So, you’re wondering about the great Glastonbury escape, huh? Let’s turn that daunting Monday morning into a piece of cake with this easy-peasy guide. If you’re leaving Glastonbury by car, you’ve essentially got two options here:
- Option 1: Make a swift exit at 5-8am
- Option 2: Have a lie-in and prepare to be stuck in the carpark for a few hours
If you’re leaving by coach, you’ll probably have pre-booked a ticket on a specific coach which will be leaving from Pedestrian Gate A.
What You Need to Know About Leaving Glastonbury Festival on Monday Morning
Remember your entrance into Glastonbury Festival when you were clean and fresh-faced back on Wednesday?
Now, imagine that, but in reverse.
The same number of people who entered the site now need to leave the site within the same few hours.
The good thing is that it’s fairly organised, there are lots of stewards in and around the car parks to direct people, and the main roads change to one-way to allow people to leave with ease.
However, you should expect some bottlenecks, traffic jams and carpark chaos, especially if it’s been a muddy one.
Take Everything Home With You: Leave No Trace
Please, please, PLEASE make sure you pack up all your sh** and leave nothing behind.
There will be tonnes of rubbish collection areas for you to bag up and drop-off your recycling and general waste. Don’t leave it strewn across the field – there will be so many seagulls if people do this!
Make sure you don’t leave behind any tents, camping gear, chairs and everything else that you packed. Leave nothing behind – and be aware of opportunist tatters (more on those later) who will lurk around waiting for someone to leave their tent unattended and take it down with ninja-fast speed!
The Sensible Option: Leave The Festival Between 5am-8am
Doing this will mean that you’ll breeze through the gates and drive straight out with no delays. You could be back home and in the shower by 10am!
However, you have to make some sacrifices to achieve this:
- Avoid drinking late on Sunday afternoon and into the evening. Alcohol stays in your system for a while after consumption and will impair your. judgement. Plus, the police will know that people are leaving Glastonbury throughout the night and won’t hesitate to pull you over for a breathalyser.
- Wake up very early on Monday morning (sunrise) or don’t go to sleep at all. Perhaps you could have a lie-in the day before to allow you to stay up later and leave a few hours after the Sunday night headliners finish? The choice is yours…
- Consider packing up early. For a few years I made the habit of packing up half of my stuff on Sunday evening and taking it to the car in preparation for an early exit. However, I stopped doing this as the round-trip to the car and back took 2+ hours and I ended up missing significant parts of the festival on Sunday.
Go With The Masses: Wake Up, Chill, Leave Later
The majority of people will be leaving the site between 8am-1pm – so expect to be held up, wait stationery in the car park and listen to fellow festivalgoer honking their car horns and blasting the radio.
If you need a lie-in on Monday morning, by all means, go for it! Many of the food traders will be open for a couple of hours possibly selling coffee and snacks.
See also: 10 Things to do as soon as you get home from a festival
However, there will be festival staff patrolling the campsites hurrying you along – there is an event license in place and it requires everyone to be off-site by a certain time.
Be Careful Doing Multiple Trips To Your Car – Tatters Are About!
On Monday morning – there’s a big tradition of ‘tatting’ at Glastonbury where people go around and collect tents that appear to be abandoned.
Many people have returned from a trip to their car to collect the rest of their gear only to find their tent has already been taken down by someone else.
If you’re in a group, it could be a good idea for one person to stay behind if you need to do multiple trips back-and-forth between your campsite and car.
See also: The truth about abandoned tents at festivals
Leaving Glastonbury Festival: A Summary
Alright, you party animal, that’s the skinny on escaping the Glastonbury Festival on Monday morning.
Yeah, it’s a bit of a bummer to think about leaving when you’re about to dive headfirst into an epic weekend, but remember, a smooth exit is the cherry on top of a great festival experience.
So, as you’re jamming out to your favourite tunes, making lifelong friends, and soaking up the Glastonbury magic, keep these nuggets in mind.
When Monday morning rolls around, you’ll be ready to rock and roll, facing the great escape like a pro. Remember, every end is just a new beginning, and there’s always another festival on the horizon.
Now, go forth, enjoy the music and your last few hours at this beautiful festival, make some memories, and when it’s time to leave, do it in true Glastonbury style – with a smile on your face and love in your heart.
‘Til the next festival, keep the good vibes flowing and the music going.
Peace out, my friend!
