Glastonbury 2024: 'Criminal' pints prices rile up festivalgoers (2024)

Laura Harman

As the day draws to an end on the first night of the festival there have been several key stories.

The day kicked off with Shadow Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner pulling out of a panel of the festival and festivalgoers blocking up the motorways and railways as they travelled to Worthy Farm.

The cost of beverages at the festival shocked fans as many worked out it was most cost-effective to drink beer all weekend and avoid non-alcoholic drinks.

Shania Twain also revealed that she had plans to include a horse in her Legend set performance.

It was rumoured that Kasabian is set to perform at the gig, as several predictions for surprise acts began circling the internet.

Finally, as the day came to an end festivalgoers were treated to a drone display as a spectacular way to end the evening.

Laura Harman

On the first night of the festival, a drone display took place over Worthy Farm.

Showing a rainbow peace sign, butterflies, the Pyramid Stage symbol, and the Glastonbury logo, fans were wowed by the lights in the night sky.

Crowds gathered sat near the main stage to watch the display, with many taking to X to reveal that they had a great time.

‘Oiiii @glastonbury that drone show was absolutely eliteeee! I was jumping!,’ said festivalgoer EastStandDan on X.

The drones were followed by a firework display which signalled a pretty beautiful end to what is set to be a hugely exciting weekend.

Laura Harman

If you’re set to watch Dua Lipa at Glastonbury, make sure you’re camera-ready because reports suggest that she’s planning on using footage from her performance for a new film.

Per MailOnline, the Houdini singer will be using performance footage to create a film for fans to accompany a new single.

An industry source told The Mail on Sunday earlier this year: ‘[Ms Lipa] wants to get the Glastonbury experience across to fans all over the world, as many will never get the chance to attend.

‘The plan is to use some of the footage to accompany her new single release. We don’t think anyone has actually used footage from Glastonbury with their own single release before.

‘But there will also be loads of extra footage… and scope to release a Dua Lipa Glastonbury movie.’

Ahead of her live performance, the BBC released a documentary titled Dua Lipa: My Glastonbury, which saw the star reflect on her journey to the pyramid stage.

Laura Harman

Although the festival is huge and has hosted anyone who is anyone in the music business, the fee actually isn’t so huge.

Festival founder Sir Michael Eavis revealed in 2013: ‘There’s a bog-standard price for the headliner. We get the headliners for a tenth of the normal price. So they’re not being paid very much.’

While the exact fee may have changed over the years, Emily Eavis has echoed the low fee sentiment. ‘We’re not in a situation where we’re able to just give people enormous amounts of money,’ she said in 2017.

‘So we’re really grateful for the bands that we get, because they’re basically doing it for the love of it.’

David Bowie’s former PR, Alan Edwards, revealed in his book that for his headline act in 2000, the Changes singer received just £20,000.

‘It was hilarious, it was about £20,000 or something and even then it wasn’t a lot of money,’ said Edwards per The Telegraph. ‘David was always an artist and he was driven by what he felt was the right thing and what he wanted to do, rather than what the payday was. He didn’t even ask. It was a cool thing to do. Glastonbury has got that wonderful legacy.’

Brooke Ivey Johnson

Fans can’t get over the sheer size of Glastonbury when viewed from above.

An image of the festival taken from a hot air balloon is circulating online, revealing the enormity of the iconic Worthy Farm event.

Many couldn’t believe that many people could fit on the farm, questioning how the facilities can possibly handle all the traffic.

X user @DanSoloYolo wrote: ‘That’s a LOT of peeing and pooping… Where does it all go afterward?’

User @lau_w87 wrote: I love to see everyone having a great time but that is literally my worst nightmare 🤣’

Brooke Ivey Johnson

Rumours are swirling that rock band Kasabian will perform a secret set at Glasto.

A source told The Sun: ‘Glastonburyis always a big deal but this year Kasabian really can’t wait, especially as it’s a decade since they were last there.

