The UK’s biggest festival has officially begun with the founder greeting attendees at the gates amid a burst of torrential rain. At this year’s Glastonbury festival, held on Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, the headliners Arctic Monkeys, Elton John and Guns N’ Roses will perform on the Pyramid stage. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend.
“Welcome to Glastonbury,” the co-organiser Emily Eavis said, addressing thousands of queuing festivalgoers.
Speaking to the PA Media news agency, Eavis said it felt good to greet the crowd. “I love welcoming people in – it’s always my favourite moment.”
Michael Eavis, the co-founder of the festival, was seen in a red Land Rover near to where his daughter officially opened the gates.
The festival has had a wet start, as heavy rainfall and showers began at Worthy Farm on Wednesday morning. A torrential downpour lasted for about 15 minutes from 11.30am before easing to slow, consistent rainfall, but forecasters are expecting wet weather at the site in Somerset to ease as the music begins on Friday.
Edyta Krzesak, 45, a music photographer from Minehead, Somerset, who is attending her eighth Glastonbury in a row, was caught in the heavy downpour in just a T-shirt.
“I would say it’s been the whole week in one day,” Krzesak said. “It’s been a fresh morning, kind of breezy. It was cold when I woke up, then it was extremely hot when I had my breakfast, then it kind of cooled down. Now look at me, I don’t have even my waterproof coat, I left them at my tent thinking I will not need them and I’m soaking wet.”
Kathy and Tony Sharp, both in their 50s and from Liverpool, decided to attend the festival on a recommendation from their daughter. “Our daughter came last year for the first time, so she came home and was raving, and it’s on Tony’s bucket list,” Kathy Sharp said. “I think [her] experience made us more eager to try and get the tickets.”
There has been speculation regarding whether Arctic Monkeys will be able to headline the Pyramid stage on Friday as scheduled, given that the band cancelled a performance in Dublin on Tuesday due to Alex Turner having acute laryngitis.
Elton John, who will be closing the festival, said he was preparing to bring on several guest stars during his Sunday headline set, which could be his last UK performance.
