Emily Eavis welcomes revellers as Glastonbury gates open

The gates to Glastonbury Festival have opened for the 2024 celebration of performing arts and music.

Organiser Emily Eavis unbolted the green gates to Worthy Farm as a brass band played.

She then led revellers in a countdown before they surged on to the field in the hopes of securing a prime camping spot.

Festival-goers 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.

This year’s event will see headline performances from global stars including pop singer Dua Lipa, British rock band Coldplay and American soul singer SZA, while Canadian country star Shania Twain will play the coveted Legends slot.

Other attractions at the festival, which runs from Wednesday until Sunday, includes speeches, film screenings and Q&As, circus performances, comedy sets and more.

Rock band Squeeze will open the Pyramid Stage on Friday at midday, followed by rising star Olivia Dean, K-pop group Seventeen and singer Paul Heaton.

Later on, PJ Harvey and LCD Soundsystem will warm up for Dua Lipa as she headlines the main stage on Friday night – her Pyramid Stage debut.

The 28-year-old pop star is expected to treat revellers to a selection of her hit songs, including Houdini and Training Season from her third studio album, Radical Optimism, released earlier this year.

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 play 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.

US singer and actress Janelle Monae and Nigerian singer Burna Boy will take over for the evening session before SZA closes out the Pyramid Stage with her hits including Saturn and Kill Bill.

The US singer, real name Solana Imani Rowe, who was named international artist of the year at the Brit Awards in March, will be making her debut at the festival this year.

Sunday will also see US star Avril Lavigne, Northern Irish band Two Door Cinema Club and US rock band The National perform on the Other Stage.

A number of slots across the schedule have been left as “TBA”, including a space at 6pm on Saturday on the Woodsies stage.

In previous years, acts such as the Foo Fighters, The Killers and Radiohead have surprised festival-goers in these secret slots.

The festival will also pay tribute to DJ Annie Nightingale, the first female presenter on BBC Radio 1, who died in January at the age of 83.

Her life will be celebrated with a special event across two stages at the Somerset festival on June 27, including a daytime celebration on The Glade stage, featuring King Of The Beats and Paper Dragon, before moving to the BBC Introducing stage for the evening festivities.

The Met Office has told Glastonbury revellers that the weekend should be “largely dry and cloudy”, but they may face showers.

Met Office spokeswoman Andrea Bishop said: “From Friday to Sunday it will remain largely dry and cloudy, with the potential for lighter showers across the weekend.

“Conditions will be slightly above average between 18C and 21C.”

– The 2024 event runs from June 26 to 30 at the 900-acre Worthy Farm in Somerset.

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