Steeped in history, Glastonbury Festival is a British giant of contemporary performing arts. Held annually at Worthy Farm, it offers a massive spread of music genres — Rock, Pop, Dance, Country, and even Jazz — but is also the home to many other art expressions such as theatre, comedy, circus acts, and even poetry.

The 2024 edition, held just a few days ago, featured headliners such as Dua Lipa, LCD Soundsystem, PJ Harvey, and Coldplay:

The Dragonfly Sculpture

A recent behind-the-scenes video showcases Arcadia’s brand new Dragonfly, a metal giant taking the place of Glastonbury’s legendary Spider sculpture. In the two-minute video, Jacob and Bertie, the masterminds behind Arcadia, share their excitement about transforming a former Royal Navy helicopter — a potential instrument of war — into, in their words, a “symbol of unity and hope“.

The boys give a bit of an insight into the technology woven into the Dragonfly. This includes custom video panels, laser beams, and projection mapping tech to transfer images onto the Dragonfly’s body, all complemented by a top-notch sound system. The creators emphasise the Dragonfly’s ability to dynamically change its appearance and truly come alive during performances.

Watch the full video below! And stay tuned to our page for the latest news and views from our site.

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#1 Tomorrowland, Belgium

The Belgian mega-festival takes place over two weekends each year in July at Boom, Belgium. Tomorrowland stands as #1 for the fourth year in a row! The event celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with over 800 artists, playing across 15 stages. Acts include Armin van Buuren, Amelie Lens, Bonobo b2b Dixon, ACRAZE, David Guetta, ANNA, and more. The craze for this festival is no joke, swiftly selling out within one day. Enhance your European vacation with this festival!

Tomorrowland is a passion, a passion of over 200 people working every day to create the magic of Tomorrowland. This year we will celebrate LIFE. The theme is a prequel of the Spirit of Life from 2016.

Debby Wilmsen, Tomorrowland PR & Internal Communications Lead, to DJ Mag

#2 EDC Las Vegas, USA

For us stateside, we all know EDC Las Vegas to be a top contender. Since 1997, it has become the largest electronic dance music festival in North America. Cemented at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, this neon-drenched festival outdoes itself each year. Half a million headliners flock to the desert each year from across the globe to revel in this three-day weekend. This is where true Insomniacs come to play, as partygoers dance from dusk until dawn. A multitude of stages, fireworks every night that light up the sky, jaw-dropping stage designs, and good vibes all around, EDC bustles each year for an unforgettable experience.

Even EDC veterans felt like they were stepping into the festival for the first time. EDC Las Vegas remains a colorful cornerstone of the global EDM scene as it enters its 13th year.

Olivia Stock

#3 Untold Festival, Romania

Romanian megafest, Untold, held its first edition in 2015. While still a young event, it has welcomed 420,000 guests and 250 artists to its home in Cluj–Napoca, Transylvania. Each year, the event themes itself around mythology and fantasy to immerse guests in a unique experience. Coupled with performances, Romanian culture, food, and crafts, the event even achieved an eco-friendly main stage powered by renewable energy. This year, Untold includes a new Fashion Village for Romanian designers and welcomes Swedish House Mafia, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mik, Alok, Purple Disco Machine, Black Coffee, and more.

#4 Ultra Music Festival, USA

On the east coast resides Ultra Music Festival. It turns 25 this year, and what started as a one-day party on Miami Beach in 1999 is now an iconic event housing over 150,000 attendees. Miami is integral to its identity, as the location and view of Biscayne Bay and its city skyline is show-stopping. Stage takeovers like RESISTANCE invite numerous fans of all genres to come party. Lineups often include Afrojack, Armin van Buuren, David Guetta, Martin Garrix, Steve Aoki, and more. It’s even grown to take over the world with locations in Sao Paolo, Croatia, Tokyo, Johannesburg, Sydney, and Buenos Aires.

Its evolution, from a local event to global mainstay in the electronic music calendar, largely unparalleled in its production, makes Ultra more than worthy of its place in [DJ Mag’s] Top 100.

Ria Hylton

#5 Creamfields, UK

Creamfields is the iconic brand of UK clubbing. The Liverpool-based event founded in 1992, started as a one-day festival in 1998. Now, the brand hosts a four-day extravaganza over the Bank Holiday weekend in late August each year. Previous lineups have boasted Calvin Harris, David Guetta, Armin van Buuren, CamelPhat, Fatboy Slim, and many more to the north side of England. Its biggest strength is compiling a lineup that spans across all genres, even new-school trance, slamming techno bombastic jump-up d&b, new-gen UKG, and Melbourne bounce.

The number of music festivals is surely on the rise, so don’t forget to read about them all. For the remaining events in the top 10 spots, we have:

• #6 Glastonbury Festival UK
• #7 Kappa Futur Festival, Italy
• #8 EXIT Festival, Serbia
• #9 World Club Dome, Germany
• #10 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, USA

Did your event make it to the Top Ten? If not, find your favorite one and see where it ranks on the list!

