We wanted to let you know that we’ve added some new items to the official Glastonbury Shop, including T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, posters and tea towels. Click here to shop now.
We’ve also just launched a range of classic Stanley Donwood Glastonbury designs in our online shop. Check out the Tshirts, hoodies and art prints by clicking here.
It’s wonderful to hear that so many of you are planning to celebrate Glastonbury at home this year, and we wanted to offer you a taste of the full Festival experience to go alongside the BBC’s comprehensive coverage.
Huge thanks to all of the areas and stages who’ve put together so much fantastic virtual entertainment for you to enjoy. Check it out here.
We also know that many of you will miss being here in Pilton. But we would remind you that, under the current circumstances, Worthy Farm and its surrounding farms are completely closed to the public. Please do not attempt to visit.
We hope you have a wonderful #GlastoAtHome experience and we can’t wait to welcome you back here in 2021.
Michael & Emily
Starting today, the V&A is hosting a seven-day online celebration of all things Glastonbury, at vam.ac.uk/glastonbury. Coinciding with the weekend when the Festival was due to celebrate its 50th year, the V&A has delved into its collections and asked for contributions from its curators to help fill your Festival void.
Home to the nation’s Glastonbury Archive, the museum will be launching a new collections page on its website as it develops an online resource for the public to learn about and navigate this amazing collection of posters, programmes, designs, interviews, film, photographs, backstage passes and other memorabilia. V&A curators have also created new content providing an introduction to the Glastonbury Archive and the Festival’s History as well as an examination of Glastonbury and Fashion, and Glastonbury and Stage Design.
The personal memories of those that attend Glastonbury are just as important as the artists that perform. The crowd at the Festival is famous the world over, which is why the V&A is today launching a call out for members of the public to send in their memories from the Festival. Using the email address glastonbury@vam.ac.uk, the museum is asking for your written memories to enter the archive to help tell the story of those that attend.
Glastonbury is more than the performances themselves, it is about the communal social experience of the Festival-goers. The memories project will contribute towards a 360 degree mapping of its 50-year history.
A specially commissioned soundscape by award-winning sound designer Gareth Fry will also launch on the V&A website. This 7 minute binaural piece includes recordings from the across the Festival to explore a day in the life of Glastonbury. Recorded during the 2015 Festival, it conveys the atmosphere of Festival life through snippets of conversations and familiar sounds from across the Festival site including sunrise at the Stone Circle and sound checks at the Pyramid Stage. This sonic experience recreates the side of Glastonbury enjoyed by its guests but not covered by TV channels.
Gareth Fry, Sound Designer said: “Glastonbury is so much more than just music – there are comedian, circus acts, workshops, buskers, dozens of international cuisines. The camping, the walking, the people you pass by and the people you meet. There’s something unexpected around every corner.”
Museum staff have also revisited their memories of attending the Festival and each selected one song that reminds them of their visit. The collection of songs has now been compiled as a playlist on Spotify that the public can also update with their favourite songs heard at the Festival, providing the perfect soundtrack for your #Glastonbury2020 weekend.
The museum’s regular online activity #LetsMakeWednesdays will also be celebrating the Festival with a range of ideas which will trigger creativity and performance. The weekly online programme of activities and challenges for children, will set a day of Festival-themed fun with flag making, fashion creation and at home music innovation. Whilst the blog series Pandemic Objects will examine how Glastonbury has repurposed Festival objects to support the NHS.
Kate Bailey, V&A Curator of Theatre Design and Scenography said: “Glastonbury Festival is a crucible for ideas and creativity. The Glastonbury Festival archive is an extremely important growing collection for the V&A. This diverse archive reveals how the Festival has developed exponentially over the past 50 years to become the global cultural phenomenon it is today.”
Emily Eavis, Glastonbury Festival Co-organiser said: “We are delighted that the V&A is joining us in celebrating Glastonbury’s 50th anniversary. The Festival is witness to decades of creative, social and political change, and your memories are an integral part of this story. Please do share your Glastonbury memories and join in the V&A’s seven days of Festival fun.”
