Intricately orchestrated crime and music festivals sound like two phrases that a random phrase generator spits out when you hit the start button. You would never expect the two to mix, would you? Well, at Glastonbury, the two do mix, and it’s even become a tradition at this point. Sounds bizarre, we know.
The Glastonbury festival is a yearly five-day music festival and a very crowded affair, thanks to the large pool of gate-crasher attendees who sneak in every year. It was started by Michael Eavis, who ran with a spark of inspiration he got from a 1970 open-air Led Zeppelin and organized the ‘Pilton Concert.’
With hundreds of thousands of people attending, the festival sees major artists such as Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Metallica, Adele, and many more appearing as headliners every year! Last year’s Glastonbury Festival headliners were Billie Eilish, Paul McCartney, and Kendrick Lamar, and they saw a huge turnout again, with many gate-crasher attendees.
Gate-crashing, or sneaking into the festival, has become an annual practice for many, with some even recording their sneaky adventures and posting them online on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and other social media platforms. These videos have been gaining traction in recent years, with one particular YouTuber’s sneaking in video racking up close to four million views.
While some have succeeded in these sneaky stunts, many of these law-breakers have little luck and are often caught red-handed, just as we saw happen this year.
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Glastonbury 2023: Arctic Monkeys, Guns N’ Roses, Elton John, And Busted Gate-Crashers
The 2023 Glastonbury Festival took place during the past week, from June 21st to June 25th. Crowds flocked to the festival with tickets in hand to see their favorite artists such as Arctic Monkeys, Guns N’ Roses, Elton John, Lana Del Ray, Lewis Capaldi, Lizzo, Lil Nas X, Rick Astley, Cat Stevens, and many more. Some, of course, came in with no tickets in hand, determined to burrow their way in somehow while going unnoticed.
Evidently, this is not the first time this is happening, with popular YouTuber Zac Alsop’s twelve-minute video documenting breaking into “the world’s most secure festival” going viral. The man successfully made his way in, armed with nothing but confidence, luck, strategy, his dog, and his dad!
Watch his rollercoaster of a break-in experience below!
This year too saw a successful break-in by TikTok user Connor McBee, who is on his two-year Glastonbury break-in streak right now. He documented his 2022 break-in and uploaded it on YouTube, attracting close to thirty thousand views!
Watch the complete video of his 2022 break-in experience below!
The two mentioned above are two among the many who succeeded when trying their luck breaking into Glastonbury festivals.
However, there are some who are not nearly as lucky and are just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Two unnamed TikTokers have posted the hilarious results of their strenuous yet failed Glastonbury experience on TikTok this year, inviting ridicule and praise left and right.
“Today, people, we’re breaking into Glastonbury,” was an enthusiastic starting statement for the duo as they embarked on a four-mile journey through woods, ditches, fields, and muddy terrains with their hearts set on grappling over the 13ft perimeter wall protecting the festival from floods of gate-crashers.
The two made their way to the high walls with high hopes of successfully sneaking in with grappling hooks. They seemed to have done so, although the process was not documented. The video cuts to the two sitting sullen in a security tent, obviously having been caught red-handed by the team of security guards surrounding them.
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Their brazen attitude shone through in the clips as one of the two can be heard saying, ‘It’s not good. Try again next year, boys, decidedly not dulled by their failed efforts.
The whole scene was laughable even to the security team as one of the members can be heard responding humorously, telling them that he would personally throw them in jail cells if they dared to show up again ticketless.
The best part of this is that grappling hooks are the tamest of ways that break-ins have been attempted so far. Somerset paraglider David Hoare has tried his hand at breaking in through the wild and dangerous way of paragliding, attracting fines and a bit of public humiliation.
Though these activities are literally petty crimes, Glastonbury Festival break-ins have been frequent and somewhat of a trend in recent years. Some find it hilarious. Some find it atrocious. You can take your pick!
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