Glastonbury Festival 2017 Round Up…. Glasto with Kids!

Photos by Emma Stoner Photography

Glastonbury 2017…

Ahh wonderful Glastonbury… its been over 12 years since I last saw your wonders (yikes, am I really that old?!)

I have always been a festival girl at heart – I love everything about it from the music, to the food, the fashion, the diversity, the nightlife to the wonderful corners filled with art installations and festival parades.

I spent most of my twenties hitting the festival scene but when I turned thirty I got married to Lee and a year later we were parents; sadly my good old festival days were behind me!  This was until 2015 when some mates and I got drunk at Christmas and on a whim booked Wilderness tickets; we left the kids with our parents and spent the weekend eating great food, covered in glitter and dancing till dawn in the Valley… we had an incredible time and my love for festivals was reborn!

My photo from 2002- spot the girl on the L with the red vest?! Yep that’s me!

Glastonbury is one festival I would really love to return too, but now I have kids its been something Ive been really hesitant about- Do I really want to struggle with camping, 100,000’s of people, the dirt, portaloos, the late nights and two misfit kids to run after?! So when our lovely Mr & Mrs Unique supplier Emma from Emma Stoner Photography was off to photograph Glastonbury this year with her two year old Lila in tow; I was really interested in whether she survived the weekend, whether it was a hassle and what was on offer for those families with young kids.

Over to Emma to tell us more and to share her photos from the 5 day party…

Emma Stoner Photography…

Emma and Little Lila

Glastonbury 2017 was absolutely magic! I was lucky enough to be working this year as a festival photographer for Glastonbury Festivals. I have done this before and loved every second as the festival is such a photographers paradise. This year, however, I had my two year old in tow (eek!) so I wasn’t at all sure how it would go. Turns out, I had nothing to worry about at all as Glastonbury is an amazing experience with children. My little girl, Lila, was truly in her element here, she relished every second and it remains our highlight of this year. We have done another festival together since but nothing compared. There is something magical about Glastonbury and, particularly this year with added sunshine and optimism in the air.

I was assigned to cover the Greenfields and other small assignments, such as documenting the Thali Cafe, which serves the most scrumptious Indian food! We arrived on the Wednesday and it was baking hot. I managed to first cool down in the Green Kids Field, which had a couple of paddling pools… I promptly sat in one of them fully clothed! Of course, the weather is always a topic at Glastonbury and there was a great photo opportunity as the fire brigade arrived just outside the Greenpeace field to hose people down! They were well needed in the baking weather, I think it was about 35 degrees so people were overheating. Luckily, the rest of the festival cooled down to a much more manageable temperature. I always forget how big the Glastonbury Festival Site and its much easier to navigate moderate weather. 

It was very different working with a child and, rather than stomping around shooting pics, I had to stop and document little stories. People were very helpful and friendly so this enabled me to get some good shots of more intimate gatherings, such as a blacksmith workshop in Green Crafts. I even managed to photograph a handfasting in the Tipi Field as friends of the couple entertained Lila! 

My absolute highlight of the 5 days we were there was seeing Jeremy Corbyn speak at the Leftfield stage. The crowd was about 10,000 and we were at the front to get photos of him. Billy Bragg played before his arrival and welcomed him to the stage. It was a very exciting experience and the perfect gig for Lila as no loud music was involved! She had even got a little wave from Jeremy earlier as he ate his lunch in the Greenpeace field!! Again, the people we were stood next to were super helpful and held Lila whilst I changed lenses. 

It was only on our last day that we discovered the delights of the Kidz Field. Throughout the festival we had visited Green Kids, this is a great little space with a children’s library and a fab Stick Man workshop, amongst other things. The Kidz Field is much bigger and more extensive, with rides for children as well as workshops, parades, storytelling and it’s very own cafe, offering fish fingers and other kiddy favourites on the menu. Lila was pretty tired by this point and she had a few tantrums with a pink ukulele – at one point stomping off with it like a tiny Dolly Parton on-route to the Pyramid Stage!!

The music workshop here was amazing though, as children of all ages joined together for a ‘Kidz Field Anthem’ sharing an assortment of instruments – guitars, drums and ukulele’s. I was really impressed to see Glastonbury Festival inspiring and encouraging the next generation of musicians… who knows how many of these children will go on to play on the Glastonbury stages in years to come!

A huge thank you Emma Stoner Photography for capturing the heart and spirit of Glastonbury!! Think I will definitely try going with my kids one year, now I know there is so much on offer :) If you would like to find out more about Emma and her creative wedding photography that specialises in festival style weddings, you can visit her website HERE