With more than 1,800 acts and 79 stages spread across a 900-acre site, Glastonbury operates on a different scale to every other festival in the country.
In many ways, it feels like lots of different festivals stitched together. Worthy Farm is split into various areas, each with its own distinct feel and sound. Whether it’s an easy-going rural paradise or a down-and-dirty club vibe, Glasto has it all.
This guide gives an idea of what kind of music to expect from each area, including some of the biggest acts lined up to play. There is a lot we didn’t have the space to cover here, so we’re leaving the rest of the discovery up to you — because that, really, is the joy of Glastonbury.
For the full low-down on travel, weather, tickets and more, click here.
Main Stages
This is where you’ll catch the lion’s share of the big names, playing across some of the most iconic stages.
The Pyramid Stage is the main event. It’s instantly recognisable, a genuine icon of the British festival scene and home to the festival’s headliners, which this year includes Stormzy, The Killers and The Cure.
The Other Stage is another big one, mostly featuring the second wave of headliners — in 2019, Tame Impala, The Chemical Brothers and Christine and the Queens are the standouts.
Keep an eye on the John Peel Stage — named after the legendary radio DJ, it already set to pack a punch, with sets from Interpol and The Streets scheduled, but it’s a favourite spot for bands who play surprise sets. Last time round, the Killers took everyone by surprise with an unannounced 10-song set.
Elsewhere, Arcadia’s famous spider structure will be replaced by a bold new incarnation on the Pangea stage, with some heavyweight DJs to match — Charlotte De Witte, Carl Cox, Jamie Jones, Andy C and more. More dance music delights can be found on Glade and Sonic.
Silver Hayes
Formerly known as the Dance Village, this area is for the ravers. Heds Party prides itself on its hedonistic throwdowns — it runs until 7am and is the kind of place you’ll stumble into and then stay for far, far longer than you first intended.
There are some big names over on Wow, with Four Tet, Daniel Avery, Jayda G, Craig Richards, Ben UFO and Midland across the course of the weekend, whereas for Pussy Parlure, the more danceable side of live music comes to life — London jazz dons Joe Armon-Jones and Emma Jean Thackray play, as do funk and soul favourites New Orelans’ Tank. On the newly redesigned Sonic stage, there are some heavyweight pairings, with Wilkinson going B2B with Subfocus and Hype pairing up with Randall, while Camelphat, Peggy Gou and Denis Sulta are among the other DJs.
Gully and The Blues will come together to form one stage, Gully Blues, for an explosive line-up of dubstep, tech-house, drum ‘n’ bass, reggae and beyond. Expect sets from Mala, Sir Spyro, Mall Grab, DJ Guajiro and others.
This year sees a brand new microvenue, No Average Groove, with the likes of Kiara Scuro, DJ Von and Gotsome, while BBC Music Introducing will exhibit the brightest young talent from across the country.
The Park
Standing high up on the hill looking over the rest of the site, the Park is a colourful, playful area that’s always full of surprises.
The Park Stage is the main event in the area, with Cat Power, Hot Chip, Idles and Little Simz among the highlights. Stonebridge Bar, meanwhile, more than holds its own with a vibrant array of DJs, including a five-hour set from Mark Ronson. It’s always the area’s most prominent watering hole.
For a drink with a view, head to the relocated Bimble Inn, which offers a festival-wide panoramic from the beer garden. It’s always a lively spot, with music from the likes of Stanton Warriors and Too Many Ts.
The Rabbit Hole is hard to find and hard to describe — we feel it’d be unfair to lift the lid on what goes inside. Join the queue outside and find out for yourself, and expect to be joyfully bamboozled.
There’s a lot more than just music to explore too, with a sculpture park exploring environmental issues, a range of talks at the Free University of Glastonbury and wellness sessions including yoga and sleep recovery at Humblewell.
Block9
Underground electronic music and the madness that usually comes associated with it can be found in rude health over at Block9. It’s bigger than ever this year, expanding to take over two adjacent fields.
There’s a brand new stage too, with IICON making its first ever appearance at the festival. The sound system looks set to be a stonker, with a 3D surround sound set-up, and there are some fine DJs looking to make the most of it: Larry Heard, Kode9, Laurel Halo and the Zenker Brothers are among the highlights.
