Glastonbury, the world’s most famous music festival, returns this week and will see thousands of fans flocking to Worthy Farm in Somerset.
Co-organiser Emily Eavis and her team are preparing to welcome revellers to the site and play host to some of the biggest artists across pop, rock, indie, R&B, rap, punk and soul.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the big weekend.
When is Glastonbury 2024?
The gates to Glastonbury Festival 2024 will open at around 8am Wednesday 26 June, with the event running until Sunday 30 June. The majority of the live music performances take place between 29-30 June, with many of them also shown on TV.
A word of warning: there is no entertainment or facilities in the Glastonbury car parks, and guests are expected to remain in their cars until the festival gates open. Car parks will be open from 9pm on Tuesday 25 June, allowing festival-goers to avoid the worst of the traffic and arrive through the night.
Who’s playing Glastonbury this year?
After months of speculation and rumours that several bookings had fallen through, this year’s festival will be headlined by Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA, while country-pop superstar Shania Twain will take on the Legends Slot.
It was rumoured that Madonna was a strong contender to headline, as Eavis has previously expressed her desire to have the pop icon play the Pyramid Stage. However, The Independent understands that negotiations collapsed due to various requirements from the “Hung Up” star’s team, including the estimated cost of putting on a show that would match her 2024 Celebration tour.
Other rumoured artists in the running were Stevie Nicks, Cher and Stevie Wonder.
Other artists on the lineup include Avril Lavigne, Cyndi Lauper, Little Simz, Seventeen, Idles, The Last Dinner Party, Camila Cabello, Burna Boy, London Grammar, PJ Harvey, Janelle Monae, Fat White Family, Sugababes, Fatboy Slim, Michael Kiwanuka, Bloc Party, Two Door Cinema Club, Jessie Ware and Paloma Faith.
Are there any Glastonbury 2024 tickets left and how much do they cost?
The Glastonbury resale took place in April and, due to typically high demand, sold out in just 22 minutes. The cost of getting into the 2024 festival was £360 per person including the booking fee, up from £340 last year.
Eavis justified the hike last year in a statement that said: “We have tried very hard to minimise the increase in price on the ticket but we’re facing enormous rises in the costs of running this vast show, while still recovering from the huge financial impact of two years without a festival because of Covid.”
Are there any other ways to get into Glastonbury festival?
Besides the general resale, another great way to get into Glastonbury is by volunteering. Registration to volunteer for charities WaterAid and Oxfam has closed, but spaces do occasionally become available if people drop out.
Greenpeace also offers free entry to the festival and three meals a day to volunteers. In return, you are expected to work a minimum of five eight-hour shifts during the festival between 25 June and 1 July. However, applications for 2024 are now also closed.
