Finally, after three years, Glastonbury Music Festival is back, and this time with a bang.
Known best for its celebration of music and culture, Glastonbury Music Festival has gained peak status over the years amongst eclectic festival-goers. The Worthy Farm festival is the largest greenfield music and performing arts festival in the world, becoming a template for those that have come after.
What separates Glastonbury from the rest is its ability to combine all the best aspects of being at a festival into one astonishing experience. Whether that be the musical acts, the celebration of culture, or it’s a grassroots heritage that doesn’t only relish in celebrating the familiar but also the unknown.
It’s like teleporting yourself to another country, one where everyone is free from inhibition, connected through the love of arts, and devoid of technology. Disconnected from the outside world, festival-goers are thrown into a microcosm of spontaneity. A sun-soaked and muddy utopia with tented cities, a state where British Law still applies but the pressures and expectations of modern society are discarded.
The Festival site is not only known for being the largest but also for its distinct socio-geographic influences. The Pyramid, Other, and Silver Hayes stage draws inspiration from the West End of London.
Festival-goers can not only see their favorite bands and acts but can also enjoy nighttime cinemas as well as indulge themselves in the massive selection of pop-up restaurants and bars. The atmosphere feels like a busy Saturday in West London except for the hustle and bustle of the city is replaced with the natural aspects Worthy Farm has to offer.
But the West London feel is not for everyone, with the West Holts and Acoustic areas there to accommodate the more laid-back. All areas are within a short walking distance. If that’s still not relaxed enough, Glastonbury offers many family-oriented areas like the Kidz Theatre and Circus fields which offer a more alternative and less noisy experience to the festival.
After a three-year delay, the festival is finally back just in time to celebrate its belated 50th Anniversary. Many fans’ expectations have been raised higher due to the festival’s hiatus and the magnetism it holds. Everyone knows that Glastonbury never does anything by half measures.
Glastonbury Music Festival has not only broke record after record but has also been home to some of live music’s most triumphant moments, from David Bowie’s zenith 1971 performance to the Pulp’s last-minute headlining performance in 1995 with 2022 promising yet another memorable moment with Billie Eilish becoming the youngest artist to headline the festival.
The festival as always will be covered and shown on TV and Radio in its entirety by the BBC, meaning even those who aren’t in attendance will be able to indulge and be part of the experience. Here are just a few of the spectacles one can expect to see at this year’s Glastonbury.
Paul McCartney Becomes Oldest Glastonbury Headliner
After turning 80 last week, Paul McCartney will officially become the oldest artist to headline the music festival with his performance set to take place this Saturday on the Pyramid Stage.
This won’t be the first time the former Beatles star has made an appearance having headlined previously back in 2004. Many fans will be expecting a top-form performance, with McCartney having just completed a stadium tour in the states
Billie Eilish To Make History
Fresh from her Golden Globe and Oscar victories for Best Original Song, the 20-year-old will officially become Glastonbury’s youngest headliner just a day before McCartney’s performance, with Eilish scheduled to headline the Pyramid stage this Friday.
Eilish entertained many fans last week when she expressed how surprised she was that Glastonbury would take place in the un-rock-n-roll surroundings of Somerset’s Worthy Farm. Eilish is currently in the midst of a World Tour promoting her sophomore album, Happier Than Ever, which was released last July.
Lamar Finally Makes It
Having performed at this year’s Super Bowl alongside Hip Hop and Rap Icons Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Mary J Blige, and the release of his latest album, Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers, it’s safe to say Lamar has risen to widespread critical acclaim.
This year Lamar will finally set foot on stage, originally scheduled to headline the festival back in 2020 before covid, Kendrick is scheduled to close the festival’s Pyramid stage with a headline spot on Sunday night.
Glastonbury’s Other Stage
At Glastonbury, it’s not all about the main stages and big names. A huge variety of stages and places to perform ensures that there’s something for everyone, regardless of taste.
If you’re in doubt about what to be at, the best thing to do is to “just wander” proclaim the festival organizers. The enormity of the festival site offers revelers a new experience around each corner.
The Other Stage is set to host headliners Foals, Megan Thee Stallion, and the Pet Shop Boys from Friday to Sunday, with all three acts, recently releasing new singles promising fans performances well worth the wait.
Megan Thee Stallion’s set in particular is one that has been highly anticipated, with this performance being her first appearance at the festival. Earlier this year Stallion dropped new tracks “Sweetest Pie” and “Plan B” which offer a tantalizing insight into what fans can expect from her second album due to be released by the end of summer.
Carl Cox, Jon Hopkins, and Fatboy Slim at Arcadia
Until Orbital’s famous set at the 1994 festival, many fans of EDM had been left out in the rain and were often excluded from the inclusivity at the festival.
Since then, Glastonbury has ushered in a new era drawing in a trance, techno and house acts. Carl Cox and Jon Hopkins are two big names expected to perform at this year’s Arcadia, as well as sets from Fatboy Slim, Sasasas, and Australia’s Logic1000.
With this year set to be the 50th iteration of the legendary music festival, many revellers expectations will be sky-high and with the line-up being fully stacked, it’s safe to say that Glastonbury is back with a bang, and this time in remarkable style.
If you’re one of the lucky 200,000 who managed to bag a ticket then one thing is for sure, you’re in for a treat.
Glastonbury 2022 kicks off today, 22nd June with the first music performances starting this Friday.