Source: DJ Mag

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Located on the picturesque Somerset dairy farm, Glastonbury has captivated music enthusiasts since 1970, making it a cherished cultural phenomenon. Spanning over a thousand acres and featuring more than 62 stages, the festival has a significant impact on the natural landscapes of Worthy Farm. This break offers an opportunity for environmental restoration and ensures that future festivals can continue to enchant music lovers for years to come.

“Fallow Year”

The “fallow year” concept is an important tradition for the Eavis family, allowing the land to take a well-deserved break from the Glastonbury Festival every few years. This break, typically occurs every five years, was last observed in 2018. But due to the impact of Covid, the event was postponed in 2020 and 2021. Emily Eavis mentioned in the BBC Sidetracked podcast that the next likely gap year will be in 2026. This break not only benefits the functioning cattle farm but also allows the land to rest and regrow, ensuring the festival’s sustainability for years to come.

I think it’s important, I think it gives everybody time to just switch off and the public as well. Then you kind of go away for a bit and it feels lovely when you come back. And I think it’s quite good not to be seen to be cashing in

Emily Eavis

Glastonbury Festival holds a special place in the Eavis family, with Sir Michael Eavis founding the festival in the 1970s. Then his daughter Emily Eavis continuing the tradition, referring to Glastonbury as their “lifeline”.

Glastonbury 2024

The festival recently announced its full lineup and stage timings, featuring some exciting changes. This includes the replacement of Arcadia’s fire-breathing spider with a giant dragonfly, the return of the Genosys stage to Block9. Honey Dijon will be headlining the Genosys stage on Friday. Additionally, this year marks a monumental addition with the opening of Glastonbury’s first dedicated South Asian space in Shangri-La. Explore the stage-by-stage schedule for all days here.

Don’t miss the opportunity to the full podcast with Emily Eavis here. Glastonbury will return in 2025, details to follow later this summer. Stay tuned to EDMTunes for all your daily dose of dance music updates.

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An attendee spotted one chick underneath the Pyramid stage around the time of Guns N’ Roses’ two hour headline set. This first chick became the bird name sake of the frontman Axl Rose. The next day the animal rescue received another call about a second baby chick found in the same space. This little guy became the namesake of our beloved Slash.

We are definitely happy that the loud performances did not send them knocking on heaven’s door. But it is believed that the nest had been abandoned because of the noise and disturbance. The two chicks have been safely transferred to Secret World Wildlife Rescue.

When Guns N’ Roses were playing ‘Welcome to the Jungle’, I’m sure they didn’t realise how close they actually were to wildlife! This is possibly the most unusual disturbance case we’ve heard about this year, but it just goes to show the importance of checking your surroundings for wildlife before any activity. We’re so grateful to the people who found and helped them; they must have been terrified after enduring almost two full days of loud music.

David Plant, Fundraising Manager at Secret World Wildlife Rescue

If you are interested in helping out these birds at Secret World Wildlife Rescue, you can check out the details here. Stay tuned with EDMTunes for all your latest updates in the music world.

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Officers were called to the Glastonbury Festival site in Somerset at about 2:20 pm on Tuesday, June 27, 2023. They found a crew member in his 40s unresponsive in his tent. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The festival did end Monday, but crew members remain on-site to clean up and prepare the fields for cows to graze.

This came after another man passed following a medical incident on a footpath, known as the old railway line, early Sunday morning. 48-year-old DJ and radio host Jason Winder was found unresponsive, also in his tent, according to Avon and Somerset Police. He received treatment from emergency services but was pronounced dead at the scene.

Around 200,000 people attended the festival at Worthy Farm this year, and several deaths have been reported at the site in recent years.

In 2019, a security guard in his 60s was found dead in his tent during the festival. His death was not considered suspicious.

Glastonbury Festival is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts held near Pilton, Somerset, England. The festival was founded in 1970 by Michael Eavis and his late wife, Jeanette. It has been held every year since then, except in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival has grown in size and popularity over the years, and now attracts hundreds of thousands of people each year. Past headliners have included David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Beyoncé, Coldplay, Adele and Billie Eilish.

This year’s lineup included Elton John, Guns n’ Roses, Lizzo, Måneskin, Arctic Monkeys, Lewis Capaldi, Lana Del Ray, Lil Nas X and more.

Glastonbury is known for its eclectic lineup of artists, its relaxed atmosphere, and its commitment to environmental sustainability. The festival is entirely self-sufficient, generating its own power and water. It also has a strong focus on recycling and composting.

In addition to music and arts, Glastonbury also offers a variety of other activities, such as comedy, theater, dance, and circus. There are also a number of food stalls and restaurants, as well as a variety of shops selling festival merchandise.

