When the musical sets fade each night at Britain’s epic Glastonbury Festival, 200,000 attendees migrate en masse to traverse over a hundred bars strewn across the 800-acre site. This contingent – seeking both bacchanalian abandon and newfound friendships until sunrise – heartily keeps Worthy Farm’s party pumping eternally.
Many travelers pilgrimage expressly to lose themselves wandering fog-shrouded lanes beyond the lit arena stages – where secret spaces emerge unexpectedly. This ever-evolving journey reveals the truth underpinning Glastonbury’s magic: genuine human connections catalyzed by music, cider, and mystical countryside calm.
This guide maps a bar crawl route touching each pivotal area – from the thundering Pyramid stage to the farthest-flung stone circles. Prepare for sonic voyages through 80s pop, 90s hip hop, dub reggae, Detroit techno, UK grime, and transcendent house music soundtracking every 420-friendly pitstop.
When thirst inevitably strikes, sustainable craft beer outposts, fairy-lit jungle juice stands, and Middle Earth-evoking cider gardens await. So ready thyself weary traveler – we’re going in deep to uncover the best bars at Glastonbury 2024!
Table of Contents
Famed Pyramid-Area Bars: Festival Must-Visits
No first-timer’s Glastonbury experience feels complete without stopping at these classic bars clustering near the main stages and thoroughfares. Time a visit to enjoy people watching during peak foot traffic without huge queues forming.
The Cider Bus
This famed Somerset spot has been pouring signature apple ciders and perries just steps from the Pyramid since 1970 – practically ancient history in festival years! Sip bone-dry varietals like Thatchers Gold under twinkle lights while eyeing excited crowds churning toward the What Stage’s pulsating bass. Insider’s tip: arrive relatively early to minimize inevitable queues when word spreads each evening.
San Remo
Margaritas and mojitos flow fast at this vibrant Mexican-themed cocktail stand wedged strategically between the Pyramid and Other stages. The prime spot blesses San Remo with otherworldly people-watching and Instagrammable views overlooking the valley – at least when not jostling elbow-to-elbow for position pre-headliner!
Avalon Inn
Transport back to medieval times at this sprawling wooded haven located deep inside the Field Of Avalon zone. Two floors of eccentrically decorated bars with names like “The Snug” or “The Plot” dispense regional ales, warm spiced ciders, and hearty pub grub, with vegetarian options aplenty. Seek out balcony seating overlooking the valley when bright sunny skies dim, then watch in awe as 20,000 revelers start glowing under moonlight.
Cockmill Bar
Real ale devotees make the pilgrimage to this barebones Acoustic Field outpost specifically to worship a rotating beer list pouring over a dozen taps from regional brewers like Butcombe, Exmoor, and local gem: Yeovil Ales. Claim a scattered haybale seat then sip among harmonious vibrations emanating from the nearby stage. When stomachs growl, nickname-ready “Cheesy Chips” stand Uncle Pat hacks generous hunks of cheddar to order onsite.
The Speakeasy
This clandestine 80s Miami Vice-themed cocktail lounge hid for over a decade at the end of a shrub-enclosed walkway stretching behind the Pyramid stage. Upon finally reaching the tropical oasis, gold-adorned bartenders fix revelers rum-based specialty drinks with flair spectacle while blasting Duran Duran, Madonna, and Michael Jackson on a vintage sound system. However, a longtime staffer hints The Speakeasy may move locations in 2024 to further amplify the secret society vibes. Shhh!
Stages With Bars Attached: hydration Near The Music
Fortunately, Glastonbury’s regarded musical hotspots feature adjacent drink stands and vendors galore keeping the good times flowing effortlessly:
West Holts‘ Brothers Bar
Order up boozy pear and apple “perry” or fruit-infused cider varieties inside the tent itself while grooving to dynamic global acts gracing West Holts’ eclectic lineup. Previous standouts include Malian guitar wizard Amadou & Mariam, Compton hip hop pillars Wu-Tang Clan, and London multicultural breakout Hak Baker. When hunger strikes striding between performances, step outside the bar to find it sharing space with Neapolitan pizza savants POP serving authentically blistered pies until the wee hours.
