This year marks Glastonbury veteran Katharine Hubbard’s 10th visit to the legendary Worthy Farm in the UK – and she’s eager to share that the world’s largest greenfield music and performing arts festival is just as enjoyable without alcohol.
Her Glasto journey began in 2013, igniting a lasting passion for the iconic festival that has endured for more than a decade for her.
Reflecting on her first time at the festival, 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. 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."
Read more: 10 other arts and music festivals to check out this summer
Two years ago, after a successful Dry January, Hubbard decided to continue her drinking hiatus well into the summer and attended her first Glastonbury sober.
"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," shared Hubbard. "I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t be as fun, but it turns out that I was!"
Here’s what she wants any Glasto newbies or curious sober festivalgoers to know…
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."
People won’t notice
"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, adding that she happily sipped on water and electrolytes throughout the day.
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 may be able to buy non-alcoholic drinks on-site
Thanks to the popularity of no and low alcohol drinks, there will likely be a 0.0 beer available somewhere at the festival of your choosing.
"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 of Glastonbury, although she notes that choice is limited. "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 snacks 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 the festival has to offer
"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."
