Glastonbury Festival

Markets - Shopping and Eating

Raise a Mug to the Best Stall Winner

Giving the chance for visitors to feed their inner throwback, the 1950s-themed beauty salon Laundromat of Love makes sure those who wander into the strangest little corner of Glastonbury can re-emerge made up, feeling pampered and ready to party. Perhaps it is this dedication to serving their fellow man – plus the fact they all seem completely nuts – that has netted the retro pamper palace the title of best stall at this year’s festival...

For more information, and to see a list of the worthy runners-up, click here.

Glastonbury’s remarkable markets

One of the many pleasures of the Festival has to be shopping and eating – there can be few places where you have so much choice in such a small area…...Stage right from the Pyramid stage, in A market, the Cider Bus is a great place to watch the world go by. Sit and listen to the Bandstand performances with some hot spicy cider and a snack from the variety of nearby food stalls. By the Bandstand, enjoy the best lassis, milkshakes and rooh-afzah sherbert, while playing on one of the 15 carrom tables provided by the Carrom Association of United Kingdom – and just next door you can buy the CD of the unsigned bands who reached the finals of the Festival competition. For a transformation pop along to Queen Lear’s - her of top hat, net and beads - she is new this year and we can’t wait to meet her. At different times of day (and night) Salon 25 will be a chill out space, an art house cinema or an exclusive funky (non-alcoholic) café bar – with some mellow live entertainment.

On the walk from the Pyramid to the Other stage over Whitelake Bridge, don’t miss the Umuzi Café serving African Caribbean cuisine or Sarah’s East African cooking at the African Safari Kitchen. Check out the BBQ Pizza – pizza with a definite difference and ‘uttapa’. Mexican is on offer at West Coast Caterers. Oli’s of Brighton have some tasty vegetarian and vegan delights to take over to the Pyramid Stage.

The Information Point at the Meeting Point has moved across the road to B market, and there are some excellent food stalls near here – Lewis’ delicious seafood and the Real Meat Sausage Company where you will find delicacies such as lamb, apricot and ginger sausages. As you head down the site, on the corner is Jazz Lounge where you can chill out with a beer, tapas and listen to the cool sounds of an in house jazz band and their guests, check out the décor!

Pilton Pasta are on the opposite side off the road – and for all you who reckon that the best food on site is Naz and Heather’s tikka - do not despair, the Kosy Kitchen has not left – they have moved form their traditional site with their legendary chicken tikka kebabs to J3 market on the other side of the main stages. Don’t miss Yogi Mela across the road in C market where Bengali and Eastern Asian foods are lovingly prepared by yogic monks who are specialists in preparing sattvic food in accordance with Ancient yogic principles.

In the adjacent Theatre field Tony Jaffe runs his Arts Café, with photographic exhibition. You can sit out in his teagarden, enjoy a leisurely glass of wine and sample the creations made by the chefs from nearby famous Millfield School. On the other side of I market you can blend your own smoothie with pedal power at Blendavenda and sample Original Welsh Oggies!

As you wander towards Yeoman’s Bridge there is so much good food - stunning homemade pies from the Square Pie Company; kickin’ Creole food at Yam the Cassava; pasta and cous cous at Green Pepper Red Tomato; ostrich steaks at Osgrow; more falafels, veggie burgers and humous at Gibb’s Catering and top vegetarian Indian food at Krishna Indian Cuisine.

On the Circus Field side of the road, in H market Siam City are cooking Thai food and the Dorset Blue Soup Company will warm the cockles of your heart with their home-made soup – they also do ploughman’s with Dorset Blue Vinney cheese. Mediterranean Taste serve up Turkish pancakes. Wot no French cuisine? La Grande Bouffe is on the corner of the Jazz World Field – they won best stall in 2003 - close by are Good Thai Dins, and the Festival welcomes back the distinguished writer on food, Leon, with his amazing vegetarian platters.

Up into the Greenfields – Adam’s Tiny Tea Tent for tea/coffee and a short cabaret in the evening. Next door Pizza Tabun make delicious pizzas in a lovely environment. You can relax with chai and join in the workshops in the Chai Chapel; Soup-a-Juice make excellent organic soup and juice and in the Banyan Tree you can relax with organic tea and coffee while you listen to performers on the open mike slot.

In the Avalon Field, in addition to the excellent Avalon Stage and Little Massive Stage, there is a lovely café where they play wonderful music; there is also the opportunity to improve your circus skills with Circus Toys; or have a Brazilian experience with Out of the Blue as they perform their Capoeira and serve Acai; and can you believe you could also have yourself wrapped in hot towels at GIG (do they know how many people come to the Festival?!) You could then go all nice and clean to Dress ups for a makeover before having a go on the Swingboats. The craft stalls are great too - Kickin Roots driftwood furniture; Sunglass – stained glass; recycled and home crafted gifts at Second Nature; jewellery and clothing at Jupiter and other excellent stalls. You may not want to leave Avalon.

As you make your way to the west of the site past the south of F market and the late night sounds of Mamafrica, for Caribbean specialities go to PK Spices; you will also find Wallington’s Organic Bakery and at the White Spring Café you can grab a vegan snack while perusing local artwork. Once over Oxylers Bridge in the Other Stage arena Arnold’s Alfresco will chargrill you that special burger or steak. On the way to the Pyramid stage on the west of the site past Turkish cuisine at Mani Caterers, Falafel George is back with the best falafels in the world (he says), Prince at Ital foods barbeques corn on the cob; colourful and healthy Mexican food at Pura Vida while next door Mr Wolf does some good vegetarian and smoothies.

You can get your groove on at The Cafe where DJs produce some funky, upbeat and raw sessions on the decks. Then you can savour some very special Jamaican food at Yvonne Hunts before completing your tour of the site by making your way round to the Guardian Reading Lounge stage left of the Pyramid – where you can relax and enjoy a fair-trade tea or coffee while catching up with news offsite.

Spread around the site, in the camping fields all day breakfasts, burgers and carveries are on offer while Goodness Gracious Healthy Foods provide for vegetarians and vegans in the campervan fields. The family camping fields are fortunate to have Street Sub Aqua Club providing all day breakfasts in Cockmill meadow and in the Big Ground, you can find Mrs Morgan of Anansi’s with her wonderful Creole cooking.

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Glastonbury is proud to announce that the site will be selling exclusively Fairtrade products. For more information on Fairtrade and Fairtrade products click on the relevant image.

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