I’m going to start this review by saying Glastonbury Festival is my favourite place in the world by a long distance, so it won’t be the most unbiased review. I always feel so lucky to be part of it, that the two of us get to experience it together, especially when the whole country seems to be watching. I get so many messages from friends who are watching on BBC and that does make you appreciate what a massive cultural event it is.
This was my 12th time there and overall I think 2025 was my favourite! Not necessarily because of the music, though that was amazing, but more because of the overall experience and having completely got to grips with what it’s like to volunteer and enjoy the festival after years of being regular ticket holders. I wasn’t disappointed by any of the acts we saw, which is so rare. Maybe it was because I was so appreciative to just be there and to be off shift.
I always love reading about other people’s Glastonbury experiences and hope it’s the same for you. If you’ve got your own reviews on your own blogs let me know in the comments!
I have heard about the controversy, but I wasn’t there and this is purely about my experience of the festival, so it won’t be part of this post.
Look how much we had to carry between two of us on the train! The train staff were not happy!!
Volunteering
We volunteered with Oxfam again this year as we couldn’t get regular tickets. It was our second time so we knew what to expect this year, which made it all better because we were pretty nervous about it last time having never volunteered at a festival before.
It also means we can arrive on the Monday before the main festival starts, so you get way more time there. We got set up at about midday and had our briefing at 3, so got it all out the way, leaving a full week at Glastonbury ahead of us!
We also found out our shifts that day, which were probably as good as they could be, Wednesday 2pm-10pm, Thursday Friday 6am – 2pm and Saturday overnight 10pm – 6am. We got to see so much music because of this.
Monday and Tuesday
With our first shift being Wednesday at 2pm we had around 48 hours to ourselves, and made the most of it. The perspective of the whole site is completely different when the campsites are empty and you can walk pretty much everywhere quickly.
The days kind of merge into one, it’s like a holiday before the festival starts. The crew bars have a real buzz to them and food stalls steadily start to open toward Tuesday night.
Highlights on those days include the Oxfam bar crawl, a much quieter Park Hill at sunset by the sign, hanging out in the Tow and Hitch (my favourite crew bar), Maceos and The Loving Arms, and just sitting relaxing by the tent chatting to our neighbours.
Tow and Hitch crew bar
Loving Arms crew bar
Maceos crew bar
Park sunset, Tuesday night – still busy, but nowhere near what it’s like Wednesday
Beers by the tent in the Oxfield
Wednesday and Thursday
The first shift came on Wednesday at 2pm, and it went pretty quickly despite being a quiet one on the gate we were assigned to.
After our shift we went straight to the Park area, where we saw the incredible firework display. They really pulled out all the stops with that this year, with three simultaneous huge displays at the top of the three hills. We accidentally had a perfect vantage point and you could feel and hear the excitement of everyone around, especially first timers. It’s such a great way to kick off the weekend.
I’m also loving the new outside area at the HMS Sweet Charity stage, it used to be rammed inside but it’s a good place for people to have a dance in the open air on Wednesday now.
Thursday was a free day, so we were able to just roam, with the atmosphere being way different to the previous day off we had on Tuesday!
One highlight of Thursday was going into The Temple for the first time. Usually there’s a massive queue but we went past early evening and saw that you could just walk straight in, and I’m so glad we did. It’s like an open air amphitheatre with bowl steps all round a standing area in the middle. The atmosphere was incredible there.
Friday
It was an early finish for us on Thursday as we had to get up at 4am for our 6am shift which was at the opposite end of the site. It was a great walk though, seeing the sun rise and also seeing a lot of people walking back from their night out!
This shift went quickly as well, and finished at just before 2pm, meaning we could catch the first band on our list
Inhaler
We saw Inhaler in Antwerp in May (review here), so given our location and finish time they were the perfect way to kick off our almost full day of music. We made it into the field with a few minutes to spare. They played a mix of old and new stuff, and while there were some sound issues, the crowd really got into it and it was a great hour long set. ‘My Honest Face’ got a great reaction, and the newer stuff like ‘Open Wide’, ‘Billy (Yeah Yeah Yeah)’ and ‘Your House’ fit perfectly into a sunny afternoon in a field, possibly more so than they did in an arena.
