Inside Woodsies: Glastonbury’s reimagined new area for former John Peel stage

nme.com:

Glastonbury 2023 has unveiled its new Woodsies area – formerly known as the John Peel stage. Watch stage manager Lilith Piper give us a tour through the new space below.Announced earlier this year, Glastonbury revealed that its iconic John Peel stage would be undergoing a rebrand for the first time since 2004, and expanding into a new area called Woodsies.Now, following the festival opening its doors yesterday (June 21) Lilith Piper — Stage manager of the Woods Stage —  gave NME a tour of the recently developed site, and explained how the area aims to bring a wider sense of community to the festival.“Before all the main stages kick off, it’s a place to catch people,” she said, elaborating on how the area offers a peaceful alternative to the more lively areas of the site, and a “place for weary travellers to rest”.A post shared by NME (@nmemagazine)“The reincarnated John Peel stage is a great opportunity for us to connect to nature that’s all about feeding in the old way of living,” she continued. “People are loving weaving in with the willow in this lovely haven.”Located just a stone’s throw away from the Silver Hayes and San Remo stages, the Woodsies area is the space that best hones in on Glastonbury’s environmental focus, and boasts a balance between the lively performances and everything else that the festival has to offer.Nowhere is this better captured than by the Tolpuddle Fire, Piper said, explaining how the location acts as a “portal” between the Woodsies Stage and the newly-expanded wooded area. “It has a very symbolic connection,” she said.