9 of the most iconic and unforgettable festival moments EVER

So many great performances

Author: Anna Sky MagliolaPublished 26th Jun 2020
Last updated 26th Jun 2020

This weekend (27th/28th June), it would have been the 50th anniversary of Glastonbury Festival, so we take a look at some of the most iconic moments from festivals around the world.

Make sure you don't miss our Throwback Weekend!

From the first ever Glastonbury festival in 1970, to Kylie Minogue appearing in the legends slot in 2019, there have been some amazing, unforgettable moments throughout the many decades of festivals.

There have also been some huge festival moments further afield, like when Avicii brought out Madonna on stage at Ultra Music Festival, and Beyoncé reunited with her Destiny's Child bandmates at Coachella.

Check out these fantastic iconic festival moments:

Glastonbury was founded (1970)

Glastonbury was founded in 1970, and has continued right up until the present day. Sadly the 2020 festival was postponed due to Coronavirus, but they will be returning next year.

Live Aid (1985)

Live Aid took place in 1985 raising money for the ongoing Ethiopian famine. It was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure and took place in Wembley Stadium and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia simultaneously.

Daft Punk's Pyramid set at Coachella (2006)

Way back in 2006, 'Get Lucky' DJs Daft Punk wowed the audience at Coachella with their Pyramid set as the tunes pumped out.

Beyoncé headlines Glastonbury (2011)

Beyoncé headlined Glastonbury in 2011 when she was secretly three months pregnant and she gave a spectacular performance of her biggest hits.

Avicii brought out Madonna at Ultra Music Festival (2012)

Late DJ Avicii surprised everyone by bringing out the Queen of Pop Madonna during his set at Ultra Music Festival in 2012.
Introducing Avicii's remix of her song 'Girl Gone Wild', Madonna told the crowd, "I've been here in spirit for many years, but it's good to finally be standing on the stage."

Swedish House Mafia closed Ultra Music Festival (2013)

Swedish House Mafia closed Ultra Music Festival in 2013, it was set to be their last ever gig after the supergroup decided to part ways.
The trio later reformed at the same festival on the fifth anniversary of their last show, as the surprise headliners on the last day of the three-day festival.

Beyoncé brought out Destiny’s Child (2018)

Pop superstar Beyoncé surprised fans at Coachella in 2018 by reuniting with her former Destiny's Child band mates, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams and put on a spectacular performance.
Beyoncé also made history by being the first black woman to headline the festival.

Kylie Minogue performs at Glastonbury (2019)

Kylie Minogue performed at Glastonbury 14 years after she was originally set to perform at the iconic festival, but had to pull out due to her cancer diagnosis.
Her 2019 performance became the most watched Glastonbury performance ever.

Ariana Grande performed with *NSYNC at Coachella (2019)

Ariana Grande wowed fans after pulling out all the stops for Coachella 2019, when she brought out *NSYNC.

Make sure you don't miss our Throwback Weekend!

Now read:

12 reasons a virtual festival is better than a real festival

The evolution of festivals through the years

For great music and incredible competitions tune into MFR on FM and DAB across the North of Scotland, online, on our app, or say ‘Play MFR’ on your Smart Speaker. We play you the biggest hits from the world’s hottest artists. You’ll find new favourites every day and hear the songs you've missed from the last few years.