Shed Seven+
After Inhaler it was all go for the rest of the day! We ran over to Woodsies to catch as much of Shed Seven as we could. We ended up getting about two thirds of the set, catching ‘Going for Gold’, ‘On Standby’, ‘Disco Down’, ‘Getting Better’ and a huge moment in ‘Chasing Rainbows’, which the crowd were singing in full voice. There was also a very fun cover of Suspicious Minds with Elvana!
It’s great to see the reaction of the acts who haven’t played at Glastonbury for many years. Shed Seven hadn’t been there for 30 years, and seemed very moved to have the crowd singing like that.
Lola Young and Wet Leg
Steph went to see Lola Young at Woodsies and said she was incredible, so to anyone who was at that set it sounds like an absolute treat.
At the same time I saw a bit of Wet Leg on the Other Stage, and they sounded great. I haven’t been particularly complimentary about them live before but they’ve really stepped it up a gear. I mainly saw a few new ones, which made me want to check out the album, and ‘Being in Love’, ‘Angelica’ and ‘Chaise Longue’.
Lewis Capaldi
But I had to go to see Lewis Capaldi. After being there when he was unable to complete his set in 2023, I had to go to see his return to the stage. I think it’s amazing that he chose to make his big return in the place where it all went wrong last time, such huge levels of bravery. He absolutely smashed it too, the performance was top notch.
There were tears all round in the crowd, and everyone was 100% behind him. Chants of “Oh Lewis Capaldi” almost made HIM cry and it was generally a perfect return for him. He seemed so happy to be up there and so grateful to the crowd.
‘Before You Go’ to open sounded huge, then he just ran through his greatest hits, along with ‘Survive’, a new song that details his journey over the past 2 years that slots easily into his song collection. ‘Someone You Loved’, the song he couldn’t finish last time, was incredible. The whole set was a proper Glastonbury moment.
Alanis Morissette
After that we reconvened to see out our evening at the Pyramid Stage. It’s actually rare to get such a strong run of acts on that stage for us.
We’d wanted to see Alanis Morissette at Glastonbury for so long, each year we’d say how well she would go down as we watched other older acts with extensive back catalogues like Shania Twain, Sheryl Crow, Avril Lavigne etc.
We were completely right, she was amazing and got a great crowd. Her voice is so powerful, her band perfect and she played all the hits we could’ve wanted. All the Jagged Little Pill tracks sounded great, especially ‘Ironic’ and ‘You Oughta Know’, ‘Uninvited’ sounded huge and it was good to hear songs that aren’t usually on the radio anymore like ‘Hands Clean’ and ‘Thank U’.
This is the sort of act it’s worth going out of your way to see at Glastonbury. A communal moment watching someone we all know the songs of, but maybe wouldn’t all buy tickets for.
Biffy Clyro
Biffy always put on a great show but they stepped it up hugely for this one. A perfect setlist mixing newer songs with classics, and even a fan favourite in ‘Living Is a Problem Because Everything Dies’. The crowd were well up for it, especially the radio songs like ‘Biblical’, ‘Bubbles’ and ‘Many of Horror’.
The 1975
I actually really enjoyed this set, they put everything into it and sounded immense. I go into this and the muted and often negative response from outside the festival a bit more in my main review of them.
Saturday
We had to pace ourselves ahead of our overnight shift on the Saturday night which would mean we’d be up until 6am the following morning, but without the partying that usually comes with it. So obviously we were straight to Woodsies for 11.30am to watch The Amazons!
