Emily Eavis, Michael Eavis' daughter and one of the festival organisers:
"It's one of the only festivals that retains its integrity. It has kept the original meaning that it started with. All the other events have got a brand name before the name of the actual event. This is never going to become the Budweiser Glastonbury or anything."

Gareth Liggins, 20, and girlfriend Jo Shears, 19, have both travelled to Glastonbury from Bristol:
"You can just drink and smoke all weekend, which is particularly cool. It's just like a little holiday."

Andy Howell, 31, from Birmingham; Jackie Harward, 22, from Birmingham; Clare Lowe, 30, from Leamington Spa; April Mellor, 29, from Stratford-upon-Avon: "We are first-timers, so we're expecting plenty of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. You get a real mix of people and there's something for everybody. It's just a little escape."

Brian Wilson, 25, Cumbria; Verity Cork, 24, Bath; Chris Lewis, 24, Weston-super-Mare; John Short, 24; Patsy Quayle, 23, both also from Weston: "When we bought the tickets, we didn't know which bands were going to be here. It's more like a community rather than people just racing up for the day to see a particular band."

Danny Roche, 47, from Widnes, has brought his 10-month-old daughter Lily:
"There's no other festival like it. Security seems good this year and should keep a lot of trouble away. Everyone's catered for - there's a big playground for the kids. For �100 a ticket, you can't get better value."

Gerri, 28, and Alan, 31, both from Leamington Spa:
"This is our first one, so we don't really know what to expect. There are a lot of things that I wasn't really expecting, like poetry and things. I'm looking forward to mooching around and seeing what's on."

Charlotte Graves, 17; Suzi Caudle, 17, both from Launceston, Cornwall:
"We've wanted to come here for about five years. I went to Reading last year, and it's more friendly here. We've got every day packed full of music. We've made a little timetable."

Ben Long, 21, Devon; Jacklyn Doig-Keys, 19, Toronto, Canada:

"It's like walking around a carnival. We got here on Wednesday, and just wandered around all night trying to pick which food stall to eat from. Michael Eavis just cycled by, which was like spotting a rock star."

Roy Lewis, 37, from Kirkham, Lancashire:
"The people I met in 1999 and 2000 decided that every time I came, they were going to put new things on my hat. If the festival organisation works well, it gives the punters confidence that they won't get mugged or anything.

"The feeling now is that it's going back to the start in the '70s, when everyone came to the festival to forget about their work and their worries. For three or four days, it's what anybody would ever want."