Glastonbury 2022: Top five moments from the music festival
- Published
Billie Eilish became Glastonbury's youngest-ever solo headliner at just 20 years old! She kicked off the festival in a major way, after a two-year long pause to Glasto because of coronavirus, rocking the famous main Pyramid Stage on Friday night. Billie got the crowd singing along to hits Bad Guy, Happier Than Ever and Bury A Friend.
Not to be outdone, the legendary Sir Paul McCartney was the oldest-ever solo headliner on the Pyramid Stage on Saturday night. The former Beatles and Wings singer-songwriter entertained a massive crowd with his hits Let It Be, Live and Let Die and even brought out Foo Fighters rocker Dave Grohl to perform a special rendition of Band on the Run!
There were some incredible acts that played over the weekend, including Olivia Rodrigo, Sam Fender, Kendrick Lamar, Little Simz, AJ Tracey and Lorde. Glastonbury Festival has attracted some of the biggest and best stars since its opening year in 1970. But some were disappointed to find out that the rumours of singer Harry Styles making a surprise last-minute appearance were not true!
Over the years, Glastonbury has showcased more than incredible artists. Political activists are often invited to take to the stage to share their message. On Saturday 19-year-old environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg encouraged festival-goers to take climate change seriously, saying: "It will get worse until we manage to halt the constant destruction of our life-supporting systems, until we prioritise people and planet over profit and greed." Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis introduced Greta as “the most inspiring speaker of this generation”.
Greta wasn't the only political speaker of the festival. On the Friday afternoon, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made an appeal to the audience via a video played at the Pyramid Stage, saying: "Time is priceless and every day is measurable in human lives. The more people join us in defending freedom and truth the sooner Russia’s war against Ukraine war will end."
And one final cheeky extra highlight - the festival-goers! The crowds at Glastonbury festival clearly had an amazing time soaking up the atmosphere and rocking to the legendary acts. First-time Glastonbury attendees Megan Bottomly and Anya Parvin surprised each other when both proposed at the same time at the festival. Artist Valérie Pirlot whipped out the brush and paints to capture stunning scenes of people celebrating at the festival. And in the middle of the celebrations, many festival-goers took the time to celebrate loved ones they'd lost to covid with the burning of a memorial lotus flower, designed by artist Joe Rush.
- Published20 June 2022
- Published23 June 2022
- Published21 June 2022