Worthy Farm and its surrounding farms are working farms and, given the current circumstances, the land used by Glastonbury Festival is closed to the public.
For the sake of those who continue to work and live on the site, we would ask that you please do not consider visiting. Those who do attempt to access the site will be asked to leave.
Thank you.
Glastonbury Festival
We thought it’d be nice to update our main stages playlists on Spotify and Apple Music with the acts who would’ve been gracing those stages at Glastonbury 2020.
We’re delighted to announce that R.A.E has been selected from thousands of entries as the winner of our 2020 EMERGING TALENT COMPETITION, which is once again supported by PRS for Music and PRS Foundation.
The incredible South-East Londoner was the overwhelming choice of our panel of judges, who were wowed by R.A.E’s radiant, pin-sharp hip-hop and R&B.
R.A.E’s prize is a slot on one of the main stages at Glastonbury 2021. She will also be awarded a £5,000 Talent Development prize from PRS Foundation to help take her songwriting and performing to the next level.
And listen to the song she entered with, below.
The final judges – who included Michael and Emily Eavis, Glastonbury stage bookers, music business professionals and former ETC winner Declan McKenna – awarded second place to Newcastle’s spellbinding AJIMAL and third place to West London singer-songwriter Matilda Mann. Both acts will be invited to play at Glastonbury 2021 and receive a £2,500 Talent Development prize from the PRS Foundation.
Said Emily Eavis: “I’m absolutely thrilled for R.A.E. Her music is so uplifting and vibrant, and she absolutely wowed the judges. I really can’t wait to see her at next year’s Glastonbury!”
Becci Scotcher, Senior Grants & Programmes Manager at PRS Foundation said, “Huge congratulations to the fantastic R.A.E. for winning this year’s Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition! The shortlist was incredibly competitive and we’re delighted to be awarding our £5,000 talent development bursary to R.A.E. and both £2,500 bursaries to the brilliant runners-up AJIMAL and Matilda Mann. We look forward to following their progress and seeing them perform at next year’s Glastonbury Festival.”
Amy Field, Senior Events Manager, PRS for Music: “A huge congratulations from all of us at PRS for Music to the outstanding R.A.E and runners up AJIMAL and Matilda Mann. The level of talent these songwriters have already displayed at such an early stage is inspiring. We look forward to supporting them as they take the next step in their careers.”
Each year, the free-to-enter Emerging Talent Competition is open to new UK and Ireland-based acts of any musical genre, who are asked to enter with one recorded track and a video of themselves performing.
Following the January entry period, our panel of 30 of the UK’s best online music writers & bloggers narrowed down the thousands of acts to a longlist of just 90. The eight finalists were then selected from that list by judges including Emily Eavis and Glastonbury’s Head of Music Programming, Nick Dewey. With no live finals possible this year, the final judges then used the eight acts’ songs and videos to select the winner.
The 2019 Emerging Talent Competition winner was the soulful singer-songwriter Marie White, who has since signed with Decca Records and Universal Music Publishing Group following a year of highlights which included her performances at Glastonbury, a 6 Music live session and supporting Keane at the Royal Albert Hall.
Glastonbury Festival shares a common goal with its three main charities – Oxfam, Greenpeace & WaterAid – to improve the lives of people and our planet. Not only are the Joint Charities partners of the Festival, they are also major financial beneficiaries from it. That means the cancellation of Glastonbury 2020 has left a significant gap in their funding.
Working with the artist Stanley Donwood, we have produced a range of Glastonbury-inspired T-Shirts, posters, tote bags and tea-towels to help raise funds for the charities, with all profits going to them. They are available to order from our shop here now.
The designs feature the line “Hope Shines Brightest In The Dark”, which we’ve kindly been granted permission to use by Paul McCartney. That lyric features in McCartney’s appropriately-titled song, Hope For The Future. By purchasing from this range of ethically-sourced products, you really will be helping Oxfam, Greenpeace and WaterAid to build a more caring future for all.
