Glastonbury kicked off with a bang last night – with revellers seen enjoying laughing gas balloons and buying ‘vegan alternatives’ to cocaine at the start of a five-day music extravaganza.
Around 200,000 festival-goers are descending on Worthy Farm to enjoy a long weekend of music from acts including headliners Dua Lipa, Coldplay and country legend Shania Twain.
After the 30C heatwave yesterday, this morning started off a damp squib for revellers as the heavens opened over the campers – with pictures showing them taking outdoor showers and retreating to their cardboard tents.
Photos from last night show festivalgoers blowing up pink balloons with ‘laughing gas’ on the grass surrounded by various drink cans.
Elsewhere, a small mobile cart saw entrepreneurs flogging little bottles claiming to contain the ‘vegan alternative to cocaine’. The brand, Karmaceuticals, advertises its product on Facebook as a ‘tool’ to ‘help you be your best authentic self and boss Glasto weekend like an absolute legend’. The substance is not actually cocaine and is legal to sell.
It claims to prevent ‘over-consumption, over-stimulation and burn-out’ by sustaining high octane levels.
Meanwhile, many ticketholders enjoyed the festival’s first ever drone show as well as a peace parade.
And the Met Office said fans can expect conditions to be ‘a little cloudy’ with the ‘odd spot of rain’ before it turns drier with plenty of sunny spells in the afternoon and some isolated showers.
Festivalgoers look at a stall advertising a vegan alternative to cocaine, on the opening day of the Glastonbury festival yesterday
Fitness coach Joe Wicks performs a workout on stage during day two of Glastonbury Festival
Joe Wicks on the Gateway stage at the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm today
The brand, Karmaceuticals, advertises its product on Facebook as a ‘tool’ to ‘help you be your best authentic self and boss Glasto weekend like an absolute legend’
Festivalgoers arrive during a rain shower at the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm today
Revellers use a watering can to shower during the Glastonbury Festival today
Festivalgoers at Glastonbury take ‘laughing gas’ at Worthy Farm on the first day of the event
Festivalgoers brave the public showers this morning at Glastonbury
Volunteers were seen collecting rubbish at the festival this morning
It is expected to be ‘a little breezy’ with a high of 21C. The weather across the weekend is expected to stay ‘mostly dry with plenty of sunny spells’ and temperatures around average for June, dropping to 18C on Friday before rising to 19C and 21C on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
The festival comes amid planned industrial action by junior doctors, with NHS Somerset sharing tips on how to ‘stay well’ during periods of hot weather to help ‘ease pressure on health and care’.
‘We know that services will be under pressure this week,’ Dr Bernie Marden, chief medical officer for NHS Somerset, said.
‘With Glastonbury Festival also taking place this week and expected warm weather, we are sharing a few reminders about simple steps people can take to look after themselves, and stay healthy and well.’
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.
People queue for a shower at the Green peace field in Glastonbury this morning
People queue for a shower at Glastonbury festival this morning
Rubbish is collected by volunteers festival-goers at Glastonbury festival this morning
Light rain at Glastonbury festival this morning as the wet weather comes after an extremely hot day yesterday
Glastonbury Festival campers wake up to cooler weather and a light rain shower after high temperatures yesterday
Discarded nitrous oxide canisters in a car park, at the Glastonbury Festival today
People walk near rubbish discarded by revellers during the Glastonbury Festival today
Discarded balloons left next to nitrous oxide canisters in a car park, at the Glastonbury Festival this morning
An aerial view taken this morning shows the sheer scale of the massive festival in Somerset
An aerial view taken this morning shows the scale of the mega-festival in Somerset
Glastonbury festival-goers taking part in a 5K run today
Glasto revellers seen taking part in a 5K run as the festival begins
However, music fans travelling to Glastonbury Festival by train today have also experienced disruption.
Great Western Railway (GWR) said all lines are blocked at West Ealing in west London due to ‘the emergency services dealing with an incident near the railway’.
That is affecting services to and from London Paddington, which is on the route serving Castle Cary, the nearest station to Glastonbury Festival.
Passengers are being warned to expect disruption until midday.
Dozens of people sat on the floor at London Paddington near the boarding area for Castle Cary services.
Hannah Yates, 28, from north London, who was booked on a train with four friends, said: ‘I went up to (a member of staff) and they said there’s been a fatality on the line and to wait for 45 minutes, so we’re waiting for the next announcement.
Glasto revellers take part in a 5K run around Worthy Farm
Joe Wicks holding a workout at Glastonbury for hundreds of fans
Wicks at a work session at the Circus field at Glastonbury today
Wicks poses for selfies with fans at Glastonbury after holding a workout session
Wicks and a fan pose for photos at Glastonbury today
Travellers wait for the next train to Castle Cary at London Paddington, the nearest station to the Glastonbury festival
Travellers wait for the next train to Castle Cary at London Paddington station
Festival goers on skate boards in the Greenpeace field during day one of Glastonbury
People watch a drone show at the end day one of Glastonbury Festival yesterday
Fireworks lit up the sky at Glastonbury festival on the first night of the event yesterday
Revellers watch a drone show at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset for the Glastonbury Festival last night
Fireworks explode in the sky above the Pyramid Stage last night on day one of Glastonbury Festival 2024
‘It’s frustrating, I would say. This was a day that’s already quite stressful so this adds to it.’