‘They loved the idea of being a secret act and jumped at the idea when it was suggested by Glasto bossEmily Eavis.

‘The set will be an hour long.

‘Fans are going to go absolutely nuts when they realise Kasabian are playing and Glasto are ready for it to be absolutely mobbed.’

The band was formed in 1997 in Leicester and is currently comprised of Sergio Pizzorno, Chris Edwards, Ian Matthews, and Tim Carter.

They have released 11 albums, won a Brit award, and headlined Glastonbury in 2014.

Laura Harman

The weather has been getting a little bit hot across the UK, and it’s now officially been claimed that June 26, is the hottest day of the year so far.

Per The Guardian, The Met Office confirmed that a temperature of 30.3C was recorded at Heathrow on Wednesday, the same day festivalgoers queued to arrive at Glastonbury.

Met Office meteorologist, Kathryn Chalk, confirmed 30.30 C was ‘the highest maximum temperature this year.’

‘Yesterday we got to 30C and that was the first time we reached 30C since September 10 last year.’

The warm weather may seem like good news for the festival which has had serious issues with rainfall and flooding in the past – but it’s not expected to last.

The weather is set to become wetter, cooler, and windier as the weekend approaches with highs of 19C and 20C rather than highs of 28C as they experienced today in Somerset.

Laura Harman

In 2021, it was reported that fish were getting high from drugs in people’s pee in rivers near Glastonbury.

But this concerning report hasn’t stopped groups like Peequal who believe they can harness the waste product and turn it into a fertiliser.

Peequal, a women’s urinal provider, told The Times that they’re excited about the challenge the festival poses.

‘This is an absolutely critical step for us … We’re almost using Glastonbury as a kind of “worst case scenario” urine.

‘If we can clean that, then we can basically accept anything to go through our system.’

Human urine is full of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium which are key ingredients for crop growth.

Laura Harman

Glastonbury is taking place at the same time as the Euros football tournament, but there’s a good reason why footy fans won’t be able to watch the game.

Organisers of the event have said that in order to avoid any clashes with headline acts, England’s round of 16 match won’t be shown during the festival.

The match will be taking place at 5pm on Sunday. This means it would overlap with acts including Janelle Monae on the Pyramid stage and Nothing But Thieves and Avril Lavigne on the Other Stage.

This is a change for the festival as the men’s andwomen’s World Cupquarter finals in 2010 and 2019, were both broadcast at the festival.

The statement released on May 2 by the organisers reads: ‘In previous years, we have endeavoured to show notable matches on big screens where possible, particularly on days before the main stages have opened.

‘However, with England and Scotland’s Last 16 matches potentially clashing with headline sets at this year’s Festival, the decision has been made that – as in 2014 and 2016 – should England or Scotland qualify from their groups, their Last 16 matches will not be shown at the Festival.’

Laura Harman

Every year, there are a few surprises in store for fans at the festival and this year is no different with eight slots left open across various stages, meaning there are eight acts yet to be confirmed.

Many rumours are flying about which acts will be filling these slots, and while they may prove false – as they have in the past – these are some big names being thrown around.

Glass Animals, Kings of Leon, Green Day, Liam Gallagher, Blur, Placebo, Troye Sivan, Tame Impala, and Weezer are all rumoured to be taking surprise slots.

A source also told The Independent that the rock band Kasabian are likely to be the mystery performers on Saturday at 6pm at the Woodsies stage.

Last year the Foo Fighters and Hozier were among the surprise acts and in 2022, George Ezra, Jack White and Bastille were surprise performers.

Danni Scott

Sonique has revealed toMetro.co.ukthat she was desperately trying to find one record from her 10,000-strong collection to include in her Glasto set.

She’s playing on the Lonely Hearts Club stage as part of Thursday’s line-up and promised to bring ’90s vibes’ to the UK’s biggest festival.

Laughing, Sonique shared: ‘I’m trying to find one, it’s so annoying because I found it during the lockdown. I’m determined to find this one record so I can digitalize it and play it.’

