Festival app review: Glastonbury 2011

We try out the iPhone, Android and Nokia application

Dane Cobain - 09 June 2011

Worthy getting appy about? We install the official Glastonbury smartphone application ahead of Somerset's biggest party.

Created in partnership with Orange, the Glastonbury app is packed with everything you need to know to make the most of the five-day festival. It promises to help you “plan the perfect weekend” with an interactive map and full listings from the Guardian Guide, plus Facebook connectivity so you can brag to those foolish friends that didn't bag a ticket.

Glastonbury app
Orange clearly know their way around a mobile, but they know their way around a festival too – not only have they been partners with Glastonbury for thirteen years and created the official app, the company is set to oversee the return of their Chill 'n' Charge tents, a service that was used by over 50,000 festival-goers last year.

Their application is also free, delivering the latest news to your mobile in real-time and living up to its promise to become the "ultimate guide to Glastonbury in your pocket.” The Guardian has teamed up with the festival to provide regular line-up announcements and competitions to make sure that you only miss out if your two favourite bands are playing different stages at the same time.

Glastonbury app
All that's missing is a database of artist biographies, but that's too much to expect from a line-up that welcomes over 1,000 acts. It's not a problem, though: Glasto is all about getting lost in the fields and discovering new music on tiny stages. If you're only interested in the headliners (U2, Coldplay and Beyonce) then it's too late - your musical soul can't be saved and you're better off wandering through the Healing Field looking for a new one.

The interactive schedule is grouped by area, with full line-up information and the ability to create a personalised schedule with alarms for the absent-minded. During the festival, the map will show who's playing now and next on each of the stages, with a user-generated mood map spanning the festival site. App users can share their mood and location, from “chilling out” in the Green Fields to “dancing [their] wellies off” at the Pyramid Stage. Other users can then check out the mood map to see how people are feeling across the farm.

Glastonbury app
And that's not all the map's good for – a virtual necessity for the gigantic festival site, finding your way between stages has never been easier. With space for everything from the chill 'n' charge tents to toilets, first aid centres and meeting points, the only worry is whether you can remember where you set up camp.

Click here to download the official Glastonbury 2011 app for free.

If you can't wait for the app to download, Orange have put together a preview video that explains everything you need to know, including a demonstration of some of the features that won't be available until closer to the festival.

Glastonbury Festival 2011 is set to take place from 22-26 June at Worthy Farm in Somerset, welcoming headliners U2, Coldplay and Beyonce plus The Streets, Pendulum, Morrissey and hundreds of other acts.

Click here to view the Glastonbury Festival line-up.

Tickets sold out on the day of release, with two further re-sales selling out within hours.