How do I get Glastonbury tickets?

Tickets are sold by ballot. Registration opens in late September via glastonburyfestivals.co.uk. You register with a photo ID and pay a holding deposit. The actual sale happens in October. Demand is roughly 4x supply. An April resale offers a second chance. There are no day tickets, no walk-up sales, and no tickets sold at the gate.

Why is Bristol listed for Glastonbury when the festival is in Somerset?

Worthy Farm, where Glastonbury takes place, is 35 kilometres from Bristol. Bristol is the nearest city in the BPH directory with a hostel scene. Coaches run from Bristol city centre to the festival site throughout the week. Many attendees use Bristol as a base: staying in a hostel and travelling to the site daily is cheaper than camping if you already own a tent but not camping gear, and more comfortable if you do not.

How do I get from Bristol to the Glastonbury Festival site?

National Express and local coach operators run services from Bristol city centre and Bristol Temple Meads throughout the festival week. The journey takes 1 to 1.5 hours. Book in advance: services fill during the festival. Driving is strongly discouraged; the surrounding roads are closed or gridlocked on peak festival days.

When should I book a Bristol hostel for Glastonbury week?

Book 3–4 months ahead. Bristol hostel availability for the last week of June disappears quickly once the Glastonbury lineup is announced in spring. The cheapest option is to book a full-week block rather than individual nights: prices are often lower and you avoid losing your bed.

What are the main stages at Glastonbury?

The five principal stages are the Pyramid Stage (main headliners), the Other Stage (second headliners and strong support acts), the West Holts (electronic and world music), the Park Stage (discovery and alternative acts), and the Acoustic Stage. Dozens of smaller stages, circus tents, and areas run parallel programming. The full timetable is released via the official app a few weeks before the festival.

Music festival (camping) · United Kingdom

Glastonbury Festival

Name: Glastonbury Festival
Start: 2026-06-24
End: 2026-06-28
Location: Bristol, United Kingdom

The world's most famous music festival happens in a Somerset field. Bristol is your hostel base. It is 35 kilometres away and the coaches run all week.

DatesLate June, 5 days (2026: 24–28 June: verify on official site)

LocationBristol

Attendance210,000

Entry£355 (5-day ticket, 2025 price: verify 2026 price on glastonburyfestivals.co.uk). Includes camping.

Annual in most years. Glastonbury takes a fallow year approximately every 5 years to allow the land to recover. 2026 is an active year. Tickets are sold by ballot in October of the preceding year.

What Is Glastonbury Festival?

Glastonbury Festival takes place at Worthy Farm, near Pilton in Somerset. The site is 35 kilometres from Bristol, the nearest city in the BPH directory. Most of the 210,000 attendees camp on-site for the full five days. A smaller group: including many backpackers and budget travellers: bases in Bristol and travels to the festival daily by coach. This page serves that second group.

Tickets are sold by ballot. Registration for the ballot opens in late September and the sale typically happens in October of the year before the festival. In 2025, the full 5-day ticket (including camping) cost £355. Demand exceeds supply by a ratio of roughly 4:1. If you register for the ballot and do not get tickets, you can try again in the resale in April. Day tickets are not usually available.

The festival site has five main stages: the Pyramid Stage (the largest outdoor stage in the world at capacity), the Other Stage, the West Holts, the Park, and the Acoustic Stage. The programming spans rock, pop, electronic, folk, hip-hop, and world music across five days and across dozens of smaller stages and areas. The Glastonbury lineup is announced in stages from February: following the announcement cycle is part of the anticipation.

For Bristol-based attendees, coaches run from Bristol city centre to the festival site from Wednesday to Sunday. The journey takes 1 to 1.5 hours. Bristol hostels fill for Glastonbury week 3–4 months in advance. Wellies and waterproofs are standard festival kit regardless of the forecast. Prices verified March 2026.

Information verified March 2026

Where to Stay for Glastonbury Festival

Party hostels within reach of Bristol's main celebrations. Ranked by guest rating.

Find Party Hostels for This Event →

Getting There

Bristol Temple Meads is the main train station, 1h 45min from London Paddington. Bristol Airport is 12km south of the city. Coaches to the Glastonbury festival site run from Bristol city centre throughout the festival week.

