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Best of Glastonbury Festival 2024: Top 10 Moments

Coldplay and their special guest, Dua Lipa's fashion, Banksy's art, and more!

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The Glastonbury Festival in England is a dream stage for many artists. This year, big names like Dua Lipa, Coldplay, Little Simz, Shania Twain, Janelle Monáe, and Cyndi Lauper performed. And that’s just on the main stage, one of over 100 at the huge Worthy Farm site in Glastonbury, Somerset. 

This year’s festival was full of achievements. For the first time, there were two female headliners, and Coldplay made their fifth appearance, setting a new record previously shared with The Cure. This weekend was packed with memorable moments, and we’ve picked out some of the highlights from this edition. 

Dua Lipa’s Styles

“I have written this moment down, I’ve wished for it, I’ve dreamt, I’ve worked so hard in the hopes that maybe one day I’ll get to do it and I can’t believe I’m here, it feels so good to be up here with you guys,” said a visibly emotional Dua Lipa during her performance. She played her hits and brought out Kevin Parker from Tame Impala to perform «The Less I Know The Better.» 

Besides the music, other things also catch the eye at Glastonbury, making it one of the biggest musical showcases of the season. In Dua Lipa’s case, her punk-inspired outfits, reflecting the aesthetic that originated in the UK, really stood out. It was her first time as a headliner, and she lived out a dream she had carefully prepared for. 

From a punk-inspired Versace slip dress with corset-like details at the waist that made it look like a bodysuit with an overlapping sarong-style skirt, to a leather creation by Chrome Hearts with studs, laces, and safety pins. And let’s not forget the Jonathan Anderson outfit for Loewe, which featured a shiny halter-neck top with a maxi belt and leather shorts with giant, symmetrically placed studs. 

She also wore designs from Acne Studios, one of Rosalía‘s favorite brands, and Michael Schmidt. These outfits reminded us that Dua Lipa comes from the fashion world. 

Coldplay’s Special Guest 

Chris Martin’s band set a record by performing at the festival for the fifth time, surpassing The Cure, who held the record until now. They also took the chance to debut their new song, «feelslikeimfallinginlove.» 

But the most emotional moment of the concert came towards the end when they invited Michael J. Fox to the stage. The Back to the Future actor, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991, played the guitar from his wheelchair because of the disease’s effects. Despite this, he delivered moving performances of «Fix You» and «Humankind.» 

Camila Cabello and Her New Era 

With her new album, C,XOXO, just released, Camila Cabello performed it live, showing that her Latin era has evolved into one dominated by hyperpop, fast-paced hip-hop, afrobeat, electronic music, and ballads. This concert gave us a mix of both eras. 

It was her first time at this festival, and she showed her excitement, especially since, for the first time, there were two female headliners: Dua Lipa and SZA. “We work 10 times harder and put in 10 times more work in order to be seen, taken seriously and respected. Because of that, we’ve had to adapt to be stronger and better,” she told the BBC. 

Additionally, she transformed the stage into a real playground where people could skateboard, showing off her most rebellious and sensual side, complete with a popsicle performance. 

K-Pop Arrives 

For the first time ever, Glastonbury featured a K-Pop group on stage. The group chosen to debut this genre at the festival was Seventeen. Although they’re used to performing in packed stadiums where fans treat them like gods, here they faced a smaller audience where not everyone knew who they were. 

They managed to win over the crowd by mixing their energetic choreography with more relaxed moments during their ballads, lighting up many mobile phones. Songs like «S.O.S,» «Rock with You,» «Hot,» «Headliner,» and «Cheers To Youth» were part of the setlist. “Even though the language, country, and culture are different, we can connect and unite through music,” said one of the thirteen members of the group. 

The Anticipation for Sugababes 

The British girl band Sugababes wasn’t invited to the main stage but performed on the West Holts stage, which holds 35,000 people. However, that wasn’t enough, and they had to block the entrance to maintain safety standards for such a large crowd. Many people are now asking for Sugababes to be considered as headliners for future editions. 

Louis Tomlinson’s Match 

Louis Tomlinson wasn’t a performer this time; he was part of the audience and showed his rebellious side. The festival organizers decided not to broadcast the England vs. Slovakia match on the big screens and banned its transmission. 

So, Louis took matters into his own hands and brought his own TV to the camping area to watch his country win the match. Many people appreciated it, some without even realizing that it was Louis who brought the TV. 

Anya Taylor-Joy & Cara Delevingne: Matching Boots 

Who you go with to a festival is important, and so is what you wear. Anya Taylor-Joy and Cara Delevingne know this well; they showed up at Glastonbury together in very similar outfits. Anya wore a gold crop top with ruching and a tie in the center by Rabanne, a white peasant-style miniskirt, and waterproof ankle boots by Sorel. 

The model chose ripped denim shorts with a simple white tank top under a knotted plaid shirt. Interestingly, she wore the same boots as her friend but in a different color. For events like this, comfortable footwear is the way to go. 

Banksy in Action 

Idles, a punk band from Bristol, didn’t expect Banksy to make an appearance during their performance. In fact, they found out after the concert that it was his work. The artist released an inflatable boat with mannequins dressed as immigrants over the crowd, critiquing right-wing policies and calling for empathy. His work came onto the scene when the band started playing Danny Nedelko, a song with lyrics that were relevant.

     My blood brother is an immigrant, a beautiful immigrant. My blood brother’s Freddie Mercury. A Nigerian mother of three. He’s made of bones, he’s made of blood. He’s made of flesh, he’s made of love. He’s made of you, he’s made of me.”

Avril Lavigne’s Debut at Glastonbury 

“I can’t believe its taken me 22 years to finally play Glastonbury, but it was amazing,” the singer told the BBC. Despite her long career, she hadn’t had the chance to play at this festival until now. She took a trip down memory lane with hits like «Complicated,» «Sk8er Boi,» and «My Happy Ending.» 

In 2002, she released Let Go, her debut album that made her the youngest female solo artist to have a number one album in the UK at just 17. It seems the excitement from back then is still alive. 

SZA’s Headlining Troubles 

There were a lot of rumors that Madonna would be the headliner this year, but in the end, it was SZA who got the spot. Unfortunately, she couldn’t keep up the excitement that Coldplay and Dua Lipa had generated in the previous days. 

According to the BBC, she drew the smallest audience for a Glastonbury headliner in over 20 years of the festival’s history. It didn’t help that for the first half hour, her microphone was distorted and muffled, which is a big issue for an artist whose appeal lies in the precision of her lyrics and the beauty of her jazz vocals. Plus, she barely interacted with the audience, who gradually left to find other performances. 

Now it’s time to start thinking about next year’s edition. 

Original article in Spanish by Cristina Zavala for LOS40 Spain.

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