Annabel Rackham
BBC Culture reporter at Glastonbury

Jungle are on the way up.

The British dance trio are back at Worthy Farm for the third time and never take for granted how far they’ve come since their first performance in 2014.

Tom McFarland tells the BBC that their first Glastonbury “was playing the now-renamed Woodsies Stage”.

He says, “We remember that experience of looking out behind the curtain and thinking ‘Oh god nobody’s here’ and feeling like failures”.

But Tom says after playing the West Holts stage in 2019 they are now back to headline it this evening, which “is really great”.

Image source, EPA

Pop sensation Dua Lipa will rule over Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage as 2024’s first headliner.

This will be her first time headlining a stage at the festival, as her last performance at Glastonbury was in 2017 on the smaller John Peel stage in the early afternoon.

Since then, Dua Lipa has been nominated for countless accolades and won five Brit awards, three Grammys and released two UK chart-topping albums.

She also made her acting debut in the box-office smash-hit movie, Barbie and even penned a song for the soundtrack.

Expect to hear her song from the film as well as all three of her critically-acclaimed albums.

Andre Rhoden-Paul
Live reporter

A London gay nightclub has attracted a queer crowd with a DJ set in a quieter area.

I ask Jorge Vafeas what it is like being queer at Glastonbury.

"Being queer at Glastonbury is a really unique experience because you find pockets of other queers, and you feel a sense of community," the 36-year-old from London says.

He has enjoyed attending the Glastonbury queer clubs that open into the night after artists have performed.

"The programme is inviting queerness into Glastonbury to change perceptions it's heteronormative. It feels safe, everyone is here to have a good time," Jorge says.

Mark Savage
reporting from Glastonbury

Image source, PA Media

It's not just us. Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis says she can't wait for Dua Lipa's headline set tonight.

"I feel like she's born to do this," she told BBC Radio 2's Zoe Ball earlier today.

"She's a proper festival-goer. She comes every year."

LCD Soundsystem are currently playing on the Pyramid Stage, warming up the crowd ahead of tonight's headliner Dua Lipa.

The American rock band has been around since 2002, marking their foray into the musical scene with the dance punk single Losing My Edge.

Three years later, the band released its self-titled debut studio album, which scored a Grammy nomination for Best Electronic/Dance Album.

Following a split in 2011, the band reunited in 2015 with the single Christmas Will Break Your Heart.

A year later, the group performed at Glastonbury, marking their first UK performance since their reunion.

The weekend party's in full swing now at Worthy Farm and here are some of the acts that have been wowing crowds in the last few hours.

Adam Crowther
Inside Glastonbury reporter - BBC Radio Somerset

Annabel Rackham
BBC Culture reporter at Glastonbury

For the indie group’s frontman, Justin Hayward-Young, there was a lot to consider before his band’s performance on The Woodsies stage this afternoon.

“Glastonbury is so wide reaching, a lot of people are being dragged along by their mates. So they haven't maybe listened to you for a few years, but did at one point. Or maybe they know two or three songs, but nothing else," he tells the BBC.

"So they're walking past and they happen to hear you playing and walk into the tent - we're always conscious of that,” he adds.

Hayward-Young, who says festival shows are his favourite to put on, adds that it's important to “play anything that has got the best chance of drawing people in”.

“So play the hits. Basically.”

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from Glastonbury

Image source, Getty Images

Standing in the crowd for The Snuts earlier today, I bumped into a new mum, cradling a six-month-old, in ear defenders, who was sleeping through the Scottish band’s indie anthems.

“Do you know what? We actually wrote the first three songs as lullabies, so that checks out,” says bass player Callum Wilson.

“We all need to give a massive salute to that parent, bringing a kid that age to a festival,” adds guitarist Joe McGillveray. “I wouldn’t even leave the house.”

And the sleeping toddler wasn’t alone. Hoisted on to his parents' shoulders in the front row was another kid – roughly 10 years old – brandishing a homemade sign with the lyrics to The Snuts’ singalong anthem, The Rodeo.

Again, the band weren’t too surprised.

“All our crowds, everywhere we go, are super-diverse in terms of ages and backgrounds,” says singer Jack Cochrane. “People from all corners.”

It’s a phenomenon they welcome – especially after parting ways with their record label, Parlophone, and going independent last year.

“That was always our ethos, but the record label wanted us to move to a cooler crowd. But we want to make music for everybody. It’s nice to see stuff like that.”

Andre Rhoden-Paul
Live reporter at Glastonbury

If you're watching Glastonbury at home, one of the things you'll notice is the huge volume of flags held by people in the crowd fluttering in the sky.

When you walk around the festival’s vast grounds you see pride flags, flags of nations and lots of quirky and humour flags too, and they do have a practical purpose.

Waiting for the Sugababes among a packed crowd is Ciaran McDiamond, part of a group of 12, holding an Irish flag aloft suspended on a telescopic pole.

"Having a flag at Glastonbury is great, it's one of the most beautiful things," he says.

"At Glastonbury it's been part of the culture for so many years.

"It's the easiest way to find people, but also spread a little message about whatever you're trying to talk about."

Annabel Rackham
BBC Culture reporter at Glastonbury

Image source, Getty Images

One of the many special things about Glastonbury is the possibility of your favourite artist popping up to do a secret set.