The Amazons
We had to get up early to see these, they’re one of our favourite bands and we believe they should be way bigger than they are. The addition of a female backing singer has changed their sound a bit, but for the better. She enhances the old songs, and is a big part of the new ones, which sounded excellent live, especially ‘Wake Me Up’. ‘Black Magic’ was the big moment as always, and it was great to see how much it means to the band to play the festival.
Good Neighbours
We watched Good Neighbours on a bit of a whim, but their sound really suits a sunny afternoon at a festival, and it turned out I recognised a couple of tracks from the new EA FC game and Radio 1. Will definitely follow these more closely now.
Beabadoobee
We’ve seen her a few times now, and each time her bank of songs keeps improving. This is the first since Glastonbury 2022 and she’s had two really good albums since then. This was a perfect sun-soaked set, with a nice mix of heavy and chilled. She’s another who absolutely loves the festival, which is always good to hear.
I knew most of the songs, but ‘Apple Cider’ really jumped out as a new favourite, especially as it was apparently written about Glastonbury!
Weezer
I thought I only knew a handful of Weezer songs, but it turned out I know way more than that. I recognised every single song they played. They’re another band that I wouldn’t normally have seen at their own gig but have to watch when they’re at a festival.
Opening with ‘Hash Pipe’ got the crowd onside early, and then there were big hits that the crowd knew throughout the set. ‘My Name Is Jonas’, ‘Undone – The Sweater Song’, ‘Island in the Sun’, ‘Beverly Hills’, ‘Pork and Beans’, the amazing ‘Say it Ain’t So’ and of course ‘Buddy Holly’ at the end. They were brilliant and I’ll be listening to them more now!
The video game style animations on the back of the screen were a great addition also.
John Fogerty
At 80 years old, John Fogerty is still a great performer and storyteller. He spoke so well to the crowd, and some of those hits like ‘Have You Ever Seen the Rain?’, ‘Proud Mary’ and ‘Bad Moon Rising’ got the entire crowd singing.
He told some great stories about his early days, how his wife got him his songs back, talked about his sons playing on stage with him and seemed genuinely happy and excited to be at Glastonbury. It was the first time we’ve seen him and I’m glad we got the chance.
Pulp
The absolute highlight of my weekend, as described in my separate Pulp Glastonbury review. I was so happy they ended up being Patchwork!
After that it was onto the night shift, which went way quicker than I expected despite having nearly nothing to do! Everyone on shift with us was great and we kept each other upbeat and awake. It helped that our gate was next to the Oxfam campsite, meaning we could go straight to bed.
Sunday
After a very short sleep of about 4 hours, which you have to do to make the most of things when volunteering, we had our full last day to ourselves!
The Libertines
We’ve loved The Libertines for years, but have had mixed experiences with them live. Last time at Glastonbury on The Other Stage at 11am wasn’t great, but when we saw them at the Cavern in Liverpool last year they were excellent, and thankfully we got a great set on Sunday.
They clearly love Glastonbury, as shown by how often they both play the festival, and they put everything into that set. It sounded like a more grown up and professional version of The Libertines than I saw in 2015, and they gave us an incredible show. There was an elaborate stage setup made to look like The Albion Rooms, and
Both of them looked healthy and happy, and seemed to be having the time of their lives, which is great to see considering what they’ve been through over the years.
Wolf Alice
While Steph went to Noah Kahan (who was apparently amazing) I saw Wolf Alice. While I’ve seen them a few times before, it’s always special seeing a band you love at Glastonbury.
This was an amazing set in a perfect setting, showcasing all their albums along with two from the forthcoming new one. An unexpected cover of ‘Dreams’ by Fleetwood Mac was perfect for Ellie’s voice, and the contrast between ‘The Last Man on Earth’ and ‘Giant Peach’ one after another really shows the range of different types of songs they have. All in all, one of my favourite sets of the weekend.
Olivia Rodrigo
I’d put Olivia Rodrigo’s set joint-top with Pulp for me, she was incredible! I’ve covered that in a separate review here and clearly it’s a glowing review. Everything I’ve read about her has been so positive, and she totally deserves it.
