Revellers pour into Glastonbury Festival as gates open for 2025
The gates to Glastonbury Festival have opened for the 2025 celebration of performing arts and music.
Organiser Emily Eavis and her father, co-founder Sir Michael Eavis, could be seen counting down and cheering as the festival officially opened while a brass band played.
Campers arriving at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, can expect a mixed bag of sunshine and rain throughout the week, with 'warm and rather humid' weather for the rest of Wednesday, according to forecasters.
This year's event will see headline performances from British rock/pop band The 1975, veteran singer Neil Young and his band the Chrome Hearts, and US pop star Olivia Rodrigo.
Eavis, 45, told BBC Radio 6 Music presenter Nick Grimshaw that opening the gates is 'one of my favourite moments of the whole weekend'.
She added: 'So much goes into all those areas… all that planning, all that speculation, all the opinions, all the debate, all the outrage, all the love, all the feelings that just are generated every day, all the press, all the noise.
'To be able to actually look everyone in the eye on those gates and bring everyone in, and just think, actually, it's all really just about this. It's all about these people having the best time over the next five days.'
More than 200,000 people are expected to descend on the fields of Pilton, with ticket-holders advised to prepare for mainly warm weather.
Met Office chief meteorologist Steve Ramsdale told the PA news agency: 'Sunny spells are expected for the rest of Wednesday over Worthy Farm and it's likely to stay dry. Things will feel warm and rather humid, with a maximum temperature of 22C.'
Performing in the coveted Sunday tea-time legends slot this year is Sir Rod Stewart, who previously said he will be joined by his former Faces band member Ronnie Wood, as well as some other guests.
His performance is to come after the Maggie May singer postponed a string of concerts in the US, due to take place this month, while he recovered from flu.
Speaking to BBC News about the performance, he said: 'I just wish they wouldn't call it the tea-time slot.
'That sounds like pipe and slippers, doesn't it?'
He previously said he had persuaded organisers to give him an hour-and-a-half slot after initially being offered 75 minutes.
'Usually I do well over two hours, so there's still a load of songs we won't be able to do,' he told the BBC.
'But we've been working at it. I'm not gonna make any announcements between songs. I'll do one number, shout 'next', and go straight into the next one.
'I'm going to get in as many songs as I can.'
One of the more controversial acts performing is Irish rap trio Kneecap, who have been in the headlines recently after one of their members was charged with a terror offence.
Liam Og O hAnnaidh was charged for allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah at a gig in London in November last year.
Last week, the 27-year-old, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was cheered by hundreds of supporters as he arrived with bandmates Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh at Westminster Magistrates' Court in 'Free Mo Chara' T-shirts.
He was released on unconditional bail until his next hearing at the same court on August 20.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the group's performance at the festival, taking place on the West Holts Stage at 4pm on Saturday, is not 'appropriate' and Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said she thought the BBC 'should not be showing' Kneecap's performance.
Earlier in the month, in an appearance on the Sidetracked podcast, Eavis outlined the changes that have been made to this year's festival and said music area Shangri-La is 'going full trees and green space' which is 'completely the opposite to anything they've done in the past'.
She also said the festival, which has capacity for 210,000 people, has sold 'a few thousand less tickets' this year in a bid to avoid overcrowding.
Among the acts expected to draw large crowds this year is alternative pop star Charli XCX, who will perform songs from her genre-defining sixth studio album Brat.
She is performing on Saturday night on the Other Stage, 15 minutes before the West Holts stage is graced by US rapper Doechii, another artist who has exploded in popularity in the last year.
Other performers include Irish singer CMAT, Prada singer Raye, US musician Brandi Carlile, Nile Rodgers and Chic, hip-hop star Loyle Carner, US pop star Gracie Abrams, indie outfit Wet Leg, Mercury Prize-winning jazz quintet Ezra Collective, US rapper Denzel Curry, and rising star Lola Young.
The line-up also features a number of acts listed as TBA, as well as a mysterious act called Patchwork, who will take to the Pyramid Stage on Saturday.
This year, the BBC will provide live-streams of the five main stages – Pyramid, Other, West Holts, Woodsies and The Park.
On Wednesday at 10pm the festival will open with a theatre and circus act set in the Pyramid Arena, which will showcase acrobatic and circus performances, culminating in a fireworks display.
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