The summer solstice, the longest day of the year, is celebrated by different cultures all over the world. For the last 40 years a farmer in England has arranged a special celebration on his farm.
Each June, thousands of people travel to a field six miles from Glastonbury, a small town in southwest England. The local population grows from about 10,000 to over 185,000, with many people arriving from abroad during the weekend. They're taking part in the Glastonbury Festival, 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. There are over 15 stages where you can listen to nearly any music, including jazz, hip-hop, folk and Latin music.
▲ . There are many other kinds of performing arts. 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. Children under 12 years old can get in for free. They can watch puppet shows or enjoy a picnic. If you want to celebrate the start of summer in a more traditional way, you can go to the stone circle on a hill above the festival and light a candle or lie down and look at the stars.
While the festival is great fun, it's not exactly a luxury weekend. It is difficult to travel to and from the festival site on country roads and you can sometimes get trapped 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.
