A few days in, and Glastonbury is underway in earnest. The campers have been acclimatising after the gates of Worthy Farm flew open on Wednesday, and the revelry can really begin.
Spread across a site the size of Bristol city centre, with more than 100 stages to choose from, it is the biggest green fields festival in the world, and knowing where to begin can feel like a daunting task. Thankfully, we’ve got your back – and for those choosing to enjoy the highlights from their sofa, many of these sets will end up on the telly, too.
The Biggest
After last year’s festival rightly came under fire for 2024’s blokefest of headliners, two of this year’s three top billings are women – Dua Lipa headlines the Pyramid on Friday, while SZA makes her Glastonbury debut in Sunday’s top spot. The latter, a Grammy-nominated US R&B star best known for hits such as Kill Bill, will be the first black woman to headline since Beyoncé rose to the challenge in 2011.
For the final day Legend’s Slot, which sees a music icon playing a mid-afternoon greatest hits set each year, Emily and Michael Eavis have invited the country-pop star Shania Twain – stetsons at the ready for a show that promises to be heavy on hits such as That Don’t Impress Me Much, Man! I Feel Like a Woman, and You’re Still the One.
Elsewhere, Seventeen will make history this afternoon as the first K-pop group to play Glastonbury’s main stage. With the BBC live streaming festival sets globally for the very first time, it’s likely that millions will tune in from around the world. For those on the ground at Worthy Farm, it’s an unmissable chance to see one of the world’s most successful pop acts as they play their first ever European live show.
On Saturday night, London rapper and Mercury Prize winner Little Simz will play the biggest gig of her career just before Coldplay on the Pyramid stage: it should be a huge moment, and great practice for when she inevitably headlines the whole thing herself.
Nigerian Afrobeats stars Burna Boy and Ayra Starr both have coveted Pyramid stage slots, too. Janelle Monáe’s main stage graduation should also prove another massive highlight after the US star wowed in 2019 at West Holts.
The Best
If you haven’t heard already, we are officially in the grip of Big Brat Summer – Charli XCX’s latest album may have been pipped to the number one spot by Taylor Swift, but for fans of thumping dance-pop, Brat and its lurid, neon-green cover, is the only record worth talking about. Expect a stampede of neon green-clad fans rampaging straight from Dua Lipa to Charli’s comically small Partygirl set at 7,000 cap dance arena The Levels.
Throwing club nights on a dairy farm is clearly the done thing this summer. Shygirl, who will support Charli on her arena tour later this year, is bringing her hyperpop spectacular Club Shy to the giant mechanical dragonfly in the middle of Arcadia.
Though there have been a few of the usual grumbles about bookers playing it safe with a record fifth headlining set for Coldplay, naysayers would be advised to check out the hugely diverse range of global music on offer from some of the smaller stages. In particular: the dreamy wares of Grammy-winning American-Pakistani artist Arooj Aftab, murky psych from Tuareg songwriter Mdou Moctar, Japanese punks Otoboke Beaver, and a rare performance from Indian disco star and jazz singer Asha Puthli.
The Buzziest
In search of the next big thing? As usual, Glastonbury has you covered. At new music destination Woodsies, Brighton punks Lambrini Girls bring their witty, fiery take on the genre to the farm in the afternoon. Just before them, avant-garde pop artist Lynks should also prove an early-doors standout at the Park Stage, still riding high from brilliantly fun debut album ABOMINATION. Handily, the BBC films performances on both stages, so fingers crossed both make it onto telly for those watching from home.
Also worth a look are excellently-named outfit The Mary Wallopers, who play the Park Stage on Friday afternoon, hyped London trio bar italia at the same venue the following day, and on Sunday Irish dream-rockers NewDad at Woodsies and Brighton indie-rockers Lime Garden on the Park Stage. It’s also worth checking out the early-hours Bimble Inn show on Saturday from buzzy south London punks Fat Dog.
The rest!
Though there’s much to love about Glastonbury’s line-up, the festival’s traditional secret sets are always a highlight, with punters’ amateur detective work in the run-up to the weekend proving almost as fun as the big reveal itself. The trick to hunting them down is simple: if you see a conspicuous looking gap in the schedule (or indeed an equally suspicious TBA) keep an eye out. The biggest of the lot this year takes place at 6pm on Saturday at Woodsies – Kings of Leon and Kasabian have both been touted as the leading contenders.
With election day looming, all manner of political events are taking place across the festival, from a party run by drag queens to encourage people to vote, to Billy Bragg at the Left Field. Plans for politicians including Angela Rayner and Nadia Whittome to appear have been scuppred by the election though.
And finally, as well as plenty of chances to see huge bands live in the flesh, Glastonbury also offers plenty of chances to see the next best thing. Though ABBA-inspired band Björn Again sadly aren’t playing this year, The Bootleg Beatles and Fleetmac Wood are. The imaginatively-named Toyah and Robert (aka. Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp) also do one hell of a cover. There really is something for everyone at Glastonbury.