London to Bristol

Train (GWR)·1hr 45min·£15–50

Bristol to Glastonbury Festival site

Coach (National Express)·1–1.5hr·£25–40 return

Bristol Airport to Bristol City Centre

Bus (A1 Flyer)·30min·£8

What to Expect

Day-by-day breakdown

Wednesday (arrival day)

Gates open, campers arrive

Festival gates open on Wednesday morning. Campers arrive and set up. If you are basing in Bristol, Wednesday is a good day to travel out and walk the site: it is significantly less crowded than Thursday onwards. The Glastonbury opening night has a tradition of smaller acts and site exploration rather than headline performances.

Thursday–Saturday

Main programme days

The full programme runs Thursday to Sunday. The Pyramid Stage headliners perform Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings. Plan your days in advance using the app (released a few weeks before the festival): with multiple stages running simultaneously, going without a rough plan means missing acts by accident. The Park Stage has a reputation for discovery acts; the West Holts for electronic and world music.

Daily if basing in Bristol

Coach from Bristol

National Express and local operators run coach services from Bristol city centre and Bristol Temple Meads to the festival site. Coaches run early morning and evening throughout the festival. The journey is 1 to 1.5 hours each way. Book the coach in advance: they fill during the festival days. Budget approximately £25–40 return for daily coach travel.

Sunday evening

Final headliner and departure

The Sunday evening headliner on the Pyramid Stage is traditionally the festival's emotional close: acts like Radiohead, Adele, and Paul McCartney have played this slot. If you are travelling back to Bristol on Sunday night, check the coach departure times carefully: the post-headliner rush means coaches from the site can run over an hour late.

Budget Breakdown

Realistic costs per person · Verified March 2026

ItemLowHigh

Glastonbury ticket (5-day, including camping)

Prices for 2026 unconfirmed at time of writing. Ballot opens in October 2025. Verify at glastonburyfestivals.co.uk.

£355

£375

Dorm bed in Bristol (per night, Glastonbury week)

Bristol hostels spike during Glastonbury week. Book 3–4 months ahead. Cheaper to book a full week than individual nights during peak.

£22

£32

Coach Bristol to Glastonbury (return, per day)

National Express and local operators. Book in advance: last-minute availability is limited.

£25

£40

Food and drinks at the festival

Festival food is high quality but expensive. Budget £15–25 for a meal. There are over 100 food traders across the site.

£40

£80

Wellies and waterproof jacket

Non-optional. Glastonbury mud is legendary. If you do not own wellies, buy before you travel: prices near the site inflate sharply.

£30

£80

Power bank

Phone charging on-site costs £5–10 per charge. A 20,000mAh power bank covers 3–4 full days without recharging.

£15

£30

Prices in GBP. Festival week prices may be higher than standard rates. Prices verified March 2026.

Practical Tips

Tickets are by ballot: register in October

The Glastonbury ticket ballot registration opens in late September. You register with a photo ID and a deposit. The sale happens in October. If unsuccessful, a second chance resale occurs in April. Day tickets do not exist. If you are planning to attend, register for the ballot as soon as registration opens: there is no advantage to being early in the registration window, but there is a significant disadvantage to missing it.

Wellies are not optional: buy before you travel

Glastonbury's fields are clay-heavy and Somerset June weather is unpredictable. Even in a dry year, morning dew and overnight rain make the ground soft. Wellies are standard kit. Buy a pair before you leave Bristol: near the site, they cost two to three times the normal price. A waterproof jacket takes up no space and covers you for most conditions.

Download everything before you go

The festival site has very limited mobile signal across 900 acres of Somerset farmland. Download the Glastonbury app, offline maps, and any music you want before you arrive. Arrange physical meeting points with your group rather than relying on messaging.

The site is cashless

Glastonbury is now a cashless festival: all transactions go via the RFID wristband system, funded by card before you arrive. Top up your wristband online before the festival. On-site top-up points exist but queues are long. Any unused credit is refunded after the festival.

Lock valuables at the Bristol hostel

If you are day-tripping from Bristol, leave your passport, laptop, and anything irreplaceable in the hostel safe. The festival site is generally safe but pickpocketing occurs in dense crowd situations. Carry only what you need for the day.

Stay Hydrated

Alternate alcoholic drinks with water throughout the day and night. Heat, dancing, and alcohol combine quickly. Most venues sell bottled water cheaply.