Glastonbury Festival returns today (June 21) and if you’re preparing yourself for a camping trip, you might be wondering what the toilet facilities are like at the festival.
Toilet queues are often lengthy at festivals with lots of people wanting to go at the same time and you’re never really sure what condition they’ll be in when you finally get to the front.
To help give you an idea of the cleaning process and the best times to go to the toilet at Glastonbury, a former Glastonbury volunteer who used to clean the toilets spoke to Sanctuary Bathrooms to reveal the secrets behind the UK's biggest festival's toilets.
Glastonbury toilet secrets revealed as 2023 festival begins
The volunteer has remained anonymous but told Sanctuary Bathrooms which toilets are the best and worst to visit at Glastonbury as well as how often they get cleaned and what times the toilets are cleaned.
How are the toilets at Glastonbury cleaned?
The former volunteer said everyone who is volunteering to clean the toilets are split into groups and given an area of toilets to clean in six hours.
“There is actually another team who are there to professionally manage sanitation onsite, whereas our team were more there to ensure the upkeep of the toilets, so we also did a litter pick to tidy up our given areas as part of our shift.
“We just did things to keep them clean and sanitised, such as disinfecting areas that people are touching (i.e., toilet seat and handles), and then if it’s really bad we had a mop to deep clean the toilet cubicle”, the former volunteer added.
When are the toilets cleaned at Glastonbury?
The shifts covered by the volunteers began at 6am and ran until 12am which was split into three shifts – 6am-12pm, 12pm-6pm and 6pm-12am.
The shift times were when the toilets would be cleaned, the former volunteer explained.
Which toilets at Glastonbury are the best and worst when it comes to cleanliness?
The best toilets to visit at Glastonbury are those near the main stage, also known as the Pyramid Stage, according to the former volunteer.
Despite them being busier, they said “they tend to put more people on to keep these cleaner.”
Some toilets are cleaned less regularly, according to the former volunteer, who said: “The worst ones I would say are the ones that are further out around the outskirts of the site, as they can sometimes be difficult to find and aren’t cleaned as often.”
Which toilets are the best to go to at Glastonbury?
“The compostable toilets are not bad and can also be found in some of the bars so they tend to be a little bit more like what you’d find at home in terms of cleanliness. If you want the BEST toilets onsite, then volunteer or work, as the staff toilets were by far the nicest. Or, pay to go into the glamping sites”, the former volunteer said.
However, the former volunteer reveals that the glamping toilets are no nicer than elsewhere, apart from them being generally cleaner: “The posher camping toilets are better than the ones in the general camping areas, but this is just down to the fact there are less people using them!”
What is the best time to use the toilets at Glastonbury?
Remembering the times that the toilets get cleaned could help you find the cleanest ones.
“The best, and quietest time to use the toilets is 12am because most of the big acts have finished – although the festival is still busy!”, the former volunteer said.
“They will also have had 18 hours of cleaning throughout the day, so they’ll be in really good condition”, they continued.
Another tip to consider is “don’t go to toilets near an act that has just finished their set” as this will mean they’re “absolutely packed” and will be used a lot at this point.
3 days to go... pic.twitter.com/ToSRKy0dHe
— Glastonbury Festival (@glastonbury) June 18, 2023
The former volunteer also says festival goers shouldn’t go to the toilets first thing in the morning if they’re looking for a clean toilet as “no one will have been on shift to upkeep them since 12am, so the first time they’ll be getting cleaned is 6am.”
They added: “This is also the busiest time as people are getting ready for the day ahead of them, so if you can hold off a little bit longer, then I’d definitely recommend doing so.”
James Roberts, Director at Sanctuary Bathrooms, who spoke to the former volunteer, said: “When you’re headed off camping somewhere for a few days, festival or not, it’s handy to have peace of mind on when the toilet facilities are going to be cleaned.
“Then, you can come prepared with the necessary hygiene items and knowledge of which areas are potentially going to be the most pleasant to use!
“We hope this insight reassures Glastonbury-goers that the toilets are cleaned more often than you might think.”
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