2008 Summer Arts Preview

Glastonbury, England
June 27 - 29

There will be mud. Every year, England's 'summer' does a number on dairy farmer Michael Eavis' fields, creating a brown swamp for festival-goers that seems to have no impact on their enjoyment. The reason, beyond consistently star-studded line-ups — this year's includes Jay-Z, Kings of Leon, Leonard Cohen, Fratellis and 300 more performers — is that no festival in the world has as much gentility. Eavis, a famously kind presence, wades into the crowd in his wellies, audiences sing every word and offer actual support to new bands on the small stages while the bands themselves tend to stick around and watch each other. There’s no nicer place to get soaking wet and disgustingly dirty.