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Jackie: It's the middle of June and many British people are thinking about the highlight of their summer. But it's not going to a seaside holiday, it's going to a festival.
Richard: Yes. It seems that er… festivals, especially in the UK, are becoming more and more popular. There are hundreds of them every summer.
Jackie: So, what do we mean by a festival, Richard?
Richard: Well, I think it's usually a two or a three-day event, um… with lots of different… well, in a music festival, lots of different groups, book festivals you have different authors going um…
Jackie: Theatre festivals.
Richard: Theatre festivals [Jackie: Opera] as well. Opera, yes, there's a big one in Glyndebourne, isn't there? So… so a lot of them are focussed on one thing, like music but they also have lots of different stalls etc.
Jackie: Yes. Now it's June now and one of the more popular festivals that is coming up very soon in England is the Glastonbury festival, isn't it?
Richard: Yes, absolutely huge, getting bigger every year.
Jackie: So, if you go to… if you go to Glastonbury obviously you're going to be able to see some big bands playing there, but um... and like a lot of these festivals you can see… you can also see some dance, you can see um… lots of performing arts, and there's lots of strange things going on.
Richard: It's very alternative, isn't it? You have a lot of stalls with alternative healing and aromatherapy and all those sorts of things going on.
Jackie: So why do people go?
Richard: [laughs] Good question. I have to admit I'm not keen myself. It does take place in the summer but in England, in the UK, the summer can often be very wet. It gets very muddy and it's very famous, I think Glastonbury, lots of people camp there for three or four days and I don't fancy that at all.
Jackie: But it's… but… I… I think the weather obviously is a negative thing, but it's the communal experience, Richard, and being with the crowd and getting together to see all exciting things. It's fun.
Richard: [laughs] I'm not keen on that either. Big crowds, I don't like big crowds, really. You have to queue up for things, you have to queue up for the toilet, you have to queue up to get a drink, queue up to get something to eat um… maybe I'm just a killjoy but I'm not keen on that, either.
Jackie: Actually, they're not cheap nowadays. Glastonbury um… I think it's three days, it's a hundred and ninety-five pounds.
Richard: Yes, it's very expensive. And actually, also another thing with the crowds, you're a long way away, if you want to see a band you're miles away from the stage so you can't see very much either.
Jackie: I like listening to world music so although I've never been, I've always wanted to go to a WOMAD festival which is the World of Music and Dance*. And I just love the idea, you know, ideally, of being outside, in the sun, listening to some band from Senegal playing.
Richard: Yes
Jackie: That to me is wonderful.
Richard: Yes, I like that idea. If it's a little bit smaller, a bit more um… I don't know, just a small crowd is nice, and also lots of different things going on. I like that. Different stalls to go and see, a little market activity. I like that sort of thing.
Jackie: But maybe it's the big… the fact that it's become very big and quite commercial really.
Richard: Yes, that is a problem. Another thing with size - traffic jams, all these things, whoah no, I don't like those.
Jackie: So, what about you, the listeners? Are you going to a festival this year or is it just not your cup of tea? Why not write in and tell us?
*WOMAD – World of Music, Arts and Dance.
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