Black At Glasto Put Community At The Heart Of Worthy Farm

In 2024, weeks before Glastonbury was due to kick off, Elsie Ayotunde Cullen got an idea to create a WhatsApp group to connect Black/mixed at Worthy Farm. "It was all really spontaneous," she recalls.

Together with a few friends, she took to Instagram to spread the word on their budding Whatsapp community, writing "Glastonbury Festival is a truly magical place when you find your tribe". The post invited Black, brown, mixed and allies welcome to join the group.

“The rest is history from there," she recalls. Media outlets got word of the group, capturing the celebratory joy of Black culture and community at Glastonbury. In the space of a year, Black at Glasto have moved from a grassroots Whatsapp group to working with the central Glastonbury team, with a physical space at the Silver Hayes site this year.

"Silver Hayes was set up by a man called Malcolm Haynes, a Bristol-based Black man," she says. "There is legacy being based there. There is a stage called Roots Stage, which was were they programmed people like Lee Scratch Perry, Shaggy—a space for what was called world music, as it was described at the time," she says.

Elsie had been going to the festival for over a decade, and spent a lot of time at the space, "the whole team led by The Playmaker Group were Black, which was a massive experience, but apart from that there wasn't much diversity in terms of the audience," she says. "The most Black people I would see were performers."

She attributes the lack of Black attendees at Worthy Farm to a sense of hesitancy from the community, "most people associate the festival with not being able to shower, or eco toilets," she says, "coming from an urban Black community, we're not used to that kind of living experience—not to say that's the truth for all Black communities," she explains.

Elsie is a Londoner, and explains Black communities from inner city areas may experience a "culture shock" at the prospect of festival camping. Black at Glasto aims to break down these barriers, acting to "demystify" the Worthy Farm experience. The group has shared advice on TikTok and Instagram to help people prepare and not feel overwhelmed or uncomfortable on-site.

In the run-up to the festival, the Whatapp group swaps artists recommendations, packing tips, and organises car shares and transport. When on-site, messages switch to helping people find essential glam items like edge control brushes. "We picked that up last year, so this year we want to have the space in our hub so people can find these basic glam necessities," says Elsie.

Aside from addressing in the moment community needs, Elsie hopes the Black at Glasto can further input on festival organisation from the core team. "Black at Glasto isn’t about people being separated, we want it to be an integrated experience, whilst recognisng that our community has particular barriers to engagement that we want to help support with."

Elsie describes the past 12 months as a journey: "It's thinking about how we broaden what it means to be represented as a Black community," she says. "Not only in what we communicate, but also in terms of the infrastructure by speaking with Glastonbury themselves."

Black at Glasto's Top Five Tips:

Come early so you can set up your space and get the lay of the land as early as possible. Once everyone really starts coming in, it can get overwhelming quickly. People do camp overnight, though that isn't ideal for many to do. But, arriving early gives you more peace when navigating the space.

Let your first day be a day to tour the whole site. Glastonbury is a massive festival and having that early Thursday to walk around and see where everything is—the toilets, main routes, etc—it helps ease you in for the next three to four days.

Keep a well-stocked bumbag or small rucksack with you—think toilet paper, spare knickers, tampons, battery pack, and hand sanitiser. Going back to camp can be really long, so once you're out, plan to stay out for the day.

Have two or three artists that you want to see per day and let the rest be free flow. The beauty of Glastonbury is not in the headlines, but on a random stage. Budget time to just be in the experience and wander upon things.

Don’t only focus on the headliners. There's so much more—saunas, yoga classes, hula hooping, there's a cinema. There’s so much outside of just the music that people miss out on. Try get involved those extra curricular activities.

Black at Glasto will be on site at Silver Hayes this year opposite the levels stage, from 12pm-03am. Programming includes a run club and yoga sessions, to evening DJ sets and games.