Glastonbury 2023: Thousands queue overnight in bid to be first ones in as festival officially declared open

Thousands of Glastonbury fans queued overnight in a bid to be the first into the festival site at Worthy Farm as the gates opened at 8am today (Wednesday, June 21). Grandmother Lisa Stone was first in the queue at Gate A this morning - making her one of the first of 200,000 who will pass through over the next five days.

The 56-year-old arrived at Pilton at 11am yesterday (June 20) alongside her granddaughter. They got into the site at 4pm and and have been “waiting patiently” since.

This is the fifth time Lisa has been to the festival and she said she was well prepared with a pop-up tent. She even managed to get a few hours of sleep.

Lisa said she is most looking forward to seeing Elton John - and the Foo Fighters who are rumoured to be making an appearance as mystery band The Churn-Ups. The Arctic Monkeys are also set to play Friday’s main stage along with rock duo Royal Blood.

Yusuf, also known as Cat Stevens, will play the legend slot, on Sunday afternoon, followed by classic rock outfit Blondie.

Co-organiser Emily Eavis greeted the first group of festival-goers to reach the site. When asked how it felt to greet the crowd, she said:“I love welcoming people in - it’s always my favourite moment.”

Festival-goers have been warned there could be some wet weather for the first few days of the event but the skies are due to clear on Friday as the shows kick off, according to forecasts.