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 four-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 a drone show as well as a peace parade at the festival’s Stone Circle.
Designed by Celestial, a local company from the nearby Somerset village, Norton Saint Philip, the drone show was a new addition for 2024’s edition of the event – featuring 576 drones and inspired by themes of peace and togetherness, according to organisers.
Festivalgoers look at a stall advertising a vegan alternative to cocaine, on the opening day of the Glastonbury festival yesterday
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 at Glastonbury take ‘laughing gas’ at Worthy Farm on the first day of the event
Festivalgoers brave the public showers this morning at Glastonbury
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
Festival-goers wash / have a home made shower at a Water Point at Glastonbury Festival this morning
Discarded nitrous oxide canisters in a car park, at the Glastonbury Festival today
Discarded balloons left next to nitrous oxide canisters in a car park, at the Glastonbury Festival
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
A Met Office spokesperson said that fans arriving on Thursday 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.
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.’
Festivalgoers arrive during a rain shower at the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm today
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
Tents and structures are seen from a hillside overlooking the festival site during day one of Glastonbury Festival yesterday
Performers take part in a peace parade as part of the opening ceremony held at the Stone Circle at the end of day one yesterday
People gather around the rainbow sculpture which overlooks the festival site during day one of Glastonbury Festival yesterday
Fireworks explode in the sky above the Pyramid Stage last night on day one of Glastonbury Festival 2024
A Palestine flag is flown as festival goers gather to watch the sun set above the Park during day one of Glastonbury Festival
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 today until Sunday, include 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 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.
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
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.
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.
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
A festival goer stands on the Stone Circle, on the first day of the Glastonbury music festival yesterday
People gather for sunset in the Stone Circle during day one of Glastonbury Festival 2024 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
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.
