Dua Lipa will make her debut as a Glastonbury headliner on Friday 28 June, when she will take to the Pyramid Stage to perform a set of some of her biggest hits.
The British-Albanian pop star was announced as one of the festival’s star bookings in March, alongside pop-rock band Coldplay and US R&B artist SZA. Country-pop queen Shania Twain will take on the Legends Slot on Sunday.
Dua Lipa, 28, has a string of top 10 singles under her belt including “New Rules”, “One Kiss” and “Don’t Start Now”.
Her third album, Radical Optimism,was released in May and received mixed reviews from critics. The Independent’s Helen Brown awarded it five stars, praising the “Eurodisco” influences and Latin twangs of songs such as “Maria” and “French Exit”.
Here’s everything you need to know about Dua Lipa’s headline performance.
When will Dua Lipa perform on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury 2024?
Dua Lipa’s headline slot will take place on Friday 28 June from 10pm until 11.45pm.
The first performance on the Pyramid Stage that day will come from rock band Squeeze at 12pm, followed by Mercury Prize-shortlisted soul/R&B artist Olivia Dean, followed by K-Pop band Seventeen at 2.45pm.
At 4.15pm, English singer-songwriter Paul Heaton, former frontman of the Housemartins and The Beautiful South, will take to the stage to regale the audience with a back catalogue spanning four decades. Then, PJ Harvey will perform at 6pm, followed by Brooklyn rock band LCD Soundsystem, the last act to play before Dua Lipa, at 7.45pm.
What songs will she play?
While she hasn’t confirmed a setlist, Dua Lipa is likely to entertain her audience with a medley of her biggest songs, along with one or two more stripped-back performances.
It would be a surprise if she didn’t perform her contribution to the Barbie movie soundtrack, “Dance the Night Away”. Other strong candidates are hits including “One Kiss”, “Physical”, “Break My Heart”, “Levitating”, and recent singles “Houdini”, “Training Season” and “Illusion”.
Less clear is whether she’ll perform “Cold Heart”, her No 1 single with Elton John.
The legendary singer-songwriter was rumoured to be disappointed after Lipa was unable to make a guest appearance to perform the track during his own Glastonbury headline set last year.
Addressing the 120,000-strong crowd, John said the pop singer “sadly” wasn’t there and invited them to sing along to her part instead.
Dua Lipa last performed at Glastonbury in 2017, back when she was still an emerging artist. It was a breakthrough moment for the singer, as fans flocked to the John Peel stage (now renamed Woodsies) to form one of the year’s biggest crowds.
Her set took place just weeks after she released her self-titled debut album, featuring hits such as “Be the One” and “Hotter Than Hell”. Lipa also performed renditions of her collaborations with Sean Paul and Martin Garrix.
“That was the craziest moment of my life,” she tweeted shortly after the performance. “Glastonbury I will remember this day until I die.”
What has Dua Lipa said about headlining Glastonbury?
This is the first time that Glastonbury Festival will have two female headliners, as Dua Lipa will be joined by SZA.
“I feel so lucky to be a part of that shift,” she told the BBC. “it’s important to have more female headliners. We’ve just got to keep applying the pressure and making that change happen.”
She said trying to invite the audience onstage for an encore of “Blow Your Mind (Mwah)”, like she did during her last Glastonbury performance, might be tricky this time around: “It might be tight. But I’ve got to figure out a way to make 150,000 people feel like they’re in a small little nightclub.
“That’s the goal, and if there’s one place to do it, it’s gotta be Glasto.”
How do I get a good spot at the Pyramid Stage?
“The best time to head to the Pyramid squarely depends on how close you want to be to the front,” our chief culture reporter and in-house Glastonbury veteran, Jacob Stolworthy, advises.
“To get a good space near the front, you'll have to commit to watching up to two acts before the headliner comes on – and perhaps even forego an act you want to see elsewhere. But your dedication will pay off: if you do decide to do this, you'll be right in the action and, if you get on someone's shoulders, will probably end up on TV (like I did three times during Paul McCartney's set in 2022 – embarrassingly, with a sunburnt nose).
“If you don't mind being further back and just soaking up the atmosphere while having a casual boogie, getting there 45 minutes before is advised. But judge it on the headliner – for example, Coldplay will be rammed at least an hour before they're due to start. It's probably worth leaving the act you're planning on watching beforehand early in order to get a good spot. If you don't, you'll run the risk of being right at the back. Remember that it can also take up to 45 minutes to walk from one place to the other, especially when taking the crowds into consideration.”
Jacob says his preferred spot is “either side near the centre” and close to the sound booth in the middle: “You don’t want that to be behind that as you'll end up staring at the screens the whole time.
“Also, a good tip is to stand by a recognisable flag so you can tell your mates that's where you'll be (at the end of the festival, your camera roll will be filled with pictures of random flags).”
Another tip: “Stay hydrated! Ensure you have a good amount of water and, of course, if you're going to get in position early, that you are suitably tanked up with your beverage of choice. Your best bet is either bringing tinnies in a bag or decanting a mixer into a big bottle to drink during the show.
“After a certain time, heading off to get a fresh drink and to have a loo break is out of the question if you want to get back to where you were – unless you’re willing to push and sneak your way past a load of disgruntled fellow fans.”
The Independent will be liveblogging Glastonbury 2024 and bringing readers all the latest news, updates, pictures and video, along with highlights and reviews of the festival’s key moments.
