06-22-2007, 05:50 PM
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Rep Power: 10  | Festival fans defy rain and mud
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Many tents have been left waterlogged after heavy rain
Heavy rain fell on the first full day of the Glastonbury Festival, turning parts of the site into a quagmire - but with long dry spells providing respite.
The weather has been less severe than the last festival two years ago, when flash floods hit the Somerset site.
But the area that was submerged in 2005 is again the hardest-hit, with several dozen tents waterlogged after showers.
Most revellers got into the festival spirit, though, thanks to a line-up including The Arctic Monkeys and Bjork.
Secret show
Amy Winehouse, The Magic Numbers and The Automatic were among the other acts who excited crowds on Friday.
And Lily Allen is expected to play a secret show to open the new Park venue.
Virtually all of the 177,500 ticket holders have now arrived - making it almost 20% bigger than the event in 2005.
The busy areas of the site have turned to mud, which is several inches deep at worst.
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I don't mind being surrounded by all this sludge, as long as it stays all right inside the tent
Kerrie O'Leary | Two years ago, several hundred tents in one area suffered heavy flooding.
Organisers said the drainage in that campsite had been improved, with large pipes laid to take water away.
But this year, the same area has become a swamp, with tents surrounded by standing water.
Some campers have already moved to different spots, while others are digging channels with tent poles to divert the water and hoping the skies do not open again.
"When we got here on Thursday night, the weather was fine and it was on rock hard ground," said Kerrie O'Leary, 22, from Sheffield.
"I don't mind being surrounded by all this sludge, as long as it stays all right inside the tent."
Heavy showers
Another camper, Paul Kelly, 27, from Leicester, said one of his friends had left the festival as a result of the deluge.
Revellers have been taking shelter from the downpours
"She just decided she'd had enough," he said. "I'm thinking about moving, which is going to have to happen at some point.
"I think they've improved the drainage at the Pyramid Stage. What they now need to sort out is the camping areas."
Jenna Duncan, 22, from the West Midlands, had been bailing water out of the tent's entrance and said she would also move if conditions worsened.
"This sleeping area is wet," she said. "It adds to the excitement I suppose."
The weather is expected to improve on Saturday, but more heavy showers are forecast for Sunday.
But the rain has not dampened the spirits of most at the festival as both organisers and fans were prepared for some rain.
The event, held on Michael Eavis' farm since 1970, draws to a close on Sunday.
The Killers, The Who, Dame Shirley Bassey and the Kaiser Chiefs are among the other big names appearing on the Pyramid Stage during the weekend.
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