Glastonbury Festival is officially underway, with gates opening for ticketholders on Wednesday morning (June 21).
This year promises another three full days of stunning live performances and entertainment at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset. Some 210,000 music fans will attend the festival this week - that's the equivalent of more than two Wembley Stadium's worth of people.
Among the headliners this year are Arctic Monkeys, Guns N Roses, Lizzo and Lana Del Rey. Other acts include Lil Nas X, Becky Hill, Aitch and Carly Rae Jepson.
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Sir Elton John will be closing the festival on the Pyramid Stage on Sunday night, June 25. It will be his final ever UK show.
In a statement announcing his Glastonbury appearance, the Tiny Dancer hitmaker said: "I couldn’t be more excited to be headlining the Pyramid stage. As the end of my Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour comes into view, there is no more fitting way to say goodbye to my British fans.
“They have been beyond brilliant, and have supported me through all the highs and lows of my career … I can’t wait to embrace the spirit of the greatest festival in the world.”
The 76-year-old will be performing for just over two hours, from 9pm until 11.05pm. He told the BBC that he will be planning a new show for his Glastonbury appearance.
"I'm starting with a song I haven't played for about 10 years, so we'll see how it goes," he told BBC Radio 1. He continued: "It's a different show to what people have been seeing. On Farewell Yellow Brick Road, there's quite a lot of deep cuts, it's not all hits, and you've got to keep people interested.
"When you put a setlist together, I always say it's a bit like having sex. You start off really well, then you chill out a little bit, then towards the end of the show all hell breaks loose".
Sir Elton's husband revealed he will be bringing on four special guests during his headline show. Discussing Sir Elton’s plans for surprises at the show, David Furnish told Sky News’ Beth Rigby: “Four collaborators of his choosing. People, he just thought, ‘I’d really like to do something with these artists at Glastonbury’. And that’s all I’m going to say.”
Asked who they might be, Furnish said: “Sorry. I am sworn to secrecy.” He added: “This one is very special. It is not just another day in the office. It’s a different set list – it’s a huge outdoor live festival. He’s got four different collaborators joining him on stage at different times, who I won’t name, sorry. So, he’s done a lot of changes. A lot on his plate, so I think he’s anxious. Yeah, but I think good, anxious, healthy anxious.”
The piano-playing superstar first announced his 350-date Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour back in 2018 and it has since played over 333 dates across five continents. In 2023 it was named the highest grossing tour of all time and the US leg of the tour concluded with three sell out shows at Dodger Stadium in November 2022 which was live streamed on Disney + in every single territory the channel broadcasts in, a global first.
The tour was originally set to conclude in 2021, giving the 'Cold Heart' singer more time with his family, however many dates had to be rescheduled due to the pandemic and a hip injury he sustained last year.
Despite a career spanning several decades, Elton John's appearance at Glastonbury on Sunday will be his first ever performance at Worthy Farm - and his first ever visit to Glastonbury.
