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THERE IS NO GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL IN 2012.

Look forward to 2013 when Glastonbury comes roaring back - bigger and better than ever - after a brief hiatus caused by the epic hoopla surrounding the London Summer Olympics.

One of the hottest tickets of the summer in the UK — and the world's biggest venue for open-air music, dancing, and kid-friendly entertainment — is the Glastonbury Festival held at Worthy Farm in Pilton.

Situated in Somerset, some 7 miles from the picturesque medieval town of Glastonbury (with its mystical New Age associations with King Arthur and the Holy Grail), the setting is the perfect one for a summer's day outing.

Not to mention the entertainment - with headliners in past years including Muse, U2, Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen, Jay-Z, Kings of Leon, The Who, The Killers, Coldplay, Kylie Minogue, and many others.

Buying Glastonbury Tickets

Get a head start on possible ticket purchase by registering online at the official Glastonbury site, then watch for tickets to go on sale in fall of 2012. Meanwhile, listen for rumors (Arctic Monkeys? Muse?) buzzing about the concert lineup until the official announcement is made in early 2013.

Did we mention Glastonbury is the hottest ticket of the summer? As usual, all tickets to the Glastonbury festival sell out fast (the last round of tickets for 2011 concerts out in 24 hours!) A re-sale of cancelled tickets followed in April 2011, so if at first you don't succeed...

For those who have been completely shut out, the next best thing to being there is to view and hear the live Glastonbury webcam and audio streams from the BBC.

The Glastonbury Scene

Glastonbury Festival map

Officially called The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, the name has been shortened to Glastonbury or the more familiar "Glasto" in the UK, traditionally offering up a 3-day fun fest of music, dancing, theater, circus acts and family-friendly entertainment at the Kidz Field (including songs, puppet shows and inspired nonsense for kids of all ages.)

While festival-goers are usually drawn to the music headliners appearing regularly at the Pyramid Stage, the complete Glastonbury experience usually means getting lost amid the myriad of other attractions at Glastonbury.

These might include a listen to old-fashioned and contemporary folk music in the Fields of Avalon; a fun lesson on alternative energy, natural foods and medicine at the Green Fields; or getting your "freak on" by joining in with other hippies, ravers, and disco dancers boogying the night away at the Dance Village.

Traveling to Glastonbury

In its pastoral setting in the English countryside, Glastonbury and the green movement go hand in hand. While parking is available, getting to Glastonbury by any other means than car is very strongly encouraged. It is also, coincidently, the best and most practical way to get there.

By train from London and other points around the UK, check out the schedules to Bristol, and then transfer to the coach buses waiting to whisk you off to the festival grounds. The far better option, however, is directly by bus which deposits travelers much nearer the festival grounds.


Glastonbury around the Web:

Glastonbury Festival - The official site with information on the lineup of star performers and other entertainment, ticket purchase, how to get there, where to bring the kids, parking information, festival map, FAQ.

BBC - Glastonbury - Complete coverage including webcam, live audio streaming, videos, pictures, current weather info, and 'best-of' photo galleries from years past.

Glastonbury Festival - Wikipedia - Compete background and history of the festival with photos, related references, resources, and a list of Glastonbury lineups by year.

also see -> 1,000 Year History of UK Beer & Pubs | London Underground

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