Earlier this month we measured the West End against the World Cup. If you’ve managed to tear yourself away from coverage of that momentous event long enough to take a brief look at your Twitter feed or those choice smug Facebook updates from friends, you’ll know it’s just a week until another stratospherically popular event, Glastonbury.
You may not know this, but while around 170,000 people will have been lucky enough to have cracked the complicated mathematical equation of refresh-button-to-patience-ratio to score Glastonbury tickets, more than double that amount of theatre fans and musical theatre lovers are estimated to be coming along to West End LIVE this weekend.
To celebrate festivals of all kind, we decided to follow in our football-inspired footsteps to pitch the two very different weekends against one another and help you decide if you’re more of a Glasto spirit or West End LIVE lover.
Mud vs flip flops
Glastonbury without mud is like panto without Christopher Biggins. Even when the sun is gracing Pilton Farm with its presence and a heat wave appears, the stuff magically conjures itself just so crazy folk like the ones on the left can indulge in some annual mud wrestling. In contrast look at the shiny clean West End LIVE-goers on the right! That’s right, this is a festival where you can head home for a shower and even wear flip-flops if the mood takes you…
Bands vs musical theatre stars
While West End LIVE doesn’t have Arcade Fire, Metallica or Kasabian (until one of them creates a musical of course…) it does have everyone from Wicked to popstar turned stage diva The Bodyguard’s Alexandra Burke. And the pictures below demonstrate just how much you’re likely to actually see of the performers on stage at both festivals. Yes, I think I can see an arm somewhere on the screen at Glastonbury…
Glasto dressing-up vs West End costumes
One of the great Glasto traditions along with cider and wellies is to let your freak flag fly and indulge in the kind of dressing up more suited to a kids party than a black tie affair. While we can’t help but appreciate the effort these wizard hat-wearing leotard men have made, they’re not a patch on the costumes seem on stage every night around the West End.
Family fun in a field vs the city
Both festivals are brilliantly geared up to keep everyone from babies to adults with a smile on their face for the whole weekend. While Glastonbury might have a Kids field, Fireman Sam says thumbs up to West End LIVE and who could argue with Sam?
Pyramid stage vs the West End LIVE stage
Acres of farm vs the West End
If you’ve never been to Glastonbury, one thing you might not realise is it will be the best workout you’ve ever had. The festival is the size of a small town and just walking from your tent to the Circus Field can be enough to burn off your breakfast baguette. In contrast, West End LIVE is positively – and comfortably – pocket sized, and that’s probably the first time Trafalgar Square has ever been called that.
Glasto toilets vs public toilets
Glastonbury toilets have become legendary and we’re not sure we need to go into much more detail than that. All we’ll say is we feel as elated as the people on the right to know that West End LIVE comes equipped with proper toilet facilities…
Sleeping in a tent vs heading home to bed
Popularity for festivals where you head off at the end of the day to the comfort of your own bed and a cup of tea has exploded in the last few years, and it’s not hard to tell why. While romantic ideals of sleeping under the stars are all well and good, throw in a dance tent across the field and people falling over your tent strings at 04.30 in the morning and that duvet might start looking pretty cosy…
….and one for luck, did we mention West End LIVE is free? No tickets needed, just a pleasant queue. We’ll see you there on 21 and 22 June!
