Each June, thousands of people travel to a field six miles from Glastonbury, a small town in southwest England. Over the weekend, the local population grows from about 10, 000 to over 185, 000, with many people arriving from abroad. They're taking part in the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, one of the biggest open-air festivals in the world.
If you go, you will have the chance to see famous performers and enjoy lots of different activities. The main stage is called the pyramid (金字塔) stage and mainly features rock and pop acts (表演). The world's biggest musical acts have performed there over the years. There are over 15 stages where you can listen to nearly any musical genre (种类), including jazz, hip-hop, folk and Latin music.
However, it is not just a music festival. There are many other kinds of performing arts at the event. There is a comedy stage, a cinema tent and a poetry area. You can watch one of Shakespeare's plays or have your face painted. You can take part in art activities or learn how to juggle (玩杂耍). Children under 12 years old can get in for free. They can watch puppet (木偶) shows or enjoy a picnic.
While the festival is definitely fun, it's not exactly a luxury (享受) weekend. It is difficult to travel to and from the festival site on country roads and you can sometimes get stuck in traffic jams for hours. In bad weather, the field can turn into a mud bath.
But once you are there, it is an experience of a lifetime.
