Victoria and Albert Museum

Performing Glastonbury

Performing Glastonbury

From a small start in 1970, Glastonbury Festival has developed to become a global cultural phenomenon. To mark its 50-year history, the V&A and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) have launched a database that you can use to explore the history of performance at Glastonbury. Data has been collected from the V&A’s Glastonbury Festival Archive, an eclectic and growing public resource.

Pilot website

Performing Glastonbury is a pilot project and doesn’t yet hold all performance data for Glastonbury Festival. The dataset is constantly growing. If you have any archival material or information that you would like to contribute to the project, please get in touch via glastonbury@vam.ac.uk.

51

years
over 3.7

million attendees
800+

Pyramid Stage performances
80+

stages per year

Memorable Moments

A black and white photograph of a pyramid shaped stage made of scaffolding. Groups of young people are standing and sitting in front of it, talking to each other.

The First Pyramid Stage

The very first Pyramid Stage debuted in 1971 and was desiged by the late Bill Harkin. 50 years on, it has hosted some of the most iconic performances in music festival history.

Van Morrison on stage in 1982

Most Pyramid Stage Performances

Van Morrison has played the Pyramid Stage a whopping 8 times. His first appearance was in 1982.

A photograph taken during the day time at Glastonbury Festival showing the entrance to the Park area. An elaborate archway spans over a grassy walkway. The archway is orange with two tower like structures on either side. In front of each tower is an image of a dragon-like creature coloured in green. In the middle of the archway the words The Park are visible. Colourful lanterns hang below the archway. Groups of people walk below.

The Park Stage

The Park Stage was introduced by Emily Eavis in 2007 and in its debut year saw performances by Spiritualized, Gruff Rhys and Africa Express.

Artist highlights

A photograph taken of Yoko Ono performing. A close up shot showing Yoko Ono on stage wearing a beige hat, sunglasses and black long sleeve top. She holds a microphone up to her mouth using her right hand and is in the process of singing.

Yoko Ono

The Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band made their Glastonbury debut in 2014. Yoko Ono was 81 years old at the time of the performance.

Stormzy performing on the Pyramid Stage, June 2019.

Stormzy, 2019

Stormzy headlined the Pyramid Stage on 28 June 2019 with an iconic and political performance. The set was designed by Misty Buckley and featured dancers from Black Ballet. Stormzy wore a stab vest designed by artist Banksy.

A photograph taken at night at Glastonbury festival. It idepicts the pyramid stage taken from a distance. The stage is lit up with red and orange lights. The Rolling Stones are performing on the stage. On either side of te stage are large screens showing Mick Jagger singing into a microphone. The very apex of the pyramid stage is glowing. In front of the stage is a very large crowd of people.

The Rolling Stones, 2013

In 2013, The Rolling Stones played their first ever Glastonbury set with a landmark performance on the Pyramid Stage.

View stage year

A photograph taken during the day at Glastonbury Festival showing a performance by Kylie Minogue. The camera is situated high up on a viewing platform and looks down over a huge crowd of people standing in front of a large pyramid shaped stage. The crowd hold colourful flags and banners aloft. The camera catches the moment a glitter gun goes off, spraying glitter into the air and above the crowd.

Kylie Minogue, 2019

Kylie played to a huge crowd in the Sunday afternoon ‘Legends’ slot. It was her first Glastonbury performance after having to pull out of her scheduled 2005 show when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

A photograph of Dolly Parton performing. An up close shot of Dolly Parton on stage wearing a white outfit covered in sparkling silver gemstones. Dolly holds a white acoustic guitar that is also covered in sparkling gemstones. She plays the guitar and smiles towards the camera.

Dolly Parton, 2014

Dolly Parton made her Glastonbury debut on the Pyramid Stage in 2014.

A photograph of Billy Brag performing. An up close shot of Billy Brag on stage wearing a short sleeved black button up shirt and holding an acoustic guitar. Billy Brag stands in front of a microphone facing towards the camera and has his right arm stretched out to his side, mid performance.

Billy Bragg

Perennial Glastonbury performer Billy Bragg has played at Glastonbury numerous times, alongside curating the Left Field Stage programme.

Browse by year

A black and white photograph of a pyramid shaped stage made of scaffolding. Groups of young people are standing and sitting in front of it, talking to each other.

A photograph taken at Glastonbury festival at sunset or sunrise. The image looks out over a field full of white tipi tents. To the left is a tall tower with colourful ribbons cascading down its side. Beyond the tower a campsite extends into the distance with misty hills behind. A handful of festival goers sit on the grass in the foreground gazing at the sky which is awash with pink and yellow hues with a glowing sun in the middle.

A photograph taken at Glastonbury festival at sunset or sunrise. The image looks out over a field full of white tipi tents. To the left is a tall tower with colourful ribbons cascading down its side. Beyond the tower a campsite extends into the distance with misty hills behind. A handful of festival goers sit on the grass in the foreground gazing at the sky which is awash with pink and yellow hues with a glowing sun in the middle.

A black and white photograph taken from a stage looking out towards a farm field dotted with trees and some tents. A man with long hair is standing on the stage and looks towards the camera to the right of the image. A group of people are standing in the middle of the image, towards the front of the stage, with their backs to the camera.

A photograph taken at Glastonbury Festival during the day time. The image shows groups of fetsival goers sitting and standing together on the grass and between large stones. The air is misty, suggesting early morning. On the grass around the festival goers is littered with rubbish.

A photograph taken at Glastonbury Festival during the day time. The image shows groups of fetsival goers sitting and standing together on the grass and between large stones. The air is misty, suggesting early morning. On the grass around the festival goers is littered with rubbish.

A black and white image taken at Glastonbury Festival during the daytime. The image is an up close shot of a young man sitting in the grass. His knees are bent and his arms rest across them. He wears a white t-shirt and dark shorts and black sunglasses. He has long hair and gazes to his right, away from the camera. In his hand he holds a plastic bag, possibly containing illicit substances. In the background a campground and port a loos are visible and festival goers are standing and walking around.

A photograph taken during the day at Glastonbury Festival. The image shows a group of festival goers walking across a grassy field. In the foreground of the image are two young women; the women to the left is wearing a cream coloured crop top, blue jean shorts, black wellington boots and holds a beverage can in her right hand with a green jacket draped over her right arm. She is wearing sunglasses and has long brown hair. To her right, the second woman is wearing a cowboy hat, a blue tshirt, blue jean shorts and black wellington boots. She has a brown bag around her right shoulder and has her arm up, waving towards the camera. Behind the two women, groups of people are walking and sitting in the grass. In the background there are large letter signs that spell out GLASTONBURY in rainbow colours.

A photograph taken at Glastonbury Festival during the day time. The image is of a green temporary fence structure. On the fence the words I Love This Place are painted. Next to the words, a picture of a policeman holding a spray can is also painted. A woman wearing a purple sweater, black trousersand a straw hat walks in front of the fence.

A black and white image taken a Glastonbury Festival. The image shows a large stage in the shape of a Pyramid. At the apex of the Pryamid is a black triangle with a round image of the earth in the centre. On the stage a band is playing, although the musicians are blurred by smoke effects. In front of the stage a crowd looks towards the performers.