Sub-Focus
We actually went to Iicon after Olivia to see Sub-Focus play. I’m not hugely into dance music but we had a great time, the sound system and stage production is incredible in that field. That was another Glastonbury first for us and we’ll definitely do that again.
Other thoughts
I’ve been to Glastonbury so many times now and seen so many changes that I notice when things are changing, and this year was a big shift. I think for the better, but I know some don’t agree. I’ve also got some food and drink thoughts!
Crowds and atmosphere
I thought there were MUCH less crowds this year. The stages seemed quieter, we were able to get nearer the front for pretty much anything we wanted including the headliners. Obviously this wasn’t the case at Charli XCX or Kneecap for those who saw them, or any peak time South East Corner trips, but it really did seem quieter overall.
The crowd seemed really up for it for most acts, with lots of singing and jumping around, which has been lacking at times in previous years.
There were also less picnic blankets and chairs around the stages, meaning moving was much easier. Yes, for any first timers, there used to be a LOT more! Maybe the messaging about not having them near the barrier is getting through because people really did seem to listen to that on the whole.
I thought the atmosphere was different, but not in a bad way. It has moved on from the old ways, and I don’t think having younger people enjoying themselves is that bad. We talked to a lot of first timers, and that’s a good thing.
Organisation
Security and crowd control seemed better this time, they were waiting with barriers and clearly had routes planned for the busier acts. They know things got bad last year with the Shania Twain/Avril Lavigne switchover, but they’ve really stepped it up a gear.
Food
We had some great food but here’s a list of a few that really stood out for me:
- The Breakfast Bus – this is by the entrance to the woods as you come through Michael’s Mead campsite. Easily the best full English I’ve had on site, and you can even get a seat on the open top deck, which makes it much easier to eat!!
- Pazzo’s Pizza – next to The Glade stage. Unexpectedly great, the first time I’ve eaten there and I’ll be going back. Still dreaming of that BBQ Chicken pizza now!
- Occasional Kitchen – in the Oxfam field, the food is consistently great, I just don’t get the chance to eat there much as I’m always on site. The pork goulash on the first night was excellent
- Paellaria – they have multiple locations, and were great every time
- The Roaming Rotisserie – a long-time Glastonbury staple next to Carhenge and the big Meeting Point tower. Consistently excellent in the many years I’ve eaten there
- Ragmarsh Farm stall – next to Carhenge, with farm-produced meat and chips from their own potatoes. Another consistently good one. Their burgers and chips were great.
- The pizza place in the Loving Arms crew bar – I didn’t catch the name and can’t find it, but it was excellent.
Drinks
The drinks offering has really stepped up this year. There is more variety across the bars, especially for beer drinkers.
The crew bars had Poretti, which is a big improvement on previous years’ lagers while Brooklyn Stonewall Inn IPA was available on a lot of bars, often with an actual tap to make sure it’s as fresh as possible. There was also an IPA that Steph liked called Laser Juice from the Bristol Beer Factory on some of the crew bars, but not in the main festival.
Steph was loving Aperol Spritz, which seemed to be available at most bars unless they’d run out, and there was Pimms as an alternative.
This is all alongside the tried and tested Brothers Festival Apple cider on all bars, which is as fresh as can be as it’s brewed just down the road.
Summary
Overall, Glastonbury Festival 2025 was my favourite out of the 12 I’ve attended. The weather was great, if a little hot at times, and we managed to see an incredible amount of music considering we also had to work shifts. The organisation seems to have reached a peak level and the atmosphere remains unique and special.
Random things
You see so much random artwork and flags at Glastonbury, so here’s a selection of my favourites that I remembered to take a picture of:
Funny art is on the toilets all round site
A great on-theme reminder in the Loving Arms crew bar
Every bin is painted in a custom way by a team who spend the weeks before the festival on site doing just that. Here’s the Woodstock bin!
The fog at 5am Monday morning – eerie!