There's been some big ones in the past - like Lady Gaga in 2009 and The Killers in 2007.

Not an hour goes by at this festival without whispers of who might show up to be one of those mysterious TBA (to be announced) slots that might appear across the line-up.

Some of my favourites I've heard this year have been Harry Styles and Green Day - but it remains to be seen whether they'll actually show up.

There are always wild rumours circling around camp, but those with high expectations may find themselves left disappointed.

Speaking to Zoe Ball on BBC Radio 2 Breakfast this morning, organiser Emily Eavis said "there's no big surprises" to expect so apologies to all the conspiracy theorists on the farm this weekend.

You might be more used to seeing the BBC's analysis editor in front of the camera but this weekend Ros Atkins is swapping his day job for a DJ set at Glastonbury. He'll be DJing at the Stonebridge Bar tomorrow from 15:30 BST.

As part of his set he'll be playing a drum and bass remix version of David Lowe's BBC News theme.

Ros explains why this came about and how music producer Crissy Criss helped turn the well-known theme into a Glastonbury-worthy tune.

Click below to see how the whole thing came about:

Whether you're a seasoned veteran or a festival newbie, there's always so much to fit into your Glastonbury itinerary.

To help you plan, our reporter Emma Elgee has selected five top tips for what not to miss at Worthy Farm this week.

So we're probably about halfway through the music on the first day of Glastonbury but before we get to Idles, Jungle, Fontaines D.C., Kate Nash, Billy Bragg and of course, Dua Lipa, let's take a look back at some of today's highlights so far.

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent, reporting from Glastonbury

Something very moving is happening at the Pyramid Stage. Typically full of noise and life, the field has gone completely silent. For seven minutes.

It’s the brainchild of performance artist Marina Abramović, who asked fans to stand together and contemplate how to bring “unconditional love” to a world filled with violence and anger.

She has encouraged thousands of people to put their hand on a neighbour’s shoulder, close their eyes, and be still for 540 seconds. And, amazingly, it worked.

You could still hear the distant beats of the other stages or the phones people had forgotten to silence. And, if I’m 100% honest, there was the pshhht of beer cans being opened next to me.

But the overall effect was pretty special. People taking a moment away from the hedonism of festival life to contemplate their place in the world, all while Abramović stood on stage in a dress shaped like the CND symbol.

Only at Glastonbury.

Noor Nanji
Culture reporter at Glastonbury

Image source, Getty Images

There are LOTS of Dua Lipa fans already starting to gather at the Pyramid Stage in anticipation of her headline set later tonight.

Some of these individuals include Sophie, who has her Dua Training Season T-shirt on. She tells me the pop star’s set is the highlight of her weekend.

Her friend Lizzie says it was all about the outfits:

“I don’t know what she’s going to wear,” adds Ella.

“But she looks great in everything, I cannot wait for Be The One because it reminds me of who I am here with at Glastonbury.”

Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent

Boy band behemoth Seventeen have made history at the Glastonbury Festival, by becoming the first K-pop group to play the main Pyramid Stage.

Pouring onto the stage on Friday afternoon, the 13-piece group delivered an hour of precision choreography and sticky pop melodies to an audience of diehard fans and curious onlookers.

Seventeen were the biggest-selling group in the world last year, shifting more than 10 million albums – but they only scored their first Top 40 single in the UK last month.

Mindful of that, they put together a setlist that focused on their most immediate and accessible songs.

They opened with their big hit, Maestro, which mixes honeyed vocals and fast-paced rapping with choppy piano riffs and unexpected rhythmical switch-ups.

It's one of their most ambitious tracks - but it was the songs with guitar riffs and easily-chanted English lyrics that fared best - among them, the rap-heavy track Lalali, the rocky 2 Minus 1, and the singalong anthem Hot.

Read more on this story here.

A couple who got engaged at Glastonbury Festival say they are "still riding the high".

James Wilson, 36, popped the question to his long-term girlfriend Maria Lawrence, 34, on Wednesday during an interactive theatre show with performance artists, Ministry of Happy, who were in on the plan.

Maria, from Kent, was blindfolded under the ruse that it was part of the show, but when she removed the blindfold James was down on one knee.

“I woke up this morning and looked at my hand to check the ring was still there. It felt like such a blur," she said.

The couple, who have been together for five years, said Glastonbury Festival was the "perfect place" to get engaged.

This was their fifth time attending the festival with a large group of friends.

Read more on this story here.

Annabel Rackham
BBC Culture reporter at Glastonbury

Jack Steadman, the frontman for Bombay Bicycle Club, says the indie band “always try and do something special” when they perform at Glastonbury.

The group, who are playing at the festival for the first time in 10 years tell the BBC: “The first time we came here, we brought like a big samba band with us. And you want to do something a bit out of the box."

They confess that “we do have a special guest today, but we're trying to keep it a big secret”.

They were tight-lipped on who it could be, but we'll find out soon.

They've just started their gig on the Other Stage.

Colin Paterson
Entertainment correspondent, reporting from Glastonbury

The crowd is so huge barriers have been put it place to make it “one in one out”. The same policy as used by the band.

The power of the BBC Breakfast microphone helped get Elska and her mum Raagan through the barrier and into West Holts to see Sugababes.

However, dad Vaughan has been abandoned at the edge of the crowd with their camping trolley.