Glastonbury big clean-up begins as festival goers head home after five-day party
Photos show the shocking state of the Glastonbury Festival site as revellers treck home after five days of partying.
A massive clean up is already underway, with a designated team of 300 litter pickers on July 1. It comes after Brits enjoyed a weekend of music from stars including Coldplay, SZA and Shania Twain.
Around 200,000 partygoers will be departing from Worthy Farm, Somerset, this morning, as the cleaners attempt to return the field to its once stunning conditions.
As thousands of people leave the site, police have urged motorists to "ensure they are fit to drive before getting behind the wheel. People had been told the best time to leave to avoid queues was between midnight and 7am on Monday and long waits are likely between 8am and 5pm.
Dozens of people left the site on Monday morning
Andy Rock, 55, team leader for litter pickers on the Pyramid Stage, said: “There’s about 300 staff down here this morning, and they all got up early in the morning to pick the litter to clear up from last night.
“They’ve been doing that for the last four days and every morning it’s a bit messy in the morning, but this place is absolutely spotless by about 10-11 o’clock.
He said “nothing particularly unsavoury” had been found, but added: “I think somebody did leave behind some high-heeled crocodile skin shoes yesterday, but that was the strangest thing we found yesterday.
“I’m not sure why anybody brought those to Glastonbury, but mainly it’s the stuff you see around us. It’s cans, bottles, paper cups, and virtually everything we pick up gets recycled.”
300 litter pickers will help clean up the fields
Teams separate the litter into recycling, non-recycling and composting, he said, adding that it is a “very, very slick process”. Police also urged those leaving the site after SZA’s set to be patient and listen to guidance from stewards.
The American singer admitted she was “so nervous” as she delivered an energetic set on the Pyramid stage on Sunday, but appeared to have some sound issues during her performance.
Her headline set followed Shania Twain’s “life-changing” gig in the Legends slot, when she performed from her back catalogue of hits including That Don’t Impress Me Much and Man! I Feel Like A Woman!
Twain will also perform a headline set at Hyde Park’s British Summer Time (BST) festival on July 7 with special guests The Corrs. After Twain’s set, fellow Canadian Avril Lavigne played hits including Sk8r Boi, Girlfriend and Complicated on The Other Stage, telling the crowd she has always “loved” performing in the UK.
Litter pickers were spotted after the five-day festival
Nigerian singer Burna Boy and Paloma Faith were among the other musicians on Sunday’s Pyramid Stage line-up. Festival organiser Emily Eavis has said 2026 will be a fallow year for Glastonbury, to allow the land to rest and recover, but she is already in talks with acts to headline in 2025.
This was the first year to feature two female headliners on the Pyramid Stage, Dua Lipa on Friday and SZA on Sunday. On Saturday Coldplay made history as the first act to headline the festival five times.