Every summer it runs, Glastonbury turns a working dairy farm in rural Somerset into a temporary city of more than 210,000 people. The festival took a planned break in 2026 to rest the land. It returns from Wednesday 23 to Sunday 27 June 2027, and a 2028 event is expected in the same late-June slot.
A comeback year after a fallow year brings the busiest booking period of the year for group transport in the UK. Getting to Pilton by car is rarely easy. Single-track lanes, police-managed road closures and queues lasting hours are normal on arrival day. Once you're parked, you face pricey parking passes and a long walk with all your kit, often through mud. Travelling together by minibus or coach takes most of that stress out of the trip.
Vehicle | Seats | Best for | Why it works |
|---|---|---|---|
Minibus | 8–12 | VIP guests, artist and production crews, small glamping groups | Compact and nimble on narrow Somerset lanes; well suited to short hops from Bristol, Bath or Castle Cary |
Mini-coach | 16–24 | Camping groups with heavy kit | Plenty of space for tents, rucksacks, bedding and drinks; our upgraded 24-seaters have a larger luggage hold |
Full-size coach | 35–49 | Friendship groups, student unions, clubs and community groups | Ideal for long runs from London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and beyond; one coach can take a dozen or more cars off the road |
Door-to-gate private hire. You choose where we collect from: your street, a campus car park, a pub, or several pickup points spread across a region. Your driver stays with the group from the first pickup until you arrive at the festival.
Rail station transfers. Arriving by train? We run shuttle transfers from Castle Cary, Bristol Temple Meads and Taunton, timed to fit around your group's arrival.
Experienced festival drivers. Our fully licensed drivers know the festival's official coach routes and traffic plan. They take you straight to the designated coach drop-off area, which avoids the general car parks and shortens the walk to the gates.
Vehicles for festival week go quickly, and coach availability falls sharply in the months before a returning Glastonbury. Booking 6 to 12 months ahead gives you the widest choice of vehicles and fixes your price before peak demand pushes rates up.
Ask for your free Glastonbury group travel quote today. Tell us your group size, pickup points and travel dates, and we'll put together a plan that suits you.
Departure / Return Hub | Service Type | Recommended Vehicle Size | Luggage Capacity / Features | Price & Quote Range (Full Vehicle Return) | Est. Cost Per Person (Return) | Local / Regional Operator Network |
Greater London (Victoria, Stratford, Wembley, Heathrow) | Dedicated Private Hire & Priority Gate Drop-Off | 49-Seater Executive Coach or 16–24 Seater Mini-Coach | Large underfloor hold for rucksacks, trollies, and tents; onboard WC & USB ports | £1,650 – £2,450 (49-seater) £950 – £1,450 (16–24 seater) | £34 – £50 (49 pax) £59 – £90 (16–24 pax) | National Express Private Hire, Read Travel, London Minibus Hire Network |
Bristol (Temple Meads, Bristol Airport) | High-Frequency Local Shuttle & Rapid Return Transfer | 8–12 Seater Minibus or 16-Seater Standard Minibus | Rear boot + optional luggage trailer for camping packs | £450 – £750 (8–12 seater) £550 – £850 (16-seater) | £37 – £62 (8–12 pax) £34 – £53 (16 pax) | South West Minibus Hire, Bristol Coach Co., Mendip Executive Travel |
Bath & Somerset Gateways (Bath Spa, Castle Cary, Taunton) | Station Shuttle Service & Rural Door-to-Door Private Hire | 8-Seater Minibus to 24-Seater Mini-Coach | Compact chassis suited for Somerset country lanes; moderate boot space | £350 – £600 (8-seater) £600 – £900 (24-seater) | £25 – £45 (per head) | Somerset Passenger Solutions, Bakers Dolphin, Local Minibus Hires |
The Midlands (Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester) | Direct Highway Private Hire (via M5 Corridor) | 35–49 Seater Executive Coach | Full undercarriage baggage hold; dual luggage allowance per passenger; air conditioning | £1,450 – £2,150 (49-seater) £850 – £1,300 (24-seater) | £29 – £44 (49 pax) £35 – £54 (24 pax) | Bouden Coach Travel, Johnsons Coaches, Birmingham Minibus Hire |
The North West (Manchester, Liverpool) | Long-Haul Group Private Hire (Non-Stop) | 49-Seater Executive Coach | Heavy-duty storage for full camping gear and crates; onboard toilet & reclining seats | £1,950 – £2,850 (49-seater return) | £40 – £58 (per head) | Selwyns Travel, Belle Vue Coaches, North West Private Coach Network |
Yorkshire & North East (Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle) | Direct Long-Distance Private Coach Hire | 49-Seater Luxury / Executive Coach | Maximum hold capacity; dual-driver service for legal driving hours | £2,200 – £3,400 (49-seater return) | £45 – £69 (per head) | Yorkshire Minibus & Coach Hire, Stanley Travel, Coach Hire Comparison Partners |
Wales (Cardiff, Newport, Swansea) | Cross-Bridge Regional Private Hire (via M4) | 16–24 Seater Mini-Coach or 49-Seater Coach | Tailored luggage compartments with room for tents, pop-ups, and rucksacks | £750 – £1,150 (16-seater) £1,250 – £1,800 (49-seater) | £31 – £48 (16–24 pax) £25 – £37 (49 pax) | Edwards Coaches, Cardiff Minibus Co., Redwing Coaches Wales |
South Coast & Thames Valley (Brighton, Southampton, Oxford, Reading) | Direct Cross-Country Private Hire & Micro-Shuttles | 12–16 Seater Minibus or 35-Seater Midi Coach | Extended rear boot or dedicated trailer for camping equipment | £700 – £1,200 (16-seater) £1,100 – £1,750 (35-seater) | £31 – £50 (per head) | The Big Lemon, Brighton Coach Hire, Weald Coaches, Thames Valley Travel |
Scotland (Edinburgh, Glasgow) | Multi-Day Long-Haul Return Charter | 49-Seater Executive Sleeper/Touring Coach | Maximum baggage allowance; onboard entertainment, WC, dual professional drivers | £3,500 – £4,800 (multi-day charter) | £71 – £98 ( |
These are the questions groups ask us most often about getting to and from Worthy Farm by private coach or minibus.