Cutting-edge queer sounds can be found in the on-site nightclub, NYC Downlow, which will host the likes of Mr Fingers, Tony Humphries, The Black Madonna B2B Garrett David and Midland. There are some suggested dress codes for each night: Thursday is fetish, Friday is Janet Jackson, Saturday is biggest/smallest drag ever, while Sunday is 50 Years of Stonewall.
Meat Rack, tucked away at the back of NYC Downlow, will deliver the home-centric goods, featuring Wes Baggaley, Guy Williams, Trouble Vision and others.
Genosys, meanwhile, will “explore the birth of analogue electronic music and its lasting legacy”: expect sets from Randomer, HAAi and Hannah Holland.
The Common
With plenty of pyro and mind-boggling stage designs, The Common can be found down in the south-east pocket of the festival site.
The Rum Shack is following a lead set most prominently this summer by Primavera Sound in Barcelona, and has crafted a line-up with a 50/50 gender split. It’s resulted in a sterling, bass-heavy line-up featuring the likes of Jess P, Grace Savage, Mike Skinner and 24 Hour Garage Girls. There will, of course, be plenty of rum flowing, with more alcoholic treats to be found at the Mezcal Yard.
Over at The Temple, expect a pounding DJ line-up, led by Kasra going B2B with Randall, as well as Seth Troxler, Eris Drew, Patrick Topping and others. Keep an eye out for a series of horizon-broadening talks during the day.
At Samula, the best fun will be found on the Sunday, with a takeover by drum’n’bass stalwarts Hospitality.
Unfairground
Styled like a twisted nightmare of a fairground, this area offers up an eclectic array of artists, from boundary-pushing live bands to forward-thinking DJs.
Flying Bus will feature live music during the day before launching into some dancefloor-filling house during the night, with Richy Ahmed, Solardo and Andy Barker among the confirmed acts.
Blind Tiger will feature the likes of Gentleman’s Dub Club, Nick The Hedge and Desertstorm Soundsystem, while The Salon Carousel keeps the UK rave spirit alive with a line-up curated by Bristol’s DJ Stivs.
Shangri-La
With a distinctly anarchic vibe, Shangri-La is a hub of underground activism and outsider art — as much an art exhibition as it is a music arena. The various works on display are deeply political and aim to encourage a hopeful conversation around the most troubling issues of the time.
The musical outlook is all-encompassing, especially on the Truth Stage. Bristol punks Idles will sit on the same line-up as American rapper Denzel Curry and DJ royalty Norman Jay MBE. Over on the Rocket Lounge, there will be a mix of ska, rockabilly and beyond.
The Sistxrhood — a collective of artists which aims to empower womxn, non-binary and gender-nonconforming people involved in the arts and creative industries — are throwing a lively party. Shed, meanwhile, is a new microvenue “dedicated to positive masculinity”. There will be a number of discussions on the topic featuring the likes of Professor Green and Frank Turner, with DJ sets throughout the nights.
The Clash will be dealing out some no-holds-barred soundclashes from some of the biggest names in grime, bashment, reggae, soca and jungle, while Scum will deliver nothing but the heaviest sounds — The Damned, Venom Prison, Scarlxrd and Heavy Lungs are all booked.
The Gas Tower will give a unique audiovisual experience, pairing DJs with a 360 degrees art installation. Jamz Supernova, Conducta and others will be on the decks.
For one of the festival’s finest gastronomic experiences, head to Deluxe Diner for a three-course meal crafted by chef Andy Evans.
The Green Fields
This is where Glastonbury’s ecological message is at its most potent, with a variety of free-flowing events across the area. There will be spiritual leaders offering guidance and support in the Tipi Field, speakers from Extinction Rebellion, hula hoop workshops, circus taster classes, songwriting workshops, chill out fields, a multitude of eco-friendly craft boutiques — and that’s just the start of it.
Musically, there’s a lot to get stuck into. Simian Mobile Disco, Richy Ahmed and Amp Fiddler are among the biggest names on the Greenpeace Stage, while on Croissant Neuf — fuelled entirely by solar power — there will be typically sunny line-up of feel-good acts. There’s a similar vibe to be enjoyed on the rest of the smaller stages.
The Glade
This dance-heavy area is spread across four different stages — some hidden within the trees, some nestled under tents. There is a lot to get excited about, with some heroes of the scene set to turn out — Fatboy Slim, Carl Cox and Squarepusher are among the headliners.
Elsewhere, there will be sets from Idris Elba, Seth Troxler, Leftfield, Patrick Topping and Mella Dee.
