Thousands descend on Worthy Farm for 52nd Glastonbury Festival
The main activities get underway on Friday with organisers allowing people onto site earlier to help reduce congestion
Last updated 26th Jun 2024
Glastonbury Festival is finally here!
The gates finally open at 8am this morning for this year's event, where it's expected 200,000 people will descend on Worthy Farm over the next few days to watch some of music's biggest superstars.
Some festival-goers arrived at the car parks overnight, which were opened from 9pm to reduce congestion around Worthy Farm, and are now queuing to be among the first to be let inside.
Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA are among the headliners with Shania Twain, Paloma Faith, PJ Harvey, Squeeze and Cyndi Lauper also taking to the famous Pyramid stage.
There'll be a drone show and fireworks as the main entertainment tonight, with the festival getting underway officially on Friday.
Whilst campers can expect "mostly warm, dry and settled" weather for the next five days but scattered showers could begin from day one and last until the end of the weekend, according to the Met Office.
But there are some things that festival-goers might be in a bit of a shock for - as a number of slots across the schedule have been left as "TBA", including a space at 6pm on Saturday on the Woodsies stage.
Other highlights on Friday will include D-Block Europe and Idles playing the Other Stage, while Jungle top the bill on West Holts and Fontaines DC head up the Park Stage.
On Saturday, the main stage will welcome Nigerian stars Femi Kuti and Ayra Starr, followed by US 80s chart-topper Cyndi Lauper and rock band Keane.
Mercury Prize winner Michael Kiwanuka and British rapper Little Simz will also play on the Pyramid Stage in the evening before Coldplay top the bill.
It will mark the rock band's first Pyramid Stage appearance since 2016 and will make them the first act to headline Glastonbury five times.
Meanwhile, on the Other Stage, the Saturday line-up includes Brit rising star winners The Last Dinner Party, US singer Camila Cabello and electronic duo Disclosure.
The main stage on the final day will open with a performance by Interlinked Ballet, with Seasick Steve and Paloma Faith set to take to the stage in the afternoon.
They will be followed by Twain, who is expected to play her hits including Man! I Feel Like A Woman!, You're Still The One and That Don't Impress Me Much.
The country star follows in the footsteps of artists such as Dolly Parton, Kylie Minogue and Diana Ross in the prestigious legends slot.
The full line up for the festival can be found here
What happens on site on Wednesday and Thursday?
On Thursday there will be a a 'Guided Peace Meditation' in the Green Fields at 11am led by renowned Buddhist priest and founder of the Flame of Hope, Ryokyu Endo, accompanied by Japanese ceremonial band, Aminadabu. A festival spokesperson said: "The ceremony will feature the lighting of the Flame of Hope (a unification of 15 sacred flames from across the world), the Mexican Spiritual Abuelos and a peace delegation, and will culminate in an evocative moment of silence for peace, unity and reflection."
Body Coach Joe Wicks is also performing a workout at 11am on Thursday and there's details about the upcoming Spinal Tap sequel too.
TRAVEL
A spokesperson for Highways England said: "With Pilton situated five miles outside of Glastonbury, festival traffic has very little impact on the town itself, but drivers are advised that traffic is expected to reach its peak on Wednesday, particularly around junctions 25 and 23 of the M5, as festival goers make their way to the site.
"In previous years the A39 has been heavily congested by mid-morning. Increased levels of traffic are also expected on Monday, 1 July, as people leave the festival site. The primary motorway route for festival traffic to the site is the M5, with drivers exiting at junction 23 to take the A39 and A361, while the A303-A37 is also used for traffic arriving from London, with the A303 eastbound expected to be particularly busy from Podimore Roundabout."
RAC Breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson said: “Traffic jams are enough to drive people ‘totally crazy’ at the best of times but can be even more frustrating if you’ve already been travelling for hours with a carful of tents and camping equipment. While it will be extremely difficult to avoid heavy traffic on the final roads leading to Glastonbury, you can take several steps to make the experience more bearable.
“While sat-navs are usually an excellent tool to save you time on the road, when it comes to getting to the Glastonbury Festival it’s far better to follow the official directional signs to get to the right car park. You don’t want to end up at the wrong entrance and then struggle to reach the other side of the site – this creates more delays for everyone and is a sure-fire way of arriving at anything but the ‘Speed of Sound’.”
GWR trains operate shuttle buses to and from the site from Castle Cary train station in Somerset, there's more details here