Michael and Emily Eavis opened the gates to Glastonbury on Wednesday morning
Last year, in an unlikely development, I was booked to DJ at Glastonbury Festival. When I arrived on Thursday afternoon, one thing struck me straight away.
There was a very particular atmosphere. The best way I can describe it is as a feeling of relief—like the wait is over. I'd never seen or felt anything like it.
That Thursday feeling stayed with me. I kept thinking about it in the months afterwards
Though the main stages open on Friday and run all weekend, Glastonbury is a five-day festival.
To its organiser, Emily Eavis, the first two days are special. The festival was started by her parents, Michael and Jean, and her memories are intertwined with family life.
She states, "Traditionally, I and my dad would go down to open the gates on Wednesday." "It's like letting people into Christmas in a way, you know? It's sort of like musical Christmas, because they're in the best state of mind."
The site gets crowded over the next two days. Additionally, nearly everyone joins at some point. "Normally Thursday afternoon is when we reach capacity," Emily tells me. "I get a message when we know that the site is full.
"I love the Thursday. I adore Thursday's energy." The same phenomenon that I observed last year is then described by her. "There's a palpable feeling of excitement, anticipation. People want to see everything and touch everything and be there together. It's a sense of community and the reunion of large groups of friends. "A palpable feeling of excitement," is the perfect way of putting it.
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Even though it has been 10 years since Emily was born, she has always been present for the festival's opening. The Pilton Pop, Folk, and Blues Festival was held in the back garden of her farmer parents in 1970 and featured performances by glam rocker Marc Bolan, pop star Wayne Fontana, and singer-songwriter Al Stewart. "I think this is the quickest way of clearing my overdraft," said Michael, when asked why he was staging a concert in the field where his dairy cows typically grazed.
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With a few fits and starts, that event went on to become the UK's most recognisable music festival.
And while it has changed over the years, some things have stayed the same.
According to Emily, "When I was little, it was very different from how it is now because it was so much smaller, there were very few people," and "it was very small." "But they still had the same look in their eyes which they have now, which is cheer, determination and commitment and joy and excitement and kind of magic.
"The look of, like, they're going to make this five days the best five days of their life and it's an amazing thing to witness."
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WATCH: 'It's absolutely ideal. It's a kind of a euphoria down here, away from the awful realities of life'.
Last year, I got to see it firsthand, and it was amazing. And as Emily once more sees the valley fill up, to my delight, I'm one of those who's pitching their tent.
I'll be DJing at Stonebridge on Thursday night and doing my best to capture the sense of expectation and possibility.
To do that, I've been getting some help from Radio 1's Greg James and his listeners – and from Drum & Bass DJ and producer Crissy Criss.
Last week, I took the lift from the BBC newsroom all the way to the top of London's Broadcasting House and joined Greg on his show.
We talked about Glastonbury – and Greg asked his listeners to send us voice notes describing the way they feel as the festival kicks off. The majority of them did. We then sampled some of those messages – alongside my interview with Emily Eavis.
Crissy Criss has scattered those samples across a track that's a celebration of what Thursday at Glastonbury is all about.
Greg will introduce the track at the Stonebridge venue where I'm DJing.
As you can probably tell, that Thursday last year had quite an impact on me.
As one of Greg's listeners put it: "You set yourself up, you've got your drink. Life is good. You are exactly where you should be." Or in the words of Emily Eavis: "They're going to make this five days the best five days of their life."
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