Now, more than ever, the Joint Charities need your help to make sure they can continue their vital work helping the world’s poorest people; improving access to clean water, hygiene and sanitation; and taking positive action against climate change.
Thank you for supporting the Glastonbury Festival Joint Charities, so that they can continue their vital work.
To further support their work, head to OXFAM, Greenpeace UK & WaterAid.
Festival Medical Services, a charity founded in Somerset, has today been honoured with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service – the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK.
The charity’s doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals, together with support staff, volunteer at music festivals, including Glastonbury, and other high- profile outdoor events. They offer a full on-site emergency medical service for fans, plus other healthcare services such as dentistry, podiatry, physiotherapy and mental healthcare.
Last year, they celebrated 40 years of service at Glastonbury and festival founder Michael Eavis toured their medical centre on-site to congratulate them on their achievements – they particularly pride themselves on how few patients nowadays ever have to be transferred to hospital for treatment.
The group also raises money for medical charities – both in the UK and abroad – and each year donates up to £100,000 to other good causes.
Festival Medical Services (FMS) is one of a number of charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year. The number of nominations remains high year on year, showing that the voluntary sector is thriving and full of innovative ideas to make life better for those around them.
The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by volunteer groups to benefit their local communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. Recipients are announced each year on 2nd June, the anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation. Award winners this year are wonderfully diverse. They include volunteer groups from across the UK, including an environmental group in Swansea, a group working with refugees and vulnerable people in Stirling and a community arts centre in County Down.
Representatives of Festival Medical Services will receive the award from Annie Maw, Lord Lieutenant of Somerset later this summer. Furthermore, two volunteers from FMS will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May 2021, along with other recipients of this year’s Award.
Dr Chris Howes, Managing Director and founder of Festival Medical Services, from Croscombe, near Wells, in Somerset, says:
“The organisation we have grown into is scarcely recognisable as that which received its first patient in a kitchen at Worthy Farm in 1979.
“Our volunteers now come from all over the country and provide a hugely comprehensive range of high-quality medical services.
“They show relentless commitment and dedication and devote their skills, energy and experience to ensure the service we provide is second to none. If these top professionals were not willing to volunteer their time and expertise, then the service we provide would be unaffordable.
“FMS aspires to the highest possible standards of clinical care and professionalism. Added to that we are a family, and we look after each other – especially when the elements may be challenging, and we are coping with rain and mud, or extreme heat, as well.
“I am delighted on behalf of these dedicated colleagues that their work has been recognised – although it’s sadly ironic that this award should come when few, if any, events will be taking place this summer because of coronavirus.”
The BBC has just announced its broadcast plans for the weekend when this year’s Glastonbury Festival would have taken place (Thursday 25th to Monday 29th June), with a host of classic sets being made available across TV, radio and online. Please see below for the full lowdown on the BBC’s plans.
For those of you wishing to get a taste of the full Glastonbury experience from home, we’re also working with our areas & stages to make sure you can enjoy a slice of the Green Fields, the South-East Corner, Theatre & Circus, Kidzfield, Silver Hayes, Left Field and all the others from the comfort of your sofa or garden. More info coming soon!
– BBC Two, BBC Four and BBC iPlayer will show classic Glastonbury performances in full from some of the biggest artists in the history of the festival, including Adele (2016), Beyoncé (2011), David Bowie (2000), which will be the first time that performance has ever been broadcast in full on television, Coldplay (2016) and Jay-Z (2008).
– BBC iPlayer will become the home for Glastonbury lovers, with a brand new pop-up BBC Glastonbury channel, bringing viewers back-to-back iconic sets and highlights from past festivals. BBC iPlayer will also allow viewers to relive classic moments whenever they want, with over 60 historic sets available to watch on-demand. This, plus all the coverage from across the BBC’s TV channels, live and on-demand, means iPlayer is the place for Glastonbury fans in June.
