After a year-long hiatus, the UK’s biggest music festival, Glastonbury, is back with a bang this week playing host to some big names.
Taking a breather from the festival scene last year so the land, the village and festival organisers could rest and recoup, Worthy Farm in Somerset will welcome around 200,000 revellers ready to celebrate the return of the headliner music event.
This year marks the 49th festival since it was established in 1970 by Michael Eavis, when 1,500 fans came to watch Marc Bolan and T. Rex rock out on stage, each paying a £1 entry fee that included free milk fresh from the farm.
When is Glastonbury 2019?
The five-day festival opens on Wednesday 26 and closes Sunday 30 June.
Who’s playing this year?
Organisers haven’t failed their audiences yet, lining up surprises for every stage that will satiate music lovers of every flavour.
Oasis, Orbital, Radiohead, Beyonce, Johnny Cash and David Bowie have all taken the various stages at the event over the years, run by Michael Eavis and daughter Emily.
More than 2,800 acts will be performing over 100 stages with Stormzy, The Killers, Liam Gallagher and The Cure signed up to play the Pyramid Stage, as well as Lauryn Hill, Sheryl Crow, Janet Jackson, Kylie Minogue, who will play the celebrated Sunday night slot, and The Proclaimers.
The Chemical Brothers, Lewis Capaldi, Billie Eilish and Christine and the Queens are four of the 25 acts playing on The Other Stage.
Other bands and individual performers will play on the West Holts, John Peel, Park, Acoustic and Avalon stages, as well as many more.
There are rumours that Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper could join the fun to perform a surprise set but Emily Eavis has ruled this out.
Can I still buy tickets?
If you snooze, you majorly lose on this one. Tickets went on sale in October 2018, and sold out in just 36 minutes. A n official resale of tickets in April also sold out in record time.
In a bid to stop touts ripping people off, the Eavis’ partnered with only one ticket vendor, See Tickets and every ticket is personalised to the named ticket holder and are non-transferable.
Tickets cost £248 plus a £5 booking fee.
That’s an increase from £238 in 2017, £185 in 2010, £87 in 2000, £38 in 1990, £5 in 1979 and just £1 at the first Glastonbury Festival in 1970.
What will the weather be like?
Judging by the forecasts, festival-goers should pack waterproof gear, wellies and their sunscreen as the weather is likely to start off humid with showers with temperatures rising to 30C over the weekend.
Hopefully the washouts of previous years - with torrential rain and mudslides - will stay away.
What will the facilities be like?
The Eavis’ have banned single-use plastic drinks bottles from the event, estimating that it will save millions of bottles being sold. The audience can fill up their own bottles from the 850 water taps across the site and dozens of water kiosks drawing supplies from the farm’s purpose-built reservoirs.
There is an on-site recycling hub that will be processing an estimated 2000 tonnes of waste. Items are hand separated and sent off to be recycled off site or composted on site.
There will be thousands of toilets across the 1000 acre site with 2000 long-drop loos, 1.300 compost toilets and more than 700 metres of urinals which will all be cleaned once a day - people are asked not to wee anywhere else as it’s bad for wildlife and just a bit horrible.
More than 250 food stalls will be catering to almost every taste during the five days.
Where can I watch?
As usual, the BBC will be providing extensive radio and TV coverage. The action can also be seen from a live webcam which takes in the Pyramid and John Peel stages, as well as the Green Fields area.
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