Another festivalgoer, who gave their name as Zac, said: ‘We took the Elizabeth line here and they had cancelled the Elizabeth line to Heathrow so we had a suspicion.
‘We’re still looking forward to it – a couple of hours won’t make a difference to the whole weekend.’
GWR said earlier this month that it planned to provide more than 28,600 seats on trains from London Paddington to Castle Cary between Wednesday and Friday for festivalgoers.
It warned that early and mid-morning trains on Wednesday and Thursday were almost fully booked.
Other attractions at the festival, which runs from today until Sunday, include speeches, film screenings and Q&As, circus performances, comedy sets and more.
Hundreds of acts will perform on Thursday with various smaller stages across the site hosting acts including singer and DJ Shygirl and electronic musician Joy Orbison, who will both appear at dance stage Levels.
Festival goers watching a drone show at the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset yesterday
Glastonbury Festival features around 3,000 performances across over 80 stages
People gather in The Park area during day one of Glastonbury Festival 2024 yesterday
Fireworks explode above site at the end of day one of Glastonbury Festival 2024 yesterday
Fellow DJ MJ Cole will perform a set at Stonebridge Bar, while London-based artist Shy One will appear at the Glade stage.
Also happening on Thursday, fitness expert Joe Wicks will lead a group exercise session for festival-goers – raising their heart rates at the Gateway stage.
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 festival 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.
Meanwhile, Glastonbury founder Sir Michael Eavis is expected to do his traditional musical performance, covering a series of classics with his band.
An aerial views capture the sheer scale of the Glastonbury Festival as people settle in on the first evening
People walk around site during day one of Glastonbury Festival 2024 at Worthy Farm, Pilton, yesterday
A festivalgoer on the first day of the Glastonbury music festival at Worthy Farm yesterday
Day two of Glastonbury has begun with more than 200,000 having descended on the event yesterday
Performers take part in peace parade as part of the opening ceremony held at the Stone Circle yesterday
Festivalgoers sit below flags at Worthy Farm on the first day of the Glastonbury music festival yesterday
People gather around the rainbow sculpture which overlooks the festival site during day one of Glastonbury Festival 2024 yesterday
Last year, hundreds of fans chanted ‘Michael’ as the veteran organiser, 88, was wheeled on to The Park Stage on an office chair to perform as he recovered from an operation on his leg.
It comes after Glastonbury Festival goers complained of being left for hours in queues without water in the sweltering heat yesterday.
As temperatures hit 28C in Somerset, festival attendees warned there could be ‘mass strokes’ as they moaned about the lack of available water stations while queueing for hours to enter Worthy Farm.
Videos showed thousands of people lined up carrying rucksacks and mats and wearing sun hats, as they waited to get into campsites.
Although music could be heard blaring, revellers reported there was no water available for those standing in the snaking five-hour queue.
Visitors branded the lack of water amid the sizzling temperatures a ‘joke’, adding that coach companies had also failed to hydrate passengers while bussing them to the festival.
Fans also say they are ready to have their ‘minds blown’ by a new fire-belching dragonfly installation at Arcadia, a prime destination for late-night dance music at Glastonbury.
The Dragonfly, a reimagining of the flying insect built from an ex-military Royal Navy helicopter – turning ‘a weapon of destruction into a unifying symbol’, according to organisers.
A festival goer stands on the Stone Circle, on the first day of the Glastonbury music festival yesterday
People walk around tents in the camping fields during day one of Glastonbury Festival 2024 yesterday
People gather around the rainbow sculpture which overlooks the festival site during day one of Glastonbury Festival yesterday
People walk through the market and shopping area at the Glastonbury Festival yesterday
People gather for sunset in the Stone Circle during day one of Glastonbury Festival 2024 yesterday
Festival-goers Henno Tamms (left) and Nam Goldstein who viewed the new fire-belching dragonfly installation
They said its design is inspired by the arrival of the first dragonfly and the Aboriginal First Nations of Australia, and the stage will be opened each evening by a ‘spectacular’ ceremony called Warraloo alongside Aboriginal representatives of the Wadjuk Noongar.
It replaces a giant metal arachnid which was a showpiece at the festival for well over a decade.
For most of that time, barring the installation of a giant crane called Pangea in 2019, Arcadia DJs have performed into the early hours in the Spider which allows fans to gather beneath the artist and is surrounded by a dance lighting system and pyrotechnics which belch flames into the sky over the farm.
Festivalgoer Henno Tamms, who has travelled from the Netherlands for his third Glastonbury since 2017 and shared fond memories from the festival’s famed dance area, said he was excited by his first sight of the new installation despite some fans’ sadness about the change.
‘A lot of people really loved the Arcadia spider … a lot of people online were grieving like ‘oh no the spider’s dead again,’ said the 27-year-old, who is currently unemployed, as workers made the final touches to the new installation behind him.
‘But it looks promising, so we’ll have to see … maybe it’s a birth of the new thing.
‘They’ve blown our minds before, I’m sure they can do it again.’
Mr Tamms’ friend Nam Goldstein, from New York, who he met through the festival in 2017, was similarly effusive about the dance offering at Arcadia, which finishes as late as 3am over the Glastonbury weekend.
‘Even when they’re testing the fire, you’re like ‘this is the place to be’,’ the 35-year-old IT worker said.
‘Even if I like the performers or not, there’s something so magnificent about the ritual (at Arcadia)… with the music and when it’s connecting together – it’s incredible.’