John Peel Stage Bar
This utilitarian open-air drink stands anchored permanently beside the John Peel tent and hosts guest DJ sets booming long after the amps quiet on the actual stage – sometimes into the hazy sunrise hours. Even if the adjacent venue features little-known upstarts earlier, the drink stand attracts famed genre celebrities for wee hour sets like Belgian hardcore legend Lenny Dee or fabulous UK funky icon Cooly G spinning London summer dancehall heaters as pink dawn light crests over the horizon.
Williams Green Bar
The psychedelic playground built around a towering disco ball floating under the tree canopy offers a 360-degree circular bar slinging local ales and killer cocktails with ethereal names like “Green Man” and “Mother Earth.” While sonic curation leans decidedly electronic and dance party here, pace thyself chugging high alcohol-content libations all night. Hands in the air to salute Sunday’s sunrise over Williams Green proves a quintessential Glastonbury moment etched forever into fuzzy memories.
Park Bar
Plant thyself in the always-bustling Park area nexus to witness consistently the wildest people watching scenes onsite. Costumed characters, gregariously dressed partiers, and attention-seeking individuals flock to this central meeting point and selfie hotspot constantly. Multiple bars provide blessed hydration but also require savvy maneuvering as queues balloon exponentially fast here. Those averse to crowds may wish simply to admire the human carnival from grassy peripheries.
Offbeat Fringe Area Bars: Sustainability & Community Quaffs
Venture down forested paths far beyond blaring stages to uncover these creatively designed sustainability havens built responsibly via recycled materials and featuring smaller community-focused lineups:
The Toad Hall
Navigate downhill past the Stone Circle’s Druidic rituals into the deep valley to discover this minuscule open-air stage and Funktion-One sound system hidden in the wooded hollow. Toad Hall’s 100-capacity venue fosters a mini-festival feeling with reggae dub reverberating as crowds flock when heavier name DJs get announced last minute. Prepare to traversal muddy terrain and climb steep stone staircases to enter the special secret space.
Greenpeace Bar
Built sustainably from reclaimed materials like railway sleepers and salvaged glass, Greenpeace Bar generates its power from on-site solar panels and wind turbines. Beyond the funky upcycled space centered directly behind acts on the tiny “Scum” Stage, a towering graffitied tree called “The Rave Oak” towers iconically overall, representing activist spirit channeling through the entire area.
Bimble Inn
Cider devotees will feel utterly satiated inside this solar-powered oversized tipi tent festooned wildly with hanging dried herbs, plants, and upcycled lamps. A backyard fairy grotto! Beyond Bimble’s custom blended apple cider varieties, a specialty cocktail list delivers additional magic via unexpected flavors, including “Foraged Fruit Mojitos” “Honey Thyme Fizz” and “Damson Gin Spritz.” (Google defines “Damson” as a small oval European plum used for jams and liqueurs…TIL!)
The Taphouse
Constructed sustainably from recycled shipping containers, this new addition located left of the Glade and Tipi Field area offers several dozen curated craft beer, lager, ale, and cider tap options sourced locally across the Southwestern counties. Their special “Glastonbury Exclusive” session pale ale even arrives specially brewed each year for the weekend’s festivities.
Hidden Venues Worth Hunting Down
The well-trod spots above merely scrape the surface of myriad vibrant, strange, or utterly clandestine late-night drinking holes scattered across the sprawling site. However, all retain a uniquely amazing atmosphere awaiting after-dark discovery:
NYC Downlow
No Glastonbury recap feels complete without mentioning this cinematic immersive venue bringing fierce NYC warehouse-party energy into Somerset countryside. Expect pansexual raving until sunrise under disco globes and neon streaks inside a meticulously designed dystopian cityscape, feeling simultaneously foreign yet familiar. Let loose on the main floor’s sweaty dance siege, then follow intriguing sounds down tunnels to the scandalous offshoot “Meat Rack” playpen…
Underground Piano Bar
This entirely unmarked, near-mythic hole-in-the-wall venue appears each year down a disguised sloped path on hillsides lining the Stone Circle meadows. Inside the Underground Piano Bar, antique candelabras, an oriental rug-laden piano nook, and a glittering disco ball anchor the meticulously decorated bohemian space.
Legend tells of those granted entry potentially witnessing impromptu sets from the likes of Thom Yorke, Kate Tempest, Kylie Minogue, or Ms Lauryn Hill popping by for cameo keyboard sessions. However, reaching such magical moments requires first navigating the notorious fickle bouncers guarding the bar’s clandestine entrance for hours nightly.