At the time of the chat, the dance icon had searched through approximately 3,000 of her records in hopes of finding it before Glastonbury as a treat for fans.

She explained that lots of her early music consisted of ‘special mixes’ which simply don’t exist outside of her vinyl collection.

‘Everything’s familiar though,’ Sonique assured us. ‘They’ll know the songs, I’m not gonna hurt them too much and go too left field.

‘I’m just gonna keep it nice light and happy but non-commercial. Organic.’

Read the full interview with Sonique here.

Danni Scott

As the festival fills up, Glasto revellers have turned their attention to the bar and the pints are causing quite a kerfuffle.

Good news for beer and cider drinkers, pints have been priced in line with most London bars and come in at a not-too-shocking £6.50 to £7.

Glasses of wine fit in a similar price bracket at £7.75 per glass or £30 per bottle.

However, anger was sparked when people realised a half pint of cola, lemonade or juice would set them back £3.

‘£6 for a pint of co*ke is a criminal offence!’ wrote Luke Dudley on X while Kien Tan added: ‘Londoners shrugging and saying “is that all?”‘

There’s no price difference between the sugar-free option but fans have called it a ‘criminal offence’ to charge £6 for a pint of co*ke — normally around £3 outside of Glasto.

Other more eye-watering prices include a 250ml can of Red Bull, which normally costs £1.70, at a whopping £4.75.

Water is also a sore spot, while it is free around the site for refill, a can or a 500ml bottle of water sits at £2.50.

Looks like the best value for money is a pint of beer, who’d have thought it!

Danni Scott

This year, Glastonbury attendees have been warned of potentially life-threatening ecstasy pills which have three times the common adult dose.

DrugcharityThe Loop raised the alarm about dangerous pills found in the UK after testing drugs at other festivals ahead of Glastonbury.

Parklife in Manchester saw the drugs being sold while more of the pills were discovered in Bristol.

The tests revealed pills had more than 300mg of MDMA in them.

An overdose of MDMA could result in organ failure and other dangerous side effects and the vastness of Glasto could mean medics take longer to arrive.

Adam Waugh, training coordinator of The Loop, urged revelers to be cautious if deciding to take drugs: ‘The safest option is not to take pills. However, if someone is going to take them, it is safer to start with a quarter.’

He continued: ‘Wait at least 90 minutes before re-dosing, and do not assume that pills of a similar design have the same contents. Pills which look very similar can have different contents and be of differing strengths.’

Danni Scott

‘I was cold, tired and just wanted my bed,’ writes Ellen Manning for Metro as she revealed Glastonbury isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

‘I knew I’d still havea sleepless nightahead of me where I’d be woken by the noise of people who sounded like they were enjoying themselves much more than I was.

‘It’s not quite how I had imagined Glastonbury would be.

‘Aged 28, I’d had ‘Glasto’ onmy bucket listfor some years – especially after other friends had declared how life-changing it was.

‘We also did all the things you’re meant to do – exploring the site and all its different parts, drinking cider in the rare moments the sun shone, and rocking the Glasto fashion statement of shorts and wellies.

‘But in spite of all this, Glastonbury sticks in my head as one of the more challenging and stressful experiences I’ve undergone in my 41 years.

‘The advantage of the hefty ticket cost, touted as great value because of the number of bands you can see, is actually a myth.

‘Maybe I missed something, who knows? Or maybe I’m not alone in wondering if it’s all a bit overrated.’

Danni Scott

Icon that is Shania Twain has big plans for her Sunday Legends slot performance.

As a country queen, those plans apparently include a last-minute horse, which she’s asked locals if she can ‘borrow’.

‘I love horses. I love animals,’ the 58-year-old singer told the BBC. ‘I’m going to see if there’s a horse around I can borrow.’

This isn’t for getting around Worthy Farm without getting muddy though as Shania continued: ‘I’d love to ride a horse to the stage… I’ll have to find out if it’s allowed.’

