The dance scene has been an unofficial part of Glastonbury for many years, and there was a rave tent as early as 1990, but it wasn't until 1995 that an official platform for dance music was instituted. That year, the Dance Tent was programmed by minor deity and Glastonbury veteran Steve Hillage. It was so popular that there were often more people trying to get in than were already inside. Last year, a larger tent and a new site improved the access, and Bristol promoter Malcolm Haines was in charge of the lineup. It was again a huge success.

The site chosen was a plateau in the north-west section of the site. There was plenty of room to sit in the vicinity of the tent, which alleviated the overcrowding, and the sides of the tent were removed to give easy access. I assume the same site is being used this year.

The mix of DJs to live music is about 50/50, with the evenings being primarily given over to live bands or big name DJs. The main problem with the Dance Tent is it finishes too early: midnight is usually when the party's just starting, not coming to a close. But there are plenty of other places to dance the night away. Stalls in the market areas suddenly mutate into dance venues, tents in the Green Fields fill with the sound of banging trance, and sound systems in the camper van field blast out acid techno till dawn. The 24 hour party people are well catered for.

Not too much is known about the line up, but here's the few snippets so far.


Underworld
Propellerheads
Leftfield (Unconfirmed)
Spacehopper - best known for their nights at the Que Club in Birmingham