– BBC Radio highlights will include a series of special shows from Jo Whiley on BBC Radio 2 from Monday 22nd June. Plus, Lauren Laverne will be joined in her BBC Radio 6 Music morning programme (8.30am-12pm) by Emily Eavis on Friday 26th June.
– BBC Sounds will be the place for top audio highlights, bringing together the biggest moments from across BBC Radio, over 20 archive performances and ‘All Day Glastonbury’ curated collections of back-to-back sets, allowing listeners to dive in for hours of great moments from Glastonbury over the years.
From Thursday 25th to Monday 29th June, when the 50th anniversary of Glastonbury Festival was due to take place, the BBC will be bringing the spirit of Glastonbury to viewers at home with The Glastonbury Experience across BBC Television, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio and BBC Sounds
Some of the BBC’s best loved presenters including Clara Amfo, Edith Bowman, Jo Whiley, Lauren Laverne and Mark Radcliffe will host four days of programming on BBC Television and BBC iPlayer, dedicated to Glastonbury, and revisiting some of the festival’s most iconic and memorable moments and performances from over the years.
Lorna Clarke, Controller, BBC Pop says: “Glastonbury Festival has for decades been a huge moment in the BBC’s music calendar, thanks to Michael and Emily’s magical creation. Even though Worthy Farm can’t be full of thousands of music lovers this year, the BBC will celebrate with four days of memories and archive footage across TV, BBC iPlayer, Radio and BBC Sounds, to give our audience a taste of the festival in their own homes.”
Emily Eavis says: “There are so many memorable sets being played across the BBC over what would have been our 50th anniversary weekend. Personally, I’m looking forward to a weekend of reflecting on the history of our festival and going back to some classic performances from David Bowie, Adele, REM, Beyoncé, The Rolling Stones, Jay-Z, Billie Eilish and lots more. Me and my dad will definitely be watching!”
ON BBC TELEVISION AND BBC IPLAYER
The Glastonbury Experience will be led on BBC Television by three 90 minute live programmes in prime time on BBC Two – one for each night of the main Glastonbury weekend, Friday 26th, Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th June. The programmes will celebrate some of the festival’s greatest performances since BBC coverage began in the 90s, with unique acoustic performances alongside rarely seen and triumphant archive moments. Artists featured will include Amy Winehouse (2007), Arctic Monkeys (2013), Baaba Maal (2005), Blur (2009), Dizzee Rascal (2010), Lady Gaga (2009), PJ Harvey (2004), Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (1998) R.E.M. (2003), The Rolling Stones (2013) and Toots and the Maytals (2011).
Jo Whiley and Mark Radcliffe will present Friday’s programme and Clara Amfo and Lauren Laverne will present on Saturday and Sunday.
BBC Two and BBC Four will broadcast a series of previous sets in full across the weekend, including from Adele (2016), Beyoncé, (2011), David Bowie (2000), which will be the first time that performance has ever been broadcast in full on television, Coldplay (2016) and Jay Z (2008). BBC Four will also broadcast three additional programmes, featuring footage from some of the best acoustic performances that have been filmed in the BBC compound throughout the history of the BBC’s coverage of the festival including from Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Kano, Leon Bridges, Patti Smith, Richie Havens and Youssou N’Dour.
BBC Two will also dedicate a special programme, introduced by Jo Whiley and Mark Radcliffe, to Glastonbury’s famous Sunday afternoon ‘Legends’ slot – which is played by a different established, respected and much-loved artist each year of the festival and takes place on the Pyramid Stage. The programme, broadcast early evening of Sunday 28th June will feature lots of gems from many of the legendary artists to have played in that much loved slot at the festival.
On BBC One, The One Show will celebrate Glastonbury in the lead up to the weekend.
On Thursday 25th June on BBC Four, Edith Bowman will introduce a broadcast of Julien Temple’s acclaimed film Glastonbury, which celebrates and documents the history of this famous festival. Concert footage, interviews, archive and home video collected from attendees themselves combine in this film to capture the essence of Glastonbury. Musicians featured in the film include The Velvet Underground, Radiohead, Bjork, Primal Scream and Pulp amongst many others.
