- author, Lily Shepard
- Role, BBC News, West of England
-
The doors to Glastonbury Festival 2024 have officially opened.
Organizer Emily Eavis opened the gates to the venue at 08:00 BST on Wednesday, as she has done in previous years with her father, Sir Michael Eavis.
Thousands of ticket holders have already started arriving The location is expected to benefit from a week of sunshine this week, with temperatures expected to reach 27C on Wednesday before cooling off for the rest of the week.
Ms Eavis told the BBC: “This is the moment we’ve been waiting for. It’s been a year since we opened the doors and it’s fantastic to see everyone here.”
Accompanied by a small brass band, Ms. Eavis led festival-goers in a countdown before they flocked to the venue in hopes of securing a prime camping spot.
Carmel and Phil Cole, from south-east London, said they had been queuing since 02:00 BST.
“This is our tenth festival, but we haven’t held one in four years,” they said.
“We can’t wait to get there and enjoy the festival.”
For Megan Wood, 28, from London, it was her first time attending the festival.
“I’m so excited, I can’t wait,” she said.
“I’ve been wanting to go since I was a teenager and I’m so excited to finally have tickets. Looking forward to seeing Coldplay.”
Tom and Emma Naismith, from Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, said they were “a bit tired but happy to be here”, adding “hopefully we’ve got it all”.
The five-day festival runs from Wednesday to Monday, with performances on the main music stage starting on Friday.
Gabija Lauce, 28, from Lithuania, said: “I’ve been to Glastonbury before and this is my second time.
“I’m happy to be here and I’m familiar with it now.”
Women’s headlines a ‘passion project’
Speaking to BBC 6 Music on Wednesday, Ms Eavis described the morning as “amazing”.
She admitted she found the festival “terrible” as a child, but said: “I guess now I feel like we’ve grown old together.
“The completely out-of-control, wild ride of the 1980s has now become a beast we understand and we know how to ride.”
Coldplay, Shania Twain, Dua Lipa and SZA headlined the Pyramid stage.
It is the first time the festival has featured two female leaders, which Ms Eavis described as a “passion project”.
To celebrate the opening of the world-famous festival, a drone display will be held ahead of the traditional fireworks display at 22:30 BST on Wednesday.
Football fans traveling to the venue will be put to the test over the festive period, with Glastonbury confirming it will not show England’s last-16 match at the European Championships over concerns it would clash with headlines.
In a statement released before Scotland were eliminated, a spokesman for the festival said: “We wish Gareth Southgate and Steve Clark’s side all the best in Germany.
“We hope we can all watch their quarter-finals after this year’s festival.”
You can watch live coverage of the festival on BBC TV and iPlayer.
