Glastonbury Crowds Love Wish Lanterns
With Glasto approaching there is one unusual product that comes to mind, sky lanterns. They have, in recent years, become an integral part of any Glasto-goers experience. In an interview last year the headliner’s, Kings of Leon, cited the release of lanterns from the Stone Circle as their most powerful memory of the festival. If you do not directly launch one from the mystical Stone Circle you are likely to witness their supernatural presence as they drift up and across the open Somerset countryside. It is no surprise that the use of the lanterns, with their connotations of serenity and optimism, have become intrinsically connected with the Stone Circle. This field is where festival goers seek rest in the dark of the night, sitting and chatting together around fires in the trusting spirit that remains at the heart of the festival. As is traditional with sky lanterns, a wish is made with each one released. It is a close to numinous experience to watch from the hillside of the Circle as the wishes rise across the packed festival, oblivious to the frantic crowds beneath them, up in to the sky and out of view. Watching the sky lanterns take this journey in to the clouds is a divine moment to ponder and escape. It is one of the reasons that despite its ever sprawling size, Glastonbury remains extraordinary.