Blue Peter joins The Glastonbury Experience with presenters Lindsey, Richie, Mwasky and children from across the UK performing, dancing, or creating their very own music festivals at home to inspire them to earn their Blue Peter Music badge, designed by Ed Sheeran. Blue Peter is on CBBC on Thursday 25th June at 5.30pm, and CBeebies on Friday 26th June at 5pm.
All programmes will be available to watch live and on-demand on BBC iPlayer.
The Glastonbury Experience on BBC television is commissioned by Jan Younghusband, Head of Music Commissioning, BBC Television, Charlotte Moore, BBC Director of Content, Cassian Harrison, Channel Editor, BBC Four, and Patrick Holland, Controller, BBC Two. It is a BBC Studios production, produced by Alison Howe and Mark Cooper.
THE FULL GLASTONBURY EXPERIENCE ON BBC IPLAYER
BBC iPlayer is the home for Glastonbury fans this year, with the launch of the first pop-up Glastonbury channel on BBC iPlayer.
From 10am on Thursday 25th June until late Monday 29th June, fans will be able to relive highlights including Ed Sheeran’s headline performance from 2017, Christine & The Queens knockout debut in 2016 and Florence + The Machine conquering all in 2015 and LCD Soundsystem’s epic Other Stage set from 2016 as well as a host of hidden gems from the BBC’s TV coverage and acoustic sessions.
BBC iPlayer will also allow all viewers to relive classic moments whenever they want, with over 60 history sets available to watch on-demand such as George Ezra (2019), The Killers (2004), Lewis Capaldi (2019), Radiohead (1997), Foals (2019), The XX (2017), Lana Del Rey (2014), Primal Scream (2011), Christine & The Queens (2016), The Chemical Brothers (2019) and Billie Eilish (2019).
This, plus all the coverage from across the BBC’s TV channels, live and on-demand, means iPlayer is the place for Glastonbury fans in June.
ON BBC RADIO AND BBC SOUNDS
On BBC Radio 2, long-time Glastonbury-goer and presenter Jo Whiley will build up excitement ahead of the Glastonbury Experience every evening from Monday 22nd to Thursday 25th June (8pm-11pm).
This special series of programmes will be packed full of Jo’s memories of Worthy Farm, as well of those of her fellow Radio 2 presenters and listeners.
Zoe Ball will be bringing some Glastonbury magic to listeners in her Breakfast Show on Radio 2 on Friday 26th June (6.30am-9.30am)
Jo will return to the airwaves on Saturday 27th June (4pm-6pm) with a selection of archive tracks recorded at previous Glastonbury festivals, plus interviews with special guests.
On Sunday afternoon, Sounds of the 70s with Johnnie Walker will reflect on the Glastonbury performances from that decade, before Jo returns from 5pm-7pm to pay homage to those who have graced the Pyramid Stage to play the iconic Sunday afternoon ‘Legends’ slot. Jo will speak to previous Legends about their memories of performing in that slot.
On Monday 29th June, Jo will reflect on this unique Glastonbury Experience in her evening show (8pm-11pm).
On BBC Radio 6 Music, daytime presenters Chris Hawkins, Lauren Laverne, Mary Anne Hobbs and Steve Lamacq will take part in a Glastonbury Throwback Thursday on the 25th June – a trip down memory lane in celebration of the festival’s greatest moments from the last 50 years. Each show will feature archive tracks as well as listener requests – helping the audience re-live their favourite memories of Worthy Farm. 6 Music will also be playing archive tracks recorded at Glastonbury across the schedule and throughout the week beginning Monday 22nd June.
Lauren Laverne will continue the festivities the following day in her morning programme on Friday 26th June (8.30am-12pm) as she is joined by Emily Eavis. Plus Lauren’s People’s Playlist, in which Lauren picks the theme and the listeners pick the songs, will be dedicated to Glastonbury.
