Lucy Courtenay, a kids’s ebook writer in her fifties, determined to go to Glastonbury for the primary time this yr – and to do all of it on her personal. Courtenay is sweet along with her personal firm and determined to see what it will be prefer to go solo. “Whereas Glasto is clearly for teams,” she says, “solo means you are able to do something and speak to anybody.”
Courtenay takes a distinct strategy to the competition than if she had been with a bunch of buddies. “Ingesting alone is not enjoyable, so I am soberly conscious of how many individuals are drunk or excessive with their buddies, however being a lone observer might be enjoyable.” Courtenay retains a diary from her tent and on Thursday – the day Glastonbury kicks off – she notes: “how younger everyone seems to be, how blissful the Peace Dome [a space for meditation and prayer] was at dawn this morning, how glittery beards are a powerful and excellent look, miracle employee Derek within the therapeutic massage tent within the Therapeutic Fields tackling my exhausted hips, how Emily Eavis does her job convincing folks to not drop their crap all over the place, how fantastic all of the artists being, and the overall joyful vibe of individuals residing their finest lives. Would not it’s nice if we might carry that glowing Glasto spirit into houses and workplaces all yr spherical?”
Courtenay has found that she has some buddies who come to Glastonbury in a while, each as workers and gamblers, so she’ll do some socializing with folks she is aware of as nicely. “I’ll stretch my social wings and hope they nonetheless work. I’ve heard of two teams on Fb for singles, however have not joined but. I favor to see what occurs. Being alone at a competition is an perspective and nothing to disapprove of, and I benefit from the admiration I’ve had from varied quarters. I like doing it for girls of their 50s to point out that it is each doable and intensely liberating. Do not let the world take away your energy, solo ladies! It is a pity there aren’t any showers, however I can solely scent myself…”.
Though that is Courtenay’s first time, Joe Lepper, 51, a veteran of solo Glastonbury, is now in his eleventh yr going solo. He likes it this fashion and is ok with leaving his accomplice at house. “Lots of people exit with different folks,” he says, “but it surely’s possible that two folks would not need to see the identical act as a result of everybody has their very own eclectic tastes, and so it is very nice to share my musical pursuits and never really feel like I one thing unsuitable. When you go alone you do not get any of these issues. I typically meet folks at totally different occasions, and if I stand in entrance of a small tent and watch an obscure band that I like, the folks round me will prefer it too, so we instantly have one thing in frequent, which is helpful.” Though he’s very comfy being solo, he agrees there’s a stigma connected to it: “I do have buddies!” he assures, “however going to Glastonbury alone is like going to the cinema alone – many individuals by no means do it, however once they do, they have a tendency to essentially prefer it. You may get pleasure from it alone, however you by no means actually should be alone.”
For 42-year-old Dan Johnson from Leeds, going solo to Glastonbury in 2017 turned out to be the most effective determination of his life. “The good friend I went with needed to drop out every week early as a result of he had appendicitis, and I used to be contemplating whether or not to go. I made a decision I could not miss it, however was nervous about it. A bunch of individuals began chatting with me and once I mentioned I used to be solo they invited me to go see a band with them. That night I struck up a dialog with one in every of them and we bought alongside very nicely. So good, actually, that she turned my spouse. So I’d say there are actually nothing however advantages to not figuring out who you’ll meet…”