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Also making this list is non-biodegradable body glitter, wipes, and excess packaging. Years back they also encouraged not using single-use tents for camping. Glastonbury is establishing a “reduce, reuse, recycle policy.” Every week, 1.3 million disposable vapes are thrown away in the UK. That’s two every second. Studies have shown this has also led to an increase in fires at recycling plants.

Glastonbury Festival will have its 51st edition next week from June 21st – 25th. Headliners include Arctic Monkeys, Guns N’ Roses, Elton John, Lizzo, and Lil Nas X. The festival is sold-out.

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In 2010, Glastonbury was granted rolling temporary planning permission in host this event and others at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset. However, that permission was set to expire next year.

Glastonbury owners had applied for these permissions, hoping to increase the level of flexibility and certainty for their various events. But, in 2021, the Mendip District Council had said there would be no further extensions to the temporary permissions as it was “contrary to best planning practice” laid out by their government.

Luckily, the council’s planning board approved the agenda on March 29, which has made Glastonbury Festival a permanent fixture on Worthy Farm once a year. The permissions also include the annual Pilton Party and camping events and agricultural use of the site in the festival off-season.

Due to this approval, Glastonbury Festival’s iconic Pyramid Stage will become a permanent structure, along with a storage and recycling building and land to accommodate the temporary festival workforce.

Naturally, Glastonbury will need to abide by a set of rules to keep these permissions—noise level limits, crowd capacity, etc.—standard for a festival that has run as long as Glastonbury.

“The grant of planning permission will provide certainty and secure the future of the largest and most iconic music and performing arts festival in Europe,” a representative of Glastonbury Festival said.

This year’s Glastonbury Festival will take place from Wednesday, June 21 to Sunday, June 25. Headliners include Elton John, Guns N’Roses and Arctic Monkeys, as well as global sensations Lizzo, Lil Nas X and Lana Del Rey. You can see the full lineup below and buy tickets on their site.

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A post shared by Glastonbury Festival (@glastofest)

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The sale began at 9 am on Sunday, with buyers already experiencing some bugs with the process. At 9:49 am, the ticketing website in charge of the operation SeeTickets warned users of the technical problems. However, Glastonbury announced twelve minutes later that the festival officially sold out.

Obviously, many people complained about the “technical problem” SeeTickets was experiencing, especially those who couldn’t grab a ticket because of it. Even fans that had the chance to purchase a ticket experienced minor bugs and glitches, with one saying the process was “shambolic”.

Glastonbury organizer Emily Eavis posted a tweet on her own page after the tickets sold out, saying: “We’re sorry that a huge number of people missed out on a ticket this morning. Demand far outstripped supply”. However, some users successfully managed to purchase passes after the 10:01 am announcement, which left many confused. Check out this festival-goer’s tweet below.

Nonetheless, those who could not put their hands on a ticket will have a chance at the ticket resale in spring 2023. Next year’s Glastonbury Festival edition will start on June 22nd. Tickets cost around £340. The lineup is yet to be announced. For more info, please visit the official website.

Stay tuned for more news!

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An article in the Daily Mail revealed that organizers of this year’s World Cup in Qatar have rented the 50-tonne, fire-breathing metal structure. Glastonbury itself hires it annually from the Bristol-based Arcadia company. However, details are still unknown to this day about the place where it will sit and who will perform inside of it. A couple of months ago, Carl Cox, Calvin Harris, and Chase & Status all played a set at Glastonbury Festival inside the structure.

Moreover, rumors are circulating that alcohol will be permitted on the grounds around the spider. However, it may be only from 10 am to 5 pm, as the Qatar rules are pretty strict on the matter. This area would cost £75 a day to enter, per reports.

With just two months until the big tournament, neither Arcadia nor the FIFA World Cup made official statements on the matter. We will have to wait and see whether all of this is true or not. The tournament will start on November 20th, 2022. It will conclude with the final match on Sunday, December 18th. For more details on the Qatar event, please visit the official website.

Stay tuned for more news!

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Sir David Attenborough surprised the audience at the Pyramid Stage with his support for the ban on stage. Attendees can look forward to many headliners and two new stages this year. New stages include The Lonely Hearts Club and Firmly Rooted with headliners Overmono, HAAi, Avalon Emerson, Nia Archives, and TSHA. Arcadia welcomes a debut performance by Calvin Harris and a b2b jungle set from Carl Cox and Chase and Status.

Main headliners for the festival include Billie Eilish, Paul McCartney, Kendrick Lamar, and Diana Ross. Electronic names include Four Tet, Bicep, Caribou, and more on the Silver Hayes lineup shown below.

The movement to ban plastic is on the rise. As the world continues to find a solution for plastic waste, festival attendees remain one of the highest consumers. In order to minimize pollution, a reduction in plastic bottles can have a great environmental impact. Less littering means marine systems can thrive and less damage to agricultural soils. Hydration packs are encouraged as an alternative as well as your own utensils.

Glastonbury takes place from June 22nd-27th at the Worthy Farm in Somerset. This is its first time here since 2019.

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