Didn't get Glastonbury tickets? How to deal with Glasto blues

Image: Glastonbury Festival

It’s official, we’ve got some Glastonbury envy on the go right now. The rain is belting our windows and all we’ve heard about at Skiddle HQ is all our mates (and a couple of writers) going there without us. Even our boss has gone! The good thing is we’re certainly not alone in suffering from the inevitable onslaught of Glasto Blues, and we’ve got one or two tips on how to get to grips with it. Here’s our fool-proof guide.

Denial (and then acceptance)

Tell yourself you’d really rather not be there. Maybe if you repeat it over and over again it’ll sink in, but you’re not going to escape people talking about it this weekend. The BBC gets taken over on both the radio airwaves and television channels by the festival and now there’s all plenty of phone charging facilities you’re sure to be inundated with phonecalls, texts and social network updates imploring about how great it is. And the worst part is they are 100% right.

Glastonbury remains the pinnacle of Festivals for so many because it really is a truly special event. That said it is bloody hard work, regardless of weather, so you can genuinely reassure yourself that this weekend you are taking it easy, as well as saving a lot of cash. The cost for both preparing, and indulging, for four to five days of hedonism in a field is far from cheap, so if the weight of disappointment is weighing you down focus on that silver lining. And if you’re really vindictive pray that the dark cloud it’s attached to makes its way to the South West.

Get an alternative lined up in the UK

It’s arguably the most famous and iconic festival on the planet, but it sure as hell isn’t the only one. There’s so many festivals still to happen which can give you an experience to remember this summer, both here in the UK and further afield.

If you’re after another bulging line-up that follows a similar pattern to the mainstream rock aesthetic of the Pyramid and Other Stages at Glastonbury, you could do worse than opt for the Reading and Leeds festivals. Eminem, Nine Inch Nails and Green Day are among the headliners this year, and Reading’s heritage and history is almost as lengthy as the Pilton Farm Festival.

Watch: Latitude Festival Preview

Maybe it’s the huge litany of options across Glastonbury’s seemingly infinite stages that appeals? Whilst the Glasto vibe is so unique it can never be recreated, Latitude in Suffolk certainly shares the same belief in depth. Comedy, art, dance, literature and, of course, music, all form part of a brilliantly wide ranging list of activities. And there’s Kraftwerk, Foals, Eddie Izzard and Sean Lock all there.

And then you could eschew size and go for a boutique festival, which there’s literally too many of to mention. They are always cheaper and more intimate than their bigger cousins and many retain the family friendly vibes that Glastonbury also promotes. Farmfestival lives up this billing, preaching a “wonderfully tranquil, aggression free atmosphere”, and the most you’ll shell out for a ticket is £50, with prices starting at half that cost. All the details for that are here.

And there's plenty more festivals in our Festival Finder - check that out here.

Or abroad

Like we said earlier Glasto isn’t cheap, so maybe use the cash you’ve saved to go abroad. There’s foreign festivals like Exit in Serbia, which is just as big and glorious as Glastonbury, or something a little smaller like Croatia's Suncebeat. The cost of a ticket and flights, especially for a last minute deal, may very well clock in at less than the equivalent at Glastonbury as well, and it’s usually a lot cheaper for food and drink when you're over there as well.

Watch: Souldynamic's Suncbeat 3 Video Diary

If you’re really determined though to banish those blues and aren’t mindful of budget then there’s only one choice – Ibiza. Although the bands and live music angle isn’t quite up to the same level (but Ibiza Rocks does a bloody good job of trying) if you love dance music this is still your mecca. All the info you could ever need on the island is here.

There’s always next year

There really is. You can register for Glastonbury 2014 now and tickets go on sale again through the madcap lottery in October. All the info on that is on the Glastonbury website here. Here at Skiddle HQ some of us have missed out on tickets and made the cut in the past, and all that disappointment evaporates instantly once you finally get there. Let’s hope 2014 is your year.