Paramotorer soars through the skies above Glastonbury Festival
A man who spends his free time soaring through the skies says seeing Glastonbury Festival come to life is an "incredible process to watch". From Wednesday to next Sunday, Worthy Farm in Somerset will host one of the world's biggest outdoor music festivals.James Pearce, a local paramotorer, regularly flies above the 1,100-acre site as it is set up and describes it as a "small city". "We're normally flying over farmland, so with Glastonbury... it's quite a spectacle to see," he said.
The 57-year-old, who runs Launch It Paramotoring, frequently ascends to altitudes of 2000ft while strapped into his powered paraglider, which he calls "a lawn chair with an engine on [its] back"."There is no cockpit around you, so you're just sitting out in the open," he said."It's an amazing feeling, you can smell everything and feel the wind all around you. You have totally unobstructed views."Mr Pearce said it takes around two months for the festival to be built, but he spots an exciting new addition each time he floats above it.
"I get the privilege to be able to do this, not many people get to fly over it and see what goes on while it's being prepared," he said. "They're basically building a small city, really, so it's quite amazing to see. It's always interesting to watch, and you see a massive difference week to week as they're building it." The paramotoring coach says he has no plans to attend the festival this year, but will catch it from the sky instead. "I prefer being up there on my own anyway, rather than on the ground with 100,000 people around me," he laughed. Glastonbury 2025 will be headlined by The 1975, Neil Young, and Olivia Rodrigo.
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