For financial or cultural reasons there are many who may never get the chance to enjoy the magic of Glastonbury. But now, a volunteer scheme is aiming to change that by offering places to refugees and others

Glastonbury Festival means many different things to the 210,000 people who turn up in Pilton, Somerset, for five days at the end of June. There’s the Pyramid stage lot, hyped to secure their front-of-crowd spot for the headline acts; and the ravers who shake off the stresses of regular life on the dancefloor up in Block9. There’s the blissed-out crowd watching the sunrise from the Stone Circle; the culture vultures making a beeline to hear talks from artists and other great thinkers; or those who crave peace and healing who head straight to the Green Fields.

It’s the immense size and scope of this creative wonderland that makes it one of the country’s most loved events – and why the £355 tickets always sell out in record time. However, this year, a group of festival first-timers will get to take in the wonder and spectacle of Glastonbury as volunteers and have their expenses covered.

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.

The hallowed gates at Worthy Farm are about to open for the 38th time, here veteran festival-goer Laura Martin makes sure you’ve got everything you need

If you’re one of the 200,000 music fans who are about to get stuck into five days of partying in the Somerset fields of fun; congratulations for managing to bag a much-coveted ticket. An absolutely golden weekend lies ahead of you (well, once the tent has been pitched).

But while it’s probably as far removed from a Scouts’ camping trip as you can get, it’s still advisable to follow their old mantra – even for a slightly more debauched countryside visit – and be prepared. With mere weeks to go, here’s everything you should plan, download and pack to make it a truly incredible experience …