Bookings are now open for Gladstonbury – the festival-inspired Explorer Scout camp taking place in Flintshire, North Wales this June.
From Friday 28 to Sunday 30 June, 400 Explorers from across the UK will descend on the Gladstone Scout Centre in Hawarden as the popular camp returns following 2022’s sell-out event.
Around 300 of this year’s tickets sold within a few hours of release earlier this week, but there are still around 100 remaining and the organisers are keen for more Explorers (the Scout section for 14 to 18 year olds) from across Wales to join the weekend camp.
Gladstonbury is run by a small team of Clwyd leaders. By day, participants can take part in more than 40 on-site activities, including abseiling, archery, zorbing, shooting, backwards cooking, karting, laser quest, sloppy slides, circus skills, zorb football, crafts, team games, and even an escape room in a Second World War bunker, plus lots more.
By night, the site transforms into a music festival, with live music, DJs, fire breathers and giant foam canons. With the event coinciding with the end of exam season for many Explorers, Gladstonbury offers the perfect party for a post exam blow out (the camp is, of course, alcohol-free).
The first Gladstonbury took place as a one-off, small-scale event in the early 2000s to mark the launch of Explorers in Flintshire. In 2016, a group of leaders who attended the original event as participants decided to revive the format, with 60 Explorers joining the camp. It has since grown year on year with 300 Explorers from across the UK attending in 2022 and spaces for up to 400 Explorers available in 2024.
This year’s event is priced at £58 per Explorer which includes camping fees, all activities, night time entertainment and even all meals cooked for you. Weekend tickets for leaders are priced at £15.
Many Explorer groups come along with their unit, organised by their leader. However, you don’t need a leader to attend – groups of Explorer friends can book as individuals, and if no one else from your unit is able to attend, you are very welcome to come along on your own and organisers will ensure you’re introduced to other young people.
Steve Love, District Explorer Scouts Commissioner for Flintshire, and Gladstonbury team leader, said: “When myself and a small team of leaders relaunched Gladstonbury in 2016 (after being on a 10 year break as the original organisers stepped away into other roles) we had just 60 attendees. It was a great camp, the Explorers loved it, even though we only took over less than a quarter of the campsite.
“Fast forward to today, and we are getting ready to welcome 400 Explorers from across the UK to the event – which is beyond any of our wildest expectations. Gladstonbury runs every two years, and 2022 really was the catalyst for us – as we emerged from the pandemic, Explorers were more determined to party and be together than ever before. With some of the larger scale events which previously dominated the Explorer calendar not restarting, Gladstonbury really stepped into its own and filled that void.
“I’m so excited to see familiar units and names from across the UK booking tickets again for this year’s event, it really does feel like we’ve created a bit of a family. It’s equally as exciting for us to see lots of new people and groups booking onto the event too. Plans are well underway to make this event our biggest and best yet, but tickets are selling fast, so don’t miss out.”
Organisers expect Gladstonbury 2024 to sell out quickly. You can book online here and if you have any questions, please email admin@gladstonbury.com
You can follow Gladstonbury on Facebook and Instagram.