On Sunday 28th June, BBC Radio 6 Music will shine a light on the emerging artists who would have played at Glastonbury in 2020 in a special episode of The BBC Music Introducing Mixtape presented by Tom Robinson (2pm-3pm).
BBC Radio 1 will broadcast special daytime shows on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th June (11am-3pm) which will showcase live performance from previous Glastonburys, in addition to a dedicated Glastonbury Essential Mix on Saturday June 27th (1am-3am).
BBC Radio 1Xtra will look back at some of Glastonbury’s most iconic moments, from Jay-Z and Stormzy’s historic sets on the Pyramid Stage to Alex’s duet with Dave on The Other Stage in 2019.
On BBC Asian Network, all week starting Monday 22nd June, Bobby Friction will re-live moments and performances from prolific British Asian artists including Asian Dub Foundation and Nitin Sawhney as well as more recent appearances including M.I.A and Joy Crookes. Then, on Thursday 25th June, Bobby will dedicate his entire four-hour show to Glastonbury, with guest DJ sets as well his own Glastonbury Experience mix, spanning the last three decades.
BBC Radio Somerset is broadcasting three special shows on the Friday 26th, Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th June (6pm-10pm), highlighting the impact the festival has had on the county over its 50 year history. Presenter Andy Bennett will be broadcasting across eight radio stations (including Bristol, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Devon, Cornwall, Jersey and Guernsey) from some surprising locations in Somerset related to the event. He’ll be talking to the bands and artists who would have played at Glastonbury this year, as well as regular festival goers, the villagers of Pilton, and many of the people at Worthy Farm who put on this spectacular show year after year.
All programmes will be available to listen live and on-demand on BBC Sounds.
BBC Sounds is also the place to easily enjoy top audio highlights as it will also bring together the biggest moments from BBC Radio’s coverage from across the week, plus, there will be over 20 archive performances for listeners to enjoy. Look out for ‘All Day Glastonbury’ offers – curated collections of back to back sets – diving listeners straight into the biggest headliner, chill and dance moments from Glastonbury over the years. Plus, there will be a few surprise mixes from DJs who would have performed at Glastonbury 2020 too, which will be announced in the coming weeks.
(Photo: Jason Bryant)
We’re excited to announce the eight finalists of our 2020 Emerging Talent Competition, which is supported by PRS for Music and PRS Foundation.
The eight acts have been whittled down from thousands of entries received in January. The finalists are:
AJIMAL
Courting
Frankie Beetlestone
HANNIE
Joshua Burnside
Kathleen Frances
Matilda Mann
R.A.E
You can listen to all eight of the acts on the playlist above.
The winners of the free-to-enter competition will be offered a slot on one of the main stages at Glastonbury 2021. They will also be awarded a £5,000 Talent Development prize from PRS Foundation to help take their songwriting and performing to the next level. Two runners-up will also each be awarded a £2,500 PRS Foundation Talent Development prize.
There will be no live finals this year, for obvious reasons. Instead, the winners will be selected by our usual team of live finals judges using the song and live video each act entered with. Look out for an announcement soon!
Said Emily Eavis: “There were so many great acts on the longlist, and narrowing it down from 90 acts to 8 certainly wasn’t an easy task. But I’m really happy with the finalists we have, and I very much hope that people will take the time to check them all out.”
Becci Scotcher, Senior Grants & Programmes Manager, PRS Foundation says: “Congratulations to all the finalists of this year’s Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition. Yet again the standard of the shortlisted music creators is incredibly high and it will be an exciting and lively judging panel to decide the winners and runners-up. Best of luck to all eight artists.”
Said Amy Field, Senior Events Manager at PRS for Music: “The standard has been extremely high this year, so a big congratulations to the finalists for getting to this stage. We are looking forward to the final round of judging and helping to support the winner and runners-up. We also can’t wait to see them all perform live in the near future. Good luck to all involved.”