Jill Ratoff, from West Sussex, has attended every Glastonbury Festival since 2002 – and this year, three generations aged from one to 60 will be joining in the fun

“At 60 years old, 2024 will see me attending my 18th Glastonbury. It’s hard to put into words how important the festival has become to me and my family, because we’ve gathered so many incredible memories from our experiences on Worthy Farm.

“The first time I went was back in 2002, along with my brother and his family, who lived locally, my then-husband and our daughter Abigail, who was three. I wasn’t too sure about it at first – things like using the infamous ‘long-drop’ loos take some getting used to – but on my last night, I remember looking back across the campsite at the twinkling lights and realising that I absolutely had to go back.

We spoke to two of the traders heading to Glastonbury 2024 about their behind-the-scenes prep, what they’re most looking forward to, and why, when it comes to speedy payments, Vodafone’s onsite connectivity is king …

A five-day event spread over more than 360 hectares at Worthy Farm in Somerset, the Glastonbury Festival takes a full year of planning, with about 3,000 staff and volunteers working behind the scenes to help make the festival a bucket-list event for 200,000 or more revellers.

Among the staff are almost 800 vendors selling everything from food and drink to upcycled clothing, handmade jewellery and art. Whether they’re busy building up stock and testing new products or making sure the payment network at the festival won’t let them down, these vendors spend weeks planning their crucial contribution to the Glastonbury experience.