Guns N’ Roses, Arctic Monkeys are this year’s Glastonbury festival headliners, joining Elton John at the top bill of an all-male headline roster, after much speculation surrounding the coveted spots on the Pyramid Stage.
With just a month to go until kick-off, the full line-up for the Worthy Farm festival has now been revealed, along with every single stage split and set time. As well as confirming slots for the many acts already revealed across the festival’s poster, and various other drip-fed announcements, there are plenty of surprises to be had: including a Sunday lunchtime slot for Noughties fave Sophie Ellis-Bextor, a Stonebridge DJ set for The XX’s Romy, and some clear hints of where to find the festival’s infamous secret slots (keep an eye on all of those TBA sets, the festival has a history of inviting everybody from The Killers to Radiohead.
As the time to get highlighting your clashfinders fast approaches, here’s everything else we know about Glastonbury.
Who is performing?
The line-up features big names including Lizzo, Aitch, Blondie, Central Cee, Fatboy Slim, Fever Ray, Fred again.. ,Kelis, Lana Del Rey, Lewis Capaldi, Måneskin, Nova Twins, Raye, Rina Sawayama, Rudimental, slowthai, Wizkid and many more acts.
Sir Elton John was the first headliner to be announced for this year’s festival, taking to the Pyramid Stage for the first time. The performance will also mark his last UK show before his retirement, with the icon’s farewell gig kicking off at 21:00 on Sunday.
The Rocketman singer said previously he “couldn’t be more excited” to appear at the festival, as his last gig in the country after more than 56 years on the road.
Guns N’ Roses had already self-confirmed their appearance at Worthy Farm, as bassist Duff McKagan let it slip on his radio show on Sirius XM that the group would be appearing at the festival this summer. While speaking about their summer shows this year, he added: “And Glastonbury is going to be iconic for us. We’re going to be announcing some shows soon guys.”
Glastonbury co-organiser Emily Eavis expressed excitement for the band’s performance, which starts at 21.30 on Saturday, will mark their debut on the Pyramid Stage.
“They’ll be brilliant and provide something totally different to the rest of the headliners”, she told The Guardian.
The Arctic Monkeys were rumoured to be headlining the festival for some time prior to the poster’s release, with reports suggesting the band had signed a contract to headline the festival as early as September last year. Their set will begin at 22:15 on Friday night.
British singer-songwriter Yusuf / Cat Stevens is set to take to the Pyramid Stage for the Legends Slot at this year’s event, with the much-loved festival tradition starting at 15:15 on Sunday.
Who is performing at the Shangri-La?
Everything Must Go pic.twitter.com/8ZNzLVIeHc
— Shangri-La Glasto (@ShangrilaGlasto) May 11, 2023
The Shangri-La gets a lot of attention because it’s bang at the heart of Glastonbry’s late-night area. This year it has an absolutely stellar line-up: The Streets‘ Mike Skinner, Nia Archives, Sam Divine, Empire State Bastard, Skindred, Cassyette and Flava D are all set to play.
They lead the jam-packed roster which includes Skream, Drifty, Effy, Ezra Collective, Frilla and Ivy Lab and includes takeovers from London clubs Village Underground and Pxssy Palace, and party collectives Queerky and Sista Selecta.
The theme of Shangri-La 2023 is “Everything Must Go”.
The line-up of the Woodsies stage has also just been announced
The John Peel Stage has got a revamp and is now called Woodsies. It will combine the old stage area with the wooded area just next to it to create an exciting new music zone. Glastonbury has described it as being, “for visceral live music, convivial campfires and enchanting treetop escapes.”
Rina Sawayama, Måneskin, Warpaint, Christine & The Queens are set to play at Woodies, as are Editors, Slowdive and Caroline Polachek, to name a few of the stellar acts.
Woodsies – Glastonbury's vibrant & verdant new area in the NW Corner. For visceral live music, convivial campfires and enchanting treetop escapes. pic.twitter.com/SfOTeOiqMw
— Glastonbury Festival (@glastonbury) May 12, 2023
As well as new dance destination The Levels
A new addition to beat-heavy area Silver Hayes, The Levels is a brand new open-air club, and according to the festival it’s “inspired by the crossover of architecture, lighting and experimental musical art-forms”. So far, the line-up offers a cross-section of cutting-edge dance music: Shanti Celeste will be going b2b with Danielle, while Sherelle will be playing alongside I. Jordan. Saoirse, Jayda G, and Daphni are among the other highlights.
Elsewhere in Silver Hayes, Eliza Rose, Barry Can’t Swim, SBTRKT, and Skream are all confirmed to play.
Glastonbury’s original dance music area Silver Hayes has revealed its 2023 line-up, announcing its next evolution while celebrating its 10th anniversary.