Kongs of Kingston Soundsystem
Follow humming basslines emanating deep into the darkest thickets near Stone Circle to discover this legendary Jamaican-imported reggae sound system cart located off lonely dirt paths. Uphill hikes transport listeners to 1970s Kingston dancehall culture while veteran selector Mikey Murka twists roots reggae and dubplate specials into the wee hours for gathered tribes of puffing devotees.
The Spike
True journeying awaits reaching The Glade‘s elevated treehouse-style pub, requiring traversing an abandoned railway-turned-psychedelic fun tunnel before ascending zigzagging wooden staircases spiraling skyward to enter the structure’s elven doors. Once summiting to the compact space hovering dramatically above crowds, cask bitters, hot ciders, and panoramic views pop off, rewarding such perilous feats of balance across creaky elevated walkways. Occasional acoustic bands play inside on a tiny corner stage.
Strummerville
Climb a wooded hillside path upward from the Stone Circle‘s swirling madness to discover this tranquil village & 24-hour campfire tribute built honoring The Clash’s late guitarist Joe Strummer. Drink cider and craft lagers chilled or mulled while reclining deep on cozy sofas as acoustic artists entertain the gathered. Down below at the valley’s base, seek out sweeping views of the distant festival grounds flickering alight at midnight, feeling suitably removed from whatever depravity rages elsewhere…
Shangri-La’s Hidden Lairs
Rumored clandestine nooks and temporarily staged venues hide behind camouflaged walls down the graffiti-and-fog-strewn back alleys twisting through an otherworldly zone of Shangri La. Brave, observant explorers might chance upon Banksy’s street art privé lounge one night, then a zombie karaoke roadhouse the next…if sufficiently lucky.
These spaces crack open portals bridging Glastonbury’s reality with dreams – until bass stops, blacklights click off and costumed characters mysteriously vacate premises by sunrise. Such embedded Nomadic parties embody the intentional ephemerality central to this Futuristic area’s magical essence since inception.
Route Strategies + Practical Pointers For Optimal Crawls
Successfully plotting a winding path through the disparate bar areas above requires thoughtful planning paired with spontaneous flexibility when schedules inevitably go astray. Follow these tips:
Weekend Itinerary
Each day/night during the five-day Glastonbury saga brings unique opportunities targeting specific areas:
- Wednesday: Hit perimeter bars with shorter queues like West Holts’ Brothers Bar early before chaos descends…
- Thursday: Explore prime real estate – the Pyramid Plaza’s Avalon Inn, Cider Bus, hidden Speakeasys…
- Friday: Venture outward to The Park, Greenpeace, Bimble Inn, and environs in earnest…
- Saturday: Shangri La, The Spike, Strummerville, etc. for late-night magic plus Sunday sunrise sets!
- Sunday: Revisit favorite places for farewells…before returning to reality.
Pacing Pro Tips
- Alternate alcoholic drinks with water to maintain hydration/stamina
- Bring nutritious festival snacks like protein bars to maintain energy
- Take occasional seated breaks between longer walks to permit recharging
- Chat up fellow crawlers; buddy systems prevent overindulging
- Capture shareable content for the ‘Gram, but remain present to savor moments
The above blueprint allows experiencing the total liquid landscape across Worthy Farm’s ranges. However, finishing the entire five-day mission may prove implausible for all but the heartiest livers. Yet exploring even a fraction of the journey through arrayed sound system sculptures and districts awards marvelous moments both epic and intimate.
So while cruising the glowing thoroughfares between stages, let spontaneous new friendships unfold under the stars; embrace fully the gathering’s kinetic spirit without a rigid agenda. And if one morning finds heads pulsating severely after pushing personal limits, soothing Greenpeace meadow naps reset equilibrium to continue celebrations anew after rest.
At Glastonbury Festival, the music, the mixologists, and the other barflies gift glimpses into the utopian community – even temporary – whenever wandering unannounced into the perfectly chosen pub. For here, finally, we Bloom as one global family, hydrated by Somerset ciders, Polish lagers, Free State Freedom Sounds, and communal goodwill flowing freely under Big Top tents.
Cheers to that! Now…on to discover the next sonic oasis. The party rages onward!
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