Turns out it’s not even the first time she’s thought about this as in 2010 and 2014 for her Las Vegas residency she would sing You’re Still The One atop a white horse.

She can also be seen speeding along on one through a yucca plantation in her 2005 music video for Don’t!.

Shania, who will take to the Pyramid Stage Sunday at 3.45pm, owns three Tennessee walking horses and two American saddlebreds.

Horse sourcing aside, the Man! I Feel Like A Woman superstar said she is feeling ‘overwhelmed’ by the Glasto honour.

She continued: ‘It’s been explained to me that it is a real event, a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Everyone keeps going: “Let me tell you about it. Let me tell you about my experiences”.

‘I’m planning on getting up there and having so much fun. I’d love to be able to sing with everyone and be a part of the journey of the crowd. So, I’m going to do everything familiar.

‘I want to do the hits. I want to do what they know.’

Kitty Chrisp

Paddington Station in London is abuzz with Glastonbury activity as festival-goers lug their tents, supplies and clothes to Worthy Farm on the opening day of the festival.

Castle Cary Station near the festival – usually a quiet little station – is a similar sight, as ticketholders clamber off trains, up stairs and queue outside for their shuttle busses, set to take them to Glastonbury 2024.

Kitty Chrisp

While talking to Lauren Laverne on the BBC Radio 6 Music Breakfast Show this morning, Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis admitted she was ‘terrified’ of the festival growing up.

‘I don’t think you could have bribed me into it when I was little. I found the festival terrifying,’ Emily said, reflecting on her father Michael Eavis’ days organising the festival.

‘We’ve grown old together,’ she added. ‘What was a completely out of control wild ride in the 80s, it’s now a beast, but a beast we understand.’

Emily, who opened the gates to festival-goers this morning, said letting people experience the festival on opening day in is one of her favourite moments of the year.

‘I love it. It’s always one of my favourite moments, letting people in and seeing everyone flood the site,’ she said.

‘The atmosphere is just magic.’

Kitty Chrisp

Travel Somerset have warned Glastonbury-goers to take the M5 to Worthy Farm via Junction 25.

As of 11.30am, this route was suggested by the travel monitoring X page, who added that after Junction 25, revellers should follow the A358 to the A303 and then the A37.

According to ITV, traffic monitoring site Inrix said at 11am: ‘Long delays due to Glastonbury at Worthy Farm with many local side road closures on routes between Glastonbury to Pilton and around the festival site.’

Kitty Chrisp

A drum and bass DJ who goes by the name Bob the Blender was among those already set up in a camping spot overlooking the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury by 9am on Wednesday morning.

The 22-year-old from Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, told the PA news agency he arrived on Tuesday as he knows the dairy farmers at Worthy Farm. He had not slept after playing a set at the festival’s stone circle that night.

‘I went over, asked for a set, and had one of the best times of my life… and that’s the greatness festivals can bring,’ he said.

‘Life is so hard at the moment, and sometimes you’ve just got to let loose and not worry. I’ve come close to death and this is what makes me feel alive – I don’t care about money, the future.

‘It’s almost religious coming to a place to dance with everyone.’

The DJ’s setup overlooking the festival’s famous main stage included sofas, armchairs and a grandfather clock he claimed had been ‘in the family for 200 years’.

Danni Scott

Ollie Howarth has taken the title of the first person into Glastonbury 2024.

The 30-year-old finance worker revealed to PA that they got a coach at 4am, travelling from Bristol.

Somehow they managed to get past the people who had camped out from the night before and claim that coveted title.

He shared: ‘We saw Emily Eavis… it’s cool to actually see it from the very start.

‘She opened the gate and I was too busy thinking about getting in… we did the countdown and just charged past her.

‘It’s an honour and a privilege (to be the first through the gates) and now we’ve sent our friends off to put up the tents and we’re celebrating with a coffee.’