. But I like to break the rules. And to get into Gastonbury so – a challenge. When my dad was younger, he also did so, says Tamsin Crispi. Jack Crispi, the father of 19-year-old girl, says that for many years the fence has existed underground tunnels and even a stream which people crawled inside.
“to climb over the super fence we had to hide in the gutter the ladder. But when we got to the top, we noticed the guards. So I had to move out directly on the metal pillars and just run to the cries of “Stop!” I grazed my knees and hands. I even pulled out a huge piece of skin, but I didn’t feel it because of the huge adrenaline rush. You feel no pain. It’s like fight and flight,” says Tamsin.
In the last week of June, according to tradition, had to pass the jubilee 50th festival. He had sold more than 135,000 tickets. However, 3 months before the start of Glastonbury was cancelled because of the pandemic COVID-19.