— Glastonbury Festival (@glastonbury) April 13, 2023
Find out more here -> https://t.co/1R7sIh2R14 pic.twitter.com/w6rTsdG3FB
And Glastonbury’s iconic pyro-spider Arcadia
A giant, flame-spewing arachnid, Arcadia is always a major draw for festival goers - with its high-level production topped off with a top-notch line-up. 2023’s newly announced bill includes The Chemical Brothers, who were due to perform last year but had to postpone their appearance due to illness.
Other acts on the dance-heavy bill include dubstep pioneer Skream going back to back with Interplanetary Criminal, as well as grime MCs turned house duo Skepta and Jammer. Floating Points will also team up with Daphni for another B2B set, with Sherelle, and chart-topping house legend MK also performing.
Arcadia have also announced that their entire field will be running on recycled energy, created by turning waste cooking oil into high-grade biofuel.
Glastonbury 2023 - our lineup is LIVE
— Arcadia (@A_rcadia) May 15, 2023
The Spider’s built on creative recycling and now she’s got transformation running through her veins. This year, the entire Arcadia field runs on recycled energy - waste cooking oil turned to high-grade biofuel.
Countdown’s on to @glastofest pic.twitter.com/YLoFcQE1J3
Not to mention the rest of the stages
With a month to go, the full schedule for Glastonbury is out now, along with times for every single set. Naturally there’s plenty to delve into.
The full Glastonbury 2023 line-up is here - including set times! Head to our website https://t.co/t3TPRLhKqZ
— Glastonbury Festival (@glastonbury) May 30, 2023
Artwork by @StanleyDonwood pic.twitter.com/JPpoLJe9zz
What was the reaction to the line-up?
News of the line-up took social media by storm, with the festival trending soon after the poster was released. While the reaction to the line-up was generally positive, the all-male headline acts were a topic of discussion on Twitter.
One user said: “Awful lack of diversity in the headliners. The undercard is excellent though.”
Another said: “As much as I’m looking forward to this year’s Glastonbury, not having female headliners on the Pyramid Stage in 2023 is not it.”
Emily Eavis addressed the issue in an article discussing “pipeline” problems in relation to the absence of female headline acts.
In a piece for The Guardian, Eavis said Guns N’ Roses replaced a female singer who “changed her touring plans.” No names were mentioned, but it is widely suspected that Eavis may have been referencing Taylor Swift, who was booked to perform at the 2020 festival, before it was pushed back to last year, following the COVID-19 pandemic.
When is Glastonbury taking place?
The 2023 music event will run from June 21 to 25, 2023.
Can I still buy tickets?
It might come as no surprise that Glastonbury tickets are no longer available, given that around ten people want every available ticket.
This year, during the November 6 sale, it took more than an hour to sell out after the site experienced a “technical problem”, with many fans reporting that the site repeatedly crashed at different stages of the booking process.
Has accommodation gone on sale?
Yes, bookings for caravan and campervan, on-site tipis and official off-site pre-erected campsites went on sale from December 1.
There were a range of accommodation options to go for: from campervan and caravan tickets, to the Glastonbury Bell Tent, there was something for every kind of camper.
Accommodation could also be bought via Sticklinch, Worthy View’s sister campsite, which offered a “more gently undulating walk to the festival site” with accommodation ranging from Podpads, Tipis, Yurts and Bell Tents.
How can I keep up to date with festival updates?
As Glastonbury’s official connectivity partner, Vodafone has rolled out the official app for this years festival. The app is available free on iPhone and Android devices – and will be your go-to to keep up with live festival news, create customisable line-ups, and and access the festival’s interactive map.
The app will send users push notifications of new announcements and festival updates.
Fans will also be able to access Glastonbury’s radio station, Worthy FM, through the festival app for the first time, allowing fans to access the festival coverage,on-site info, entertainment and the radio station’s famous weather forecasts, which are occasionally delivered by festival founder and Worthy Farm owner Michael Eavis.
What happened at the festival in 2022?
As always, Glastonbury was a huge success, with Billie Eilish, Sir Paul and Kendrick Lamar all headlining, and with Diana Ross performing in the traditional Sunday Legends slot.
Eilish’s Friday slot made her the youngest ever solo performer while Sir Paul’s Saturday headline gig on the Pyramid Stage saw the former Beatle become the festival’s oldest solo headliner, performing a week after he celebrated his 80th birthday.
The festival featured countless other memorable moments including Greta Thunberg delivering a passionate speech from the Pyramid Stage calling on society to take on its “historic responsibility to set things right” with the global climate crisis.
It also hosted an array of Ukrainian representatives, with the country’s president Volodymyr Zelensky giving a poignant address via a video message and Kalush Orchestra playing their first UK performance since they triumphed at Eurovision 2022.
The festival also – finally – celebrated its 50th year this summer, after the coronavirus pandemic forced organisers to cancel twice.
