The Dummy Guide to Glastonbury 2011

To those who made it through the downpour and whiffy mudbath, congratulations! But you may ask, with more than 2000 acts performing across over 60 stages within Glastonbury’s 500-acre site, where to start? We’ve put together a list of the live acts, DJs and things to do to get the very best the festival has to offer.

Sounds

The excitement already kicked off yesterday, with performances by the likes of Julio Bashmore, Maya Jane Coles, Swamp81’s Addison Groove and acid house pioneer A Guy Called Gerald. Today Wu-Tang Clan, Primal Scream, Caribou and Fatboy Slim are the obvious headliners to check out, and we just received some special news from Radiohead, who are set to make a surprise appearance at 8pm tonight at The Park stage. Little Dragon, Ghostpoet, Katy B, Jamie XX and SBTRKT are the notable, important stars of now that to make an effort not to miss. Looking for some more disco-y sounds to dance to? No problem: Soul Clap, Tensnake and Maxxi Soundsystem will serve to satisfy your musical needs.

Big Boi, Nicolas Jaar, James Blake and Battles make up a diverse collection of must-sees on Saturday. But you should also make a move to see Omar Souleyman, The Brandy Brauer Frick Ensemble, Janelle Monae, Friendly Fires and Tame Impala. Closing the festival on Sunday are big hitters Beyonce, TV On The Radio and Hercules & Love Affair. Also highly recommended is dancing your way to the stages where Claude VonStroke, Azari & III, Photek, Seth Troxler, Hyetal, Space Dimension Controller, Lone, Appleblim & Al Tourettes and Mount Kimbie are playing.

Eats and everything else

Glastonbury is not simply a music festival. Rather than sticking to your favourite area for the whole weekend, we recommend going tapas style – trying a bit of everything. Each area and stage of the festival has its own attractions. The Dance Village is where you can do your air-fisting and feet-stumbling. The Park is the ultimate escape, situated high on a green hill where you can find open-air stages, late-night bars, venues, cafes, a tipi village and art installations all overlooked by a 15-metre Ribbon Tower. The Field of Avalon is renowned for the biggest and longest running vegetarian cafe on site, where you can grab a selection of wholesome food. Then there’s the Beat Hotel, a new venue for Glastonbury this year, which sets up shop in the markets between the Pyramid and John Peel stages, serving up cocktails and smoked BBQ from London’s Meateasy alongside the special performances by guest DJs all day and night.

If you want to escape the frenetic activity of the festival, head to The Green Fields where massage sessions are provided and you can listen to bands in a solar-powered marquee. Energy recharged, you may fancy making your way to the nearby Arcadia, where a fully animated, 360-degree show with special effects will be incorporated by circus acts. Cubana Salsa Tent is for the sexy and sensual type – authentic salsa dance classes are taught, and you can also pick up Mojitos, Latin street food and tropical fruit smoothies. Lastly, if you’re searching for the rave to end all raves, Shangri-La is the ideal futuristic wonderland. Designed as a Blade Runner inspired urban filmset, it runs until 6am every morning and serves as the perfect bizarre alternative afterparty for you to get lost in.

Glastonbury 2011 runs from 24th-26th June in Pilton, UK