After a two year enforced hiatus, the world's premier music festival is back with us!
As ever, it isn't that straightforward.
Three days of rail strikes (yesterday, tomorrow and Saturday) are causing major issues for festival goers trying to get down to Somerset for the now traditional Thursday start. One festival goer from Newcastle told the BBC, "It wasn't long ago when they announced that this [strike] was all happening, at a point where everyone who's going to the festival had already planned how to get there. I'm not particularly happy about it, but come hell or high water I will get myself to Worthy Farm."
Added to that, the traditional Glasto downpours are forecast for the weekend. The Met Office has issued yellow weather warning for thunderstorms and heavy rain across southern England, that has the potential to turn the green fields to a quagmire.
Organiser, Emily Eavis, told BBC's Lauren Laverne this morning as she prepared to welcome the first attendees, "We've never all collectively been through such an extreme time together. So to actually be able to see people there, welcome them in and just watch them streaming in and just running to pitch their tents up and fill the fields, it's just an amazing feeling."
She acknowledged that, "it was only really in the last few months that we were sure we were going to make it through." She added, "How certain can you ever be really at the moment? It's just a miracle. We've made it happen. It's here, everybody's coming on to site."
The 200,000 ticket holders will be treated to their choice of hundred's of acts across several dozen stages, including headliners, Billie Eilish, Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar. For McCartney, it will be a kind of Beatles vs Stones throwback - as he is headlining on Saturday night, at the same time that the Rolling Stones headline Hyde Park in London.
Also on across the long weekend, you will see the likes of Sam Fender, Foals, Pet Shop Boys, Little Simz, Crowded House and Diana Ross in the Sunday afternoon legends slot. In the UK, there will be extensive coverage on the BBC.
(From - BBC News / NME)
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