Glastonbury Festival 2024: All you need to know including history and lineups
Glastonbury Festival returns this summer with female artists Dua Lipa and Shania Twain dominating the line-up.
Women have taken two of the three headline slots for the first time in the event's history.
It will be held at Worthy Farm, near Pilton in Somerset, from Wednesday 26 June to Sunday 30 June, 2024.
Who is performing?
British-Albanian singer Dua Lipa, country pop superstar Shania Twain, rock band Coldplay and American singer SZA are among the first major acts announced for Glastonbury 2024.
Canadian singer Twain, known for hits including Man! I Feel Like A Woman!, You’re Still The One and That Don’t Impress Me Much, will perform on Sunday afternoon
The five-time Grammy award-winner has sold more than 100 million records, making her one of the most successful musicians.
Scottish singer Lulu will head to Glastonbury for a final show after announcing her retirement from touring.
Earlier this year, the 75-year-old announced her plans to retire when she wraps her 'Champagne for Lulu' tour later this month, following a career spanning 60 years.
However, she has now been revealed as one of the acts set to perform on Glastonbury's Field of Avalon stage in June.
Other names on the bill include Brit award-winning singer-songwriter Kate Nash, folk-punk singer Frank Turner, and Billie Marten, who is making her debut appearance at the festival.
Festival organisers said the line-up is gender-equal and showcases "the best in the world of contemporary, roots and folk music."
First ever South Asian space
Shangri-La Glastonbury, known for its history celebrating underrepresented art and culture, has announced its first ever South Asian space.
'Arrivals' will be created, designed, and built by an entirely South Asian team in the South East corner of the festival.
Artists include DJ Ritu, an icon of the 90s Asian Underground scene, as well as emerging artists such as Anish Kumar, Gracie T and mainstays like Manara and Nabihah Iqbal.
Bobby Friction, a prominent UK DJ, said: "This is a seminal moment for UK Festival culture.
"South Asian and British Asian music have had their own small festivals over the years and some Asian artists have performed in the big gatherings that are now a quintessential part of a British Summer.
"A full on Glastonbury space dedicated to South Asian music, beats and DJs for the entire festival? That's just crazy and a personal dream come true."
How much do Glastonbury tickets cost?
Festival goers will be charged £355 plus a £5 booking fee for standard tickets.
It is a £20 increase from last year’s event, which cost £335 plus a £5 booking fee, after a £55 price hike from the 2022 price of £285.
Announcing the news on Instagram, organisers said: “As part of our ongoing efforts against ticket touting, anyone who would like to attend the Festival will need to have registered in advance of the ticket sale, you can do this via our website.”
Other headliners
It might be a cliché, but there really is something for everyone at Glastonbury Festival.
Scores of acts have been announced for the Other, West Holts, Woodsies and The Park stages. They include:
Other - Idles, Disclosure, The National, Avril Lavigne, Bloc Party
West Holts - Jungle, Jesse Ware, Sugababes, Nia Archives
Woodsies - Jamie XX, Sleaford Mods, Arlo Parks, Declan McKenna
The Park - Peggy Gou, Aurora, Barry Can't Swim
The future of Glastonbury Festival
Speaking on the BBC's Sidetracked podcast, Emily Eavis said the festival is likely to take a year off in 2026.
The last official fallow year was in 2018 with a two-year hiatus in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.
Eavis said: "We are due a fallow year. The fallow year is important because it gives the land a rest, and it gives the cows a chance to stay out longer and reclaim their land."
“I think it’s important, I think it gives everybody time to just switch off and the public as well.
"Then you kind of go away for a bit and it feels lovely when you come back. And I think it’s quite good not to be seen to be cashing in.”
Glastonbury history
1970: The first Glastonbury Festival was held the day after Jimi Hendrix died in 1970, over a two-day period and before long "word had got around".
Michael Eavis, owner of Worthy Farm, was inspired by the Blues festival at the Bath and West Showground to begin a festival of his own, on a smaller scale.
Marc Bolan, Keith Christmas, Stackridge, Al Stewart and Quintessence were among the first acts to perform at the festival.
Around 1,500 people attended, paying £1 each, which included free milk from the farm.
1971: The festival moved to the time of the Summer Solstice and was known as the “Glastonbury Fair”.
It was planned by Andrew Kerr and Arabella Churchill who felt all other festivals at the time were too commercial.
Entrance was free and the event featured music, dance, poetry, theatre, lights and spontaneous entertainment.
The first “pyramid” stage was built out of scaffolding and expanded metal covered with plastic sheeting, on a site above the Glastonbury to Stonehenge ley line.
The musicians who performed recorded an album, which is very difficult to get your hands on these days.
It was captured "a la Woodstock" by a 1972 film crew that included Nick Roeg, Sandy Lieberson and Si Litvinoff. This film was called Glastonbury Fayre.
1980s: In 1981, the name was changed to Glastonbury Festival and Michael Eavis took the helm running the event again. This was the first “Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament” festival.
It was this year that it was decided to build a new Pyramid stage. However, this time it was a permanent structure, doubling as a cowshed and animal food store during the winter months.
1982 was a muddy year with lots of bad weather. In fact, the highest rainfall for a single day in 45 years was recorded on the Friday.
Acts included Van Morrison, Judie Tzuke, Jackson Browne, Roy Harper, Richie Havens.
1983 called for a licence to be obtained for the event since the introduction of the local Government Act became law, giving local authorities the power to regulate such events by stipulating the conditions.
By 1985 Worthy farm was considered too small to accommodate the Festival so the neighbouring Cockmill farm land was purchased to enlarge the site by a further 100 acres.
1994: The famous Pyramid stage burnt down in the early hours of the morning but luckily a replacement was provided by the local company who also provided the stages for the NME and Jazz stages.
1997: Torrential rain just before the weekend resulted in this being the “Year of the Mud”. Undeterred, festival-goers boogied in their boots to more live performances than ever before. This year’s highlights included a “dubhenge” made from upended VW beetles and campervans and the first ever Greenpeace field with a reconstructed Rainbow Warrior and solar heated showers.
2010: Glastonbury celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2010, a milestone that brought a fresh buzz of excitement to the Worthy Farm valley. The weather was also suitably celebratory, with warm days and balmy starlit nights.
Car parks opened up on the Tuesday night for the first time prior to the pedestrian gates opening on the Wednesday morning.
With the sun beating down relentlessly the demand for water was enormous, so the decision to build a second new permanent reservoir this year was more than vindicated.
2014: News of Dolly Parton’s first ever Worthy Farm appearance leaked out on the same night as Glastonbury scooped the Best Festival gong at the NME Awards in London in February.
From there it was rhinestones all the way to the Pyramid, as she charmed an enormous afternoon crowd in the Sunday sunshine and also found time to welcome Michael and the grandchildren onto the Dolly tourbus.