Coaches with 15 or more seats use the festival's dedicated Private Hire Coach Park, reached through Bronze Gate off the A361. From the coach park it's a walk to Pedestrian Gate A or Gate D, and stewards are on hand to point the way. Each coach must be booked in with the festival ahead of time. Any vehicle that hasn't been registered can be refused entry.
Smaller minibuses and passenger vans can't use the coach park. They have two options. The first is the festival's official Drop and Collect point, off the A371 to the east of the site, where a festival-run shuttle runs round the clock to Pedestrian Gate A. The second is a pre-booked space in one of the public car parks. Wheelbarrows, trolleys and similar carts aren't allowed on the shuttle, so plan your kit with that in mind.
Yes. Any commercial vehicle with 15 or more seats must be pre-registered with the festival to use the Private Hire Coach Park. We handle this on your behalf as part of your booking.
During festival week, roads around Pilton run on a temporary one-way system managed by police and stewards. Our drivers follow the official signed routes to Bronze Gate and never cut through the surrounding villages, which avoids delays and keeps the lanes clear for local residents.
You agree a collection time with us in advance. Your group then meets the driver at the agreed point in the coach park. Loading is kept quick so traffic keeps moving, so be ready with your bags packed when your slot comes round. It's a much faster way out than queuing for public buses.
You can choose either option:
Drop and return (our recommendation): We drop you on Wednesday or Thursday and come back for you on Monday. This is the best-value option because you don't pay for five nights of driver accommodation, parking or daily standing charges. The coach park also has no space for coaches to stay parked while drivers take rest breaks.
Driver on standby: The driver stays nearby all week. This means paying for off-site accommodation and crew parking, so it costs considerably more.
Private hire lets you choose how much luggage space you need. As a guide, we plan for each passenger to bring:
Item | Allowance per person |
|---|---|
Large rucksack (65–85 litres) | 1 |
Tent | 1 |
Sleeping bag and mat | 1 set |
Small hand-luggage bag | 1 |
Festival kit typically takes up around one and a half times the space of normal holiday luggage. We therefore suggest booking a vehicle one size up from your headcount, for example a 24-seater for a group of 16.
Folding wagons are usually fine, as long as you tell us when you book so we can allocate a vehicle with enough hold space. Rigid wheelbarrows and heavy steel sack trucks aren't accepted because they can't be folded, take up too much of the hold and can damage other passengers' bags.
Yes, as long as everything fits in the luggage space and your group follows our on-board alcohol policy. Glastonbury asks festival-goers not to bring glass, so pour any wine or spirits into plastic or metal containers before you travel.
No. With a See Tickets coach package, your festival ticket is handed to you by the driver of your booked scheduled coach. If you don't travel on that coach, you won't receive your ticket. Private hire is for general admission ticket holders, hospitality guests, volunteers, performers and crew.
Yes, and this is one of the biggest advantages of private hire. We can collect from two to four locations in your town or city, then pick up more of your group at motorway services along the way, for example London, then Reading, then Pilton.
Coaches and minibuses are fully booked well before festival week. Because 2027 follows a fallow year, we recommend booking 8 to 12 months in advance. That way you secure a vehicle and lock in your price before peak-season rates apply.
Full-size coaches (35 seats and up) usually have an on-board toilet, USB or power charging and air conditioning. Smaller minibuses (8–16 seats) rarely have a toilet because of their size, so your driver will plan comfort breaks at motorway services instead.
All our drivers work within UK drivers' hours rules on maximum driving time and compulsory breaks. We build extra time into every festival journey to allow for heavy traffic. For long trips, such as from Scotland, the North East or Yorkshire, we provide two drivers so the coach can keep going safely and legally without an enforced rest stop.
Ready to plan your Glastonbury journey? Send us your group size, pickup points and preferred travel days, and we'll come back with a tailored quote.
This site uses cookies that enable us to make improvements, provide relevant content, and for analytics purposes. For more details, see our Cookie Policy. By clicking Accept, you consent to our use of cookies.