You find out about yourself at Glastonbury. It is a campus bursting with lessons for the body and mind. Maybe you have an affirming experience, where you learn you’ve got way more stamina than you realised, that you are able to let your insecurities go and fully let loose, or that actually you really, really like hardstep and you’re building that playlist just as soon as you get home. Or maybe your Damascene moment is a starker one, where your mental age and actual age collide head-on. For better or worse, you will learn something about yourself. And for life lessons learned this year, who better to turn to than the performers and celebrities at this year’s festival?
Marina Abramović, artist
I was terrified at the idea of talking to 200,000 people to create a seven-minute moment of silence. I was really, truly thinking this was almost impossible. But I learned that actually it is possible – to keep the energy concentrated of this amount of people in this moment of human history. And this was something that was a huge discovery: that we humans can change the world by just being together.
Toyah Willcox, musician
I have learned not to judge something that appears to be chaos when in fact it all has a natural flow. There is no point being at Glastonbury if you cannot surrender to the experience. At every point someone knows what’s going on and where to guide you. I am a control freak; I like everything to be visually uniform and in its expected place. At Glasto, you cannot expect this. Yet looking out over an entire crowd, suddenly, out of nowhere, nature brings order and you see a unified and thrilled audience. It is astounding. Also, I have a car full of loo roll/water/wet wipes and food … because I am not good at queuing.
Keisha Buchanan, musician
I’ve learned that I always have to trust God’s divine timing.
Siobhán Donaghy, musician
No matter what we’ve faced as a band, music will always be the thing that connects us in sisterhood and friendship.
Mutya Buena, musician
I have knees as strong as Megan Thee Stallion when it comes to doing a 60-minute set, dipping it low in high heels.
Don Letts, DJ and film director
In these digital days, people coming together for a collective synchronised experience is more important than ever, and if it’s got a good bass line, even better. I’ve been coming to Glastonbury for over 30 years and it remains the premier example of this dynamic. What did I learn this year? Well, if you’re caught short and have to use one of those eco toilets, don’t look down – if you do, think Salvador Dalí!
Glenn Tilbrook, musician
When I walked out on to the Pyramid stage this year, it was incredible. Normally at events like this, there will be some degree of nerves. But I just felt like there was no audience like this, the feeling of warmth and love, and a field full of people who just want to have a great time together and share an experience. It’s like nothing else anywhere – it was amazing.
Femi Kuti, musician
With this year’s festival, Glastonbury has proven again that peace and love can reign supreme. I’ve learned that it is very important for one to remain steadfast – to be able to come back 40 years later [Femi appeared on stage with his father, Fela, at Glastonbury in 1984], and to be able to now present my son, as he’s turning 29. So it’s very important for artists to continue to work hard, so you don’t lose focus on what you really believe in life.
Tanita Tikaram, musician
I was very lucky that my goddaughter was here, so I saw the festival through her eyes, and how magical it is to be somewhere where you have such a strong sense of community and connection. It is about music, for sure, but it is about so many other things: she was doing pottery, then they were talking about secret places where they were going to meet and listen to DJ sets and eat really fab food, and what they were going to wear – there was a whole plan of attack for the duration of the festival. And that was a lesson for me because sometimes I can be a little bit jaded, so to feel that people still need that is so important. I think so many public discourses are about trying to divide us, and Glastonbury is not that. So that’s a good lesson.
Francis Bourgeois, influencer
I’ve found that I’ve taken a lot of enjoyment in doing things that I wouldn’t usually do. So, for example, we came across a bingo [venue] and I was a bit dubious at first. It’s not usually my cup of tea, but my girlfriend Amy was quite keen. So we sat down and it turned out to be one of the most fun and exhilarating half-hours we’ve had at the festival, with both of our final numbers – No 7 – winning simultaneously. This resulted in Amy and I having a duel on stage, where we had to transfer chickpeas from one bottle into another bottle as quickly as possible, and using the vortex effect on my bottle I managed to get the chickpeas into the other bottle in the quickest time. So that resulted in me winning a stick of rock and a rosette. I’m definitely more inclined to play bingo in the future. Another thing I’d say I’ve learned about myself is, although it is important to cut toenails before a festival – especially Glastonbury where there’s lots of walking – it’s also important to make sure you don’t cut them too much so you end up inducing ingrown toe nails, which I’m now discovering.
Kevin Rowland, musician
What I learned at Glastonbury is that anxiety has always been my biggest problem. Always. But it really comes to the fore when I have to do something big like perform at Glastonbury. Since it was announced, I was nervous, and it has built up over the months. I’m the same with any big gig but especially this, because it is obviously massive, and trying to calm myself down using every technique imaginable: meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, connecting with the universe. I was doing that stuff on the day of the performance, just to get myself through it because I wouldn’t have been able to cope and my voice would shrink. I have to keep on working to open it up when I know I’m going to perform. It’s like a terror comes over me. And it’s also been a big problem in every other area of my life. I know what I learned at Glastonbury: the anxiety is just off the scale.
Shaun Keaveny, broadcaster
I’ve learned that Little Simz is a Pyramid-smashing superstar, the Crow’s Nest is truly the beating heart of the whole event and that Coldplay can cast a cynicism-removing spell and turn everyone into super fans. But most of all I’ve learned that you should drink rum instead of lager, then you don’t need a pee halfway through the headliner.
Nick Grimshaw, TV presenter
I think I might be too old to sleep on the floor. When I woke up this morning, I was like: ‘Why do I feel like this? Oh my God, my back!’ That’s probably my biggest lesson so far.
Paloma Faith, musician
I’ve learned that after years of touring, and touring being the most incredible part of my job, and telling people that I don’t get nerves, I actually do get nerves because this show has filled me with nervous energy.
Ayra Starr, musician
I’ve learned that I need to eat before I perform and drink lots of water. That’s very important. And also just to enjoy myself – I think I take myself too seriously at times.
Joy (Anonymous)
We’ve learned that bringing the community together and following visions that we had when we were young kids, coming here for the first time, can actually come true. And we’re now taking over our first stage at Glastonbury. The first of many to come. We’re feeling very happy about that.
Nell Mescal, musician
I learned to be less anxious at Glastonbury 2024. And your 20s is for figuring things out and to just go with the flow and have fun.
Kate Nash, musician
We finished our set last night at Glastonbury Avalon stage and I turned to my drummer Maxie, who is trans-masc, and he said, “can I take my shirt off” and I was like, “yeah”. So he took his shirt off, got off the drum kit, and we all came to the front of the stage and took a massive bow. We talked about it after and he said: “It’s a small thing, but it’s a massive thing because I could see people in the crowd that I could tell were like, ‘there’s me’, and that’s visibility.” This kind of union between this feminist pop star and trans-masc drummer, just being together in a joyous vibrant way, was one step. I think it taught me that there are little things that are actually massive that can happen in a really spontaneous way. And maybe that’s the start of something bigger. The magic of live music.
Mawaan Rizwan, actor and comedian
I’ve learned that I do really enjoy a mosh pit and even though I thought I’d feel really claustrophobic it was a transcendent experience.
Danielle Moore, musician
When I walked to the top of the hill last night, I looked out on to the massive festival site and I just realised that everything is OK. Being positively insignificant is quite wonderful.
