Glastonbury Festival 2022: revellers descend for first time since Covid-19 began

More than 200,000 music fans will head to Worthy Farm for five days of music and performances

Michael Eavis, Glastonbury Festival's founder, join fans on the opening day of the event in June 2022, the first since the pandemic began. AP

Eavis, right, and his daughter Emily, left, open the Glastonbury gates. AP

Campers put up their tent on the first day of the Glastonbury festival. Reuters

A festivalgoer is sprayed with water by a steward to cool them down on the first day of the festival. Reuters

Revellers arrive for Glastonbury. Reuters

More than 200,000 revellers will descend on Worthy Farm. Reuters

Guests arrive as the sun shines. Reuters

From left, Simon Lampard, 52, Pat Brooks, 82 and Linda Brooks-Lampard, 51 arrive on the first day. AP

Billie Eilish, Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar will headline this year's festival. Reuters

Thousands of people queue in the sunshine. Reuters

Police officers keep watch as revellers arrive. Reuters

People queue as the gates open. Reuters

The festival will run for five days until Sunday. Reuters

Glastonbury Festival has opened its gates, welcoming revellers for the first time since the start of Covid-19.

The UK music weekender, which is among the biggest in the world, is set to welcome more than 200,000 guests over the coming five days, with more than 3,000 performances set to take place.

This year’s Pyramid Stage headliners include Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar and Paul McCartney, while Diana Ross will play the Sunday afternoon “legends” slot.

The festival has not taken place since 2019 as the coronavirus pandemic put a stop to live events across the world. It was due to mark its 50th anniversary in 2020.

Festival co-founder Michael Eavis, 86, was on hand to welcome the first guests to Worthy Farm, Somerset, on Wednesday morning, after hundreds queued overnight to secure prime camping spots.

“This is going to be the best show in town,” he told guests. “Wait and see. You better believe it.”

He was joined by his daughter Emily Eavis, 42, who also organises the festival with her father.

“It’s still so exciting. It’s even more spectacular this year,” she told the BBC shortly before the gates opened. “The wait has been so long and it’s just the biggest build-up we’ve ever had and everybody is feeling very, very happy and a little bit emotional, I think, about opening the gates.”

Other acts on the line-up this year include Pet Shop Boys, Foals, Haim, Lorde and Years & Years.

And while festivalgoers arriving on Wednesday enjoyed warm temperatures of 27°C, in true Glastonbury fashion, the forecast for the rest of the week looks rainy.