A stand-up comedian arranges to meet his sister at the back of the West Holts Stage after one of the bands has finished. The last time he saw her, four years ago, she had just turned fifteen. When the crowd clears, he sees her, standing next to a cluster of bins, and he tries, nervously, to get reacquainted. Only, the girl isn’t his sister, but a total stranger. Too shy – or taken aback, or perhaps flattered – to resist his friendliness, the girl goes along with his suggestion to get out of the rain and head for the big top. Is this the start of a beautiful friendship, or an episode that the comedian will look back on only with mortification?
In these six stories, festivalgoers tell of their experiences both at and away from the festival. An office worker goes on an impromptu night out with his line manager. As the drinks begin to flow, sensitive questions are posed, and the employee has to be careful about what he reveals. But with the amount of alcohol being consumed increasing at a rapid pace, will either of them remember what happened the following day? In ‘Overnight’, two recent graduates, who have got together on the Saturday night, head back to Bristol and spend their first night together, while in ‘The Talk of the Festival’, the conversation flows among friends in the early hours of the morning – although certain subjects are strictly off limits.
All the drama and distractions of one of the world’s biggest festivals are here. There is drinking. There is substance use and abuse. There are performances on stages big and small. And, throughout, there is – in the words of the 1971 programme – ‘the opportunity for spontaneous entertainments’. Inspired by real-life tales, this collection of funny, strange and moving stories captures the highs, the lows and the life-changing powers of the Glastonbury Festival.
This is a work of fiction and is neither affiliated to nor endorsed by the Glastonbury Festival.
