For Glastonbury veteran Katharine Hubbard, this year marks a significant milestone: her tenth visit to the legendary Worthy Farm in Somerset.
But beyond the decade-long dedication, Hubbard is keen to share a perhaps surprising revelation – the world’s largest greenfield music and performing arts festival is just as enjoyable without alcohol.
Hubbard’s journey with the iconic UK festival began in 2013, sparking a passion that has endured for more than a decade.
Reflecting on her inaugural experience, the 38-year-old admitted: “I really didn’t know what I was letting myself in for, because at the time I’d never been camping, I wasn’t a huge gig person, and Glastonbury is really, when it comes to festivals, the biggest.”
She quickly discovered the festival’s unique charm extends far beyond its famous stages. “When you see it on TV you just see these huge crowds in front of the Pyramid Stage, which is a huge part of it, but it’s so much more. It’s so magical. Everyone is so nice and the spirit of it is really incredible,” she added.
Her decision to attend sober came two years ago, following a successful Dry January. Hubbard chose to extend her drinking hiatus into the summer, leading to her first alcohol-free Glastonbury experience – a choice she has clearly embraced for subsequent visits.
She explained: “I always do Dry January and I’d read that you need to do it for three months to feel the difference in your body so I didn’t drink in January 2023 to March, and then by the end of March, I was like, I’m not really bothered about drinking again.
“So, I just carried on not drinking through to that Glastonbury and beyond for a bit. I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t be as fun, but it turns out that I was!”
Ahead of Glastonbury Festival’s return, Katharine has shared some tips for curious sober festivalgoers to follow:
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You can still be fun without alcohol
“I was a bit worried about not being fun enough. Would I be able to get into the swing of things? Would I be the boring person in the group? But I didn’t find that at all,” said Hubbard.
“I would actually say out of all the Glastonburys I’ve been to, 2023 was the best one. It was really amazing.
“One night we were up till 6am and everyone I was with was drinking, but I didn’t feel any difference between my experience and theirs.”
Join the Glastonbury Reddit community
Each year in the lead-up to the festival, Hubbard shared that she really enjoys looking interacting with fellow festivalgoers on the Glastonbury Festival community page on Reddit.
The r/glastonbury_festival page currently has 71,000 subscribers and has had 3.6 million visits in the last 30 days, according to Reddit. Alongside its usual helpful tips and tricks, Hubbard said she noticed more discourse this year around attending the festival sober.
“There’s often people on the page who’ve never been before and it’s quite nice to just dip in and give advice,” said Hubbard.
“Sometimes it will be about what you need to pack, sometimes it’s about what time to arrive on site, but this year I’ve noticed quite a few posts about people asking what it is like to not drink at the festival and if there any non-alcoholic options.
“Sometimes it’s pregnant women chipping in because they are obviously not drinking, but for most people it seems to be more of a choice, and it is really nice to see how many people are up for giving it a go.”
“If you’re worried about how your friends would react, you don’t have to share that you are not drinking. People might not even notice,” she said.
“Everyone just takes their own alcohol into Glastonbury and drinks out of miscellaneous bottles, so you can just put in whatever you like.
“Mine was filled with water and electrolytes, whereas my friends’ bottles were probably filled with 50 per cent vodka and 50 per cent coke, so no one actually noticed that I wasn’t drinking.
“I think that helps integrate you more if you are worried about people being funny about you not drinking.”
You have more energy
“I think I actually had a lot more energy than anyone else in our group because day drinking in the sun doesn’t necessarily make you feel great,” reflected Hubbard.
“I felt a lot more sprightly, was able to run around the site, and definitely, by the last day, I felt like I had more energy than the rest of the group, because it’s pretty gruelling.”
You can buy non-alcoholic drinks on-site
“They do sell non-alcoholic beer on site, so you can still buy cold drinks on site and feel like you’re in the vibe,” said Hubbard.
“However, a lot of people on the Reddit page pointed out that there only tends to be one type of non-alcoholic alternative at each bar.
“But maybe the festival organisers will have identified that and improved it, because it’s definitely become more of a trend for people to be looking for non-alcoholic alternatives.”
Bring sweets for energy
“I also had lots of sweeties because I felt like everybody was filling up on beers and stuff and I was getting hungry quite a lot, so I had to pack a lot of snacks just to keep up with everybody,” shared Hubbard.
Explore all the activities Glastonbury has to offer
“I think at Glastonbury you can do everything sober that you would do drunk because you’re not there necessarily to drink,” said Hubbard.
“You are there to experience the music, the comedy, or the talks. There is so much going on 24/7.”
