Why you need a VPN at Glastonbury

Fireworks mark the end of the Foo Fighters' Pyramid Stage performance at Glastonbury Festival, England. — (Image credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

It's that time of the summer again. Whether you're a fan of some of the biggest artists in the world or after the next best thing, you should head down to the farm for Glastonbury.

This year's festival has a stellar lineup with the likes of Dua Lipa, Coldplay, Burna Boy and SZA set to grace the Pyramid Stage. But even if they aren't quite your cup of tea there are hundreds of other acts to look out for.

If you're not watching Glastonbury from home, and are lucky enough to be going to the UK's biggest music festival, there's one thing you might have forgotten to pack. One of the best VPNs. It might not be as fun as a flag but it's just as essential.

More than just mud

Dua Lipa and Chris Martin will both appear on "My Glastonbury" on consecutive days i the run-up to the iconic festival — (Image credit: BBC)

You might think that the worst thing facing revellers at Glastonbury would be mud or public toilets, but it's actually hackers. 210,000 people in one campsite is unfortunately bound to have some people up to no good.

One of the most important things to do is be careful of exactly which Wi-Fi connection you are latching onto. Hackers often imitate public connections to phish for the data of unsuspecting users. A top-quality VPN on your phone and other devices is a great defence against this. They scramble your data through encryption that renders it indecipherable for hackers. Leading providers normally have a no-log policy meaning even they don't track your data, so how can anyone else?

While the atmosphere at Glastonbury is normally impeccable, any idiots or creeps can be deceived with a VPN too. Surfshark's Alternative ID feature means that even if you're pressured into sharing your email you can just give them a temporary email address. More importantly, if someone won't take the hint, you can even use Alternative ID to give out an alternative phone number that works until you decide to cut ties.

If you do get some downtime then VPNs are also a great choice for accessing your streaming favourites. If you've come from outside the UK then a streaming VPN is a great way to watch your favourite shows and movies like you were back home. Many streaming services have different libraries of content in different regions, while some services like HBO Max and Hulu aren't even available in the UK.

Choose wisely

Almost as important as deciding which acts to see each day is which VPN you're going to opt for. We've already given you the benefits of SurfShark but for most people, the headline act is NordVPN.

As well as excellent streaming performance it is fast, secure, and reliable. On top of that if you plump for a"Plus" or "Ultimate" level subscription then you'll also get access to its Threat Protection Pro toolkit which will keep you safe when browsing even when not connected to a VPN.

Andy is a freelance writer with a passion for streaming and VPNs. Based in the U.K., he originally cut his teeth at Tom's Guide as a Trainee Writer before moving to cover all things tech and streaming at T3. Outside of work, his passions are movies, football (soccer) and Formula 1. He is also something of an amateur screenwriter having studied creative writing at university.