“Clash” is a word that can cause any Glastonbury ticketowner to break out in cold sweats.
When organisers first release the poster, which is fit to bursting musicians booked to perform at the Worthy Farm festival, there is nothing more fun than putting together a list of all the performances you plan on seeing.
But then the set times are announced, and you come to the crushing realisation that you may have to skip a few of your favourites.
Below, we run through the biggest clashes at the 2023 festival.
However, don’t fret – we’ve also worked out some possible workarounds, meaning you may be able to see at least some of the sets you’re sad about missing.
Friday 23 June
Arctic Monkeys (10pm-11.45pm) vs Hot Chip (10.20-11.30pm)
Warpaint (9pm-10pm) vs Sparks (9.15pm-10.15pm)
It’s no stretch to assume that those wanting to witness Sheffield quartet Arctic Monkeys’ third headline set since 2007 would have also liked to have bopped along to synthpop heroes Hot Chip. Sadly, this won’t be able to happen unless you ditch Arctic Monkeys midway through their performance. Elsewhere, two titans battling for your attentions are Warpaint and Sparks, an unfortunate clash that will no doubt cause headaches among fans of both. The workaround here is watching half of Warpaint’s set on Woodsies before trekking 15-20 minutes to Park Stage to catch the end of Sparks. You’ll have to sneak around the back of the crowd, though, as Park notoriously gets busy once the first performance kicks off.
Saturday 24 June
Lana Del Rey (10.30-11.45) vs Christine and the Queens (10.30-11.45)
Rina Sawayama (9pm-10pm) vs Melanie C (9.35pm-10.35pm)
Lewis Capaldi (5.35pm-6.35pm) vs Maggie Rodgers (5.15pm-6.15pm)
Three huge clashes occur on the Saturday, the chief of which is perhaps Other Stage and Woodsides headliners Lana Del Rey and Christine and the Queens, who play at exactly the same time. This is yet another example of a head-scratching slice of scheduling that may or may not have been decided in an attempt to split the crowds, which last year somewhat marred the Glasto experience. Melanie C returns to Worthy Farm after a heroic welcome in 2021 – however, scheduling her at the same time as Rina Sawayama is a particularly cruel move as it’s understandable that fanbases of each would have enjoyed watching both sets. ]
We suggest leaving Sawayama after 30 minutes to catch the end of Melanie C. Similarly, those wanting to watch two exceptionally good singers croon away on a lazy afternoon will have to pick their fighters out of Lewis Capaldi and Maggie Rodgers. Whoever you select, if the sun is shining, it could be a terrific calm before the storm (hopefully metaphorical) that is the Saturday night of Glastonbury. Our suggestion? Pick one and enjoy them.
Sunday 25 June
Elton John (9pm-11.05pm) vs Queens of the Stone Age (9.45pm-11.15pm)
Phoenix (9.30pm-10.45pm) vs Alt-J (9.15pm-10.15pm)
It’s feasible that fans of all genres of music would opt to see Elton John considering it’s – let’s call it what it is – a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. However, the singer, who finally headlines the Pyramid Stage after a five-decade career, will test prospective viewers’ loyalties: Queens of the Stone Age, Phoenix and Alt-J are all playing at the same time.
It’s a dilemma to end all dilemmas, made even worse that it’ll face festivalgoers at the end of an exhausting five days when the brain isn’t exactly at its most functional. The fact is: if you can resist belting out “Tiny Dancer” in front of the Pyramid on the closing night of Glastonbury, you still have a hard choice ahead of you.
Should you wish to hedge your bets, catching the opening of Elton before hotfooting to one of the others may be an effective workaround. But you may miss “Tiny Dancer”.
