Everything You Need to Know About Glastonbury Festival 2024

Glastonbury Festival 2024, the annual showcase of some of the world’s biggest music artists, released its first lineup on March 14 to much anticipation. 

Dua Lipa, Coldplay, SZA, and Shania Twain will headline as part of a more gender-diverse line-up than last year.

The famed summer music festival started in 1970, with tickets costing £1 ($1.28), plus free milk from the farm venue. Tickets for the now-established event, which sees around 200,000 people descend upon rural England, are substantially more expensive this year, with the first batch already sold out, but there are still some chances to win free tickets or work for entry.

Here’s everything you need to know about Glastonbury 2024. 

When and where does Glastonbury Festival 2024 take place?

The festival takes place at Worthy Farm in the village of Pilton, in Somerset, southwest England. The dates for the 2024 festival are June 26 to June 30. 

Who is playing at Glastonbury Festival 2024?

Big names playing this year include Dua Lipa, making her Friday night debut on the Pyramid Stage, the festival’s biggest venue. Friday also features festival veterans rock band LCD Soundsystem and singer-songwriter PJ Harvey. 

In an Instagram post, headliner Dua Lipa said: “I have dreamt of this moment all my life. Something that lived only in my wildest dreams and highest manifestations." She went on to thank Emily Eavis, the festival co-organizer and daughter of Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis.

Festival mainstay Coldplay—Chris Martin and his bandmates have headlined Glastonbury five times—will return to the Pyramid Stage on Saturday night for the first time since 2016. 

British rapper Little Simz will also play on Saturday. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Little Simz confirmed that Glastonbury will be the “one and only” festival she’ll perform at this summer.

American award-winning singer SZA will debut at Glastonbury on Sunday night, following Afrobeats star Burna Boy, and actress and music artist Janelle Monáe.

Canadian country music legend Shania Twain will also be playing the coveted “teatime” slot on Sunday. Twain celebrated the opportunity on X calling it an “ultimate dream performance.”

The festival said “many more acts and attractions” are still to be announced. 

The line-up so far is more diverse than last year, when the festival was hit with criticism for all-male headliners. A festival co-organizer told the Guardian at the time an industry “pipeline” problem was to blame, along with an unnamed female headliner pulling out due to a touring plan change.

However, 2024’s line-up received mixed reactions on social media Wednesday, with some commenting on X that it was the “worst line up the festival has ever had,” while others praised the chosen artists.

You can see the full line-up (so far) for Glastonbury Festival 2024 here.

How can I get tickets for Glastonbury Festival 2024?

The official ticket sale, which took place in November, is sold out. An authorized resale of any canceled or returned tickets in April also reportedly sold out in 22 minutes. No other website is authorized to resell tickets and each ticket is individually personalized to the name holder, with security checks upon arrival. 

Tickets cost £355 ($454) plus a £5 ($6) booking fee.

The festival also ran a prize drawing for 20 free pairs of tickets to support charity. The prize draw was open to U.K. residents and closed on March 28. The winners should have been notified within seven days.

The contest raised £639,720 ($791,269) in 26 days, which the festival said it matched to bring the total to £1.3 million ($1.6 million). Money raised will be donated to NGOs the British Red Cross, Oxfam, and War Child who are delivering emergency humanitarian support to people in conflict zones, the festival says.

In another bid for charity, the festival announced on April 8 that Oxfam and chocolatier Tony’s Chocolonely partnered to hide five pairs of Glastonbury tickets inside chocolate bars in Oxfam charity shops and via its online store. 

A slew of other competitions by different businesses also offer a chance to win tickets.

You could also apply to work at the festival or volunteer with a charity in order to gain access. As of April 21, the festival was still recruiting for one position—Site Manager for Bath and West Campsite. 

Event traffic management contractor CTM recruits car parking staff, who are required to work a minimum of four 12-hour shifts. Events company Newthorn hires people to provide other on-site traffic services including chaperoning vehicles, managing crossings, or driving minibuses or tractors (roles are paid except for drivers, whereby a ticket to the festival is considered as the payment). 

Some organizations provide tickets in exchange for volunteering at the festival. If you have medical, paramedic, or first aid qualifications, you can apply to be a medical volunteer.  

Festaff offers steward roles with a requirement of three eight-hour shifts, with shifts running 24 hours from Wednesday to Sunday. The cost to the volunteer is a £15 ($19) administrative fee. 

Different charities also take volunteers expected to work a number of shifts in exchange for access to the festival. WaterAid said places occasionally become available, and encouraged interested applicants to check the charity’s website or Facebook group.