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As the noon sun broke through the cloud over Glastonbury festival on Friday, the excitement among the 200,000 ticket holders as the first chords of music rang across Worthy Farm was palpable.
Lorde was among the artists to open the first full day of music at the Somerset carnival in a “secret” set on the small Woodsies tent – an understated turn for the pop superstar, who has played the Pyramid and Other stages.
But the “TBA” listing on the lineup was fooling no one, with thousands flooding the relatively small Woodsies area, forcing the stewards to close it off to prevent overcrowding.
After watching the New Zealander play her new album Virgin in full, Catherine Shipton, 27, from Southampton was buzzing. “We were pretty sure Lorde was the TBA on the list, and when the album dropped last night we were almost definite. But it didn’t stop it being so amazing to see her. She was brilliant, the new songs were great.”
Setting the tone for the day, it was the sort of magical start that has become synonymous with the Glastonbury experience: unexpected, emotional, energetic, enigmatic.
Through sunny intervals and 25C temperatures, festivalgoers meandered through the fields of Pilton dressed in outfits ranging from practical Patagonia to tutus and superhero and pirate costumes.
Early arrivers on Wednesday were treated to a circus performance on the Pyramid stage – a quiet affair, given that Glastonbury’s licence does not allow for loud music until Thursday – in which spectators hummed and sang along to large samba drums.
Supergrass opened the festivities on the Pyramid stage, the indie rockers’ 1995 hit Alright – with its tribute to the rebellious spirit of youth – a fitting anthem for the occasion.
Music fans were looking ahead to another 90s veteran, Alanis Morissette, making her Glastonbury debut in the 30th anniversary year of the release of her record-breaking album Jagged Little Pill, and another rumoured “secret” set from Lewis Capaldi, who has only recently returned to performing after taking a two-year hiatus to focus on his mental health.
Chase Bartlett, 28, from Bristol, started his day queueing for an hour with friends for warm showers near the Acoustic stage. “Everyone’s very happy, having a good time,” he said. Queueing with him, Danielle Vincent, 29, from Bristol, added: “It’s like a different planet. You can’t describe what it’s like here to somebody that’s not been.”
“You see all sorts,” Bartlett said. “I saw a man on the phone to a potato and then he gave it to another man who started playing it: it was a harmonica.”
Bartlett saw that Robbie Williams had posted an image on Instagram from the festival and was convinced the former Take That member was playing one of the many secret gigs. “And we’re going to see Loyle Carner tonight and can’t wait,” he added.
Carner headlines the Other stage on Friday after an appearance from the hip-hop legend Busta Rhymes.
The customary flag-waving crowd were in full force, with Palestinian flags particularly prominent in a year of increasing geopolitical unrest, although nauseating puns were abundant too, along with apparent in-jokes and surreal tributes to dead pets.
Kneecap’s appearance on Saturday was being hotly discussed among the crowd, interest piqued by the controversy the Irish-language rappers have courted in recent months. One of the group, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, has been charged under terrorism laws and is on bail. Senior politicans, including Keir Starmer, have said the band’s inclusion on the bill was inappropriate.
Sarah Hall, 34, from Ipswich, said she had been to Glastonbury three times and always thought of it as a political festival. “The festival supports great causes and charities, and I would expect nothing else from it this year. Things feel a bit heavy out there so I would expect Glastonbury to sort of deal with that.”
But alongside the serious issues of politics, war, climate emergency and equality, there are countless moments of escapism and joy. From the circus performers to the hippies in the healing fields, Glastonbury is a place where people come together to celebrate life.
The Greenpeace stage hosted a Letters Live event, in which a variety of letters spanning centuries were read by some surprise celebrities, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Bella Ramsay, Andrew Scott, Paapa Essiedu, James Norton and Simon Pegg.
Highlights included a deeply poignant letter from a soldier in 1944 to his lover, a fellow soldier who had died the previous year, read by Scott, and a funny proposal letter written in 1866 by a Middlesbrough farmer to a woman he wanted to marry, in which he said he “had my eye on you for a long time”.
To big laughs from the crowd, Norton, in his rarely used Yorkshire accent, read: “I shall marry you on May Day or if my mother dies afore, I will marry you afore.”
And Glastonbury is no stranger to weddings. Charles and Charlie Shires, 32 and 31 respectively, from Harrogate, were married in the Healing Fields at 10am on Thursday.
“It was a spiritual ceremony,” said Charlie, wearing a white dress with mud-flecked hem and black boots that she has worn to the festival before. The couple had about 15 friends including bridesmaids attend the wedding, officiated by a celebrant, Glenda.
“We love Glastonbury so we wanted to do something here,” said Charlie, who has been to the festival four times.
Charles, who is at Glastonbury for the sixth time, said: “We wanted to get married in a unique place.”
Charlie works for HG1 Cake Couture, and brought her own wedding cake 250 miles from Harrogate to Worthy Farm – a chocolate and pistachio treat, which the couple sliced up and handed out to a crowd who were watching a live broadcast of the BBC podcast Sidetracked with Annie Mac and Nick Grimshaw.
“We can relax now it’s done,” Charles said, looking ahead to a honeymoon featuring Charlie xcx.
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