Music Correspondent
Reporting fromGlastonbury FestivalAnnabel RackhamCulture reporter
Reporting fromGlastonbury FestivalIs it really over? After five days of surprise performances, setlist clashes, crazy outfits and blistering heat, Glastonbury is closing its gates until 2027.
We watched epic shows from Pulp and Olivia Rodrigo, did viral dances with CMAT and Charli XCX and, for no apparent reason, saw two incarnations of Doctor Who on stage with Franz Ferdinand and Jade.
There's always too much to process in the moment. We missed Gary Numan making his Glastonbury debut, and were locked out of Scissor Sisters' epic set on the Woodsies stage after turning up too late.
But here are some of the highlights and memorable moments from a weekend of mayhem.
1) Lewis Capaldi's tear-jerking comeback
Lewis Capaldi - Someone You Loved
In 2023, Lewis Capaldi had to abandon his Glastonbury set, after Tourette's syndrome caused his vocal cords to seize up.
He took two years off to deal with his health issues, but that incomplete set was always at the back of his mind. On Friday, he arrived unannounced on the Pyramid Stage to finish what he couldn't last time.
"Second time's a charm on this one, everybody," he said, as tears welled up in his (and our) eyes.
The set was short on time, but big on emotion. From the opening lines of Before You Go to the set-closing Someone You Loved, the crowd sang every line, giving the star their full attention and affection.
Lewis, displaying none of the physical tics that plagued him two years ago, was in fine form. That sandpapery voice was undiminished, even as the lump grew in his throat.
As he laid his Glastonbury ghosts to rest, he observed that Friday's set would also be difficult to finish for "different reasons. Good reasons."
2) The biggest celebrity sightings
Getty ImagesActors Dominic Cooper and Gemma Chan channelled festival glam as they were spotted backstage
A weekend at Worthy Farm isn't complete without a celebrity sighting or two and this year has certainly delivered.
One Direction fans were delighted to see Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson in attendance, presumably to see The 1975's headline set on Friday. Harry was also spotted in the field for Doechii's set, dancing with a manbag slung over his shoulder.
The backstage areas were filled to the brim with acting royalty, including Eddie Redmayne, Taron Egerton (who watched Lewis Capaldi's set with his top off), Lily James and Paul Mescal.
Andrew Garfield was also spotted at a fan Q&A, talking about his new film We Live in Time - as well as reading some spicy social media posts fans had written about him.
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It was also great to see some of the weekend's performers letting their hair down after hours.
Lorde was spotted in the South East Corner dancing at NYC Downlow on Saturday morning, whilst Charli XCX celebrated headlining the Other Stage by dancing alongside fiancé and The 1975 drummer George Daniel at a 1am DJ slot on Sunday morning.
Glastonbury veterans such as Pixie Geldof, Lily Allen, Alexa Chung and Daisy Lowe were also on site over the weekend too, proving you can be effortlessly glamorous in a sweaty field (as long as you have money to burn and access to electricity and running water).
3) 10,000 Spoons
Spoons, spoons, as far as the eye can see
Alanis Morisette's Jagged Little Pill is the biggest-selling debut album of all time, with sales of 33 million.
With the record celebrating its 30th birthday this month, the singer made her Glastonbury debut with a spectacular sunset performance on the Pyramid Stage, that showed songs like You Oughta Know and One Hand In My Pocket have lost none of their edge, or their allure.
The singer, now 51 years old, had the strongest vocals of the weekend, belting out the hits so hard that she had to hold her microphone a solid three feet from her mouth, as she spun around the stage in a guileless blur of sparkles and hair.
But when she broke into Ironic, fans had a surprise in store: Spoons. Hundreds of spoons.
They held them aloft during the lyric "it's like 10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife" – a line that comedian Ed Byrne once pointed out "isn't ironic, it's just frickin' stupid."
"We haven't got 10,000 spoons between us. How big is your sink, Alanis?"
4) Sock wrestling
Sock Wrestling FederationA contestant prepares for a round of sock wrestling
Over in the Kidz field, there were huge queues for the extreme sports phenomenon known as Sock Wrestling.
The concept is simple: Two kids face each other on a mat, each wearing a single sock. Then they circle, provoke and grapple each other until one triumphantly rips off the other's footwear and claims victory.
On Saturday, it devolved into chaos when one kid challenged their dad to a face-off.
But the dad wasn't prepared to lose face. Years of familial tension boiled over as the stand-off became unnecessarily, dramatically tense.
Then, in the words of 6 Music's Steve Lamaq, "the kid flattened his dad" and the crowd went nuts.
Someone commission this for prime time BBC One right now.
5) Fatboy Slim's centenary
Fatboy Slim / Conor James Mason / InstagramIf Fatboy Slim isn't here, does Glastonbury even happen?
The DJ/producer played his 100th (and 101st and 102nd and 103rd) set at the farm this weekend, drawing huge crowds everywhere he went.
He celebrated his centenary with a mash-up of his signature hit Praise You, and The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
As you might expect, it went off. He's come a long way, baby.
6) CMAT's discombobulation
CMAT - Take A Sexy Picture Of Me
Irish singer CMAT ended her performance on the Pyramid Stage by saying it was "the biggest moment" of her career.
Asked how she was processing that incredible reception, she told us she had "no idea".
"I think I'm going to process it in about three to five business months," laughed.
The 29 year old, whose real name is Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, said she didn't speak for around an hour after her set ended.
"I was pretty, pretty shocked. Yeah, no idea," she said.
"I'm scared still. As if it's about to happen, but it's over."
She said it had taken "constant grafting" to get to the Pyramid Stage - but all the practice paid off, as she lit up the stage with her powerful vocals and kooky stage presence.
It felt very much like we were watching a star being born. She'll be back here very, very soon.
7) This sculpture
GlastonburySpotted by the incredible team behind the @GlastoLive account on Bluesky, this installation is made entirely of keys that people lost or left behind after last year's festival.
If you're still on site this morning, check your pockets before you go!
8) And this one
GlastonburyCarhenge is one of Glastonbury's biggest installations, modelled on the nearby Stonehenge monument - but with cars
Rave pioneers The Prodigy made a triumphant return to Glastonbury, headlining The Other Stage on Sunday, 30 years after their debut.
It was an incendiary set - you could even call it a Firestarter - but there was also a touch of poignancy, as it was the band's first Glastonbury without frontman Keith Flint, who died by suicide in 2019.
The band's vocalist, Maxim, stepped up in his place - with hits like Omen and Breathe causing pandemonium in the packed-out field.
"I think Mr Flint would have have been proud of you," he declares to the thousands watching.
The star's memory was also honoured at Glastonbury's infamous Carhenge installation, with a new mural that captured his fierce punk energy.
"Each of the cars have been dedicated to characters whose life's work has contributed to the underground culture, which is now our culture," said artist Joe Rush, who curates Carhenge, in a BBC interview last year.
9) Fun with flags... or not
Getty ImagesGlastonbury's flags are a handy way for friends to find each other in a crowded field, but they're also an outlet for creativity.
Our favourites this year included a tribute to TV personality Kim Woodburn and a Charli XCX-themed banner bearing the legend "bratwurst".
But not everyone is a fan.
Poet and BBC radio presenter Robin Ince posted the following poem to his Bluesky account as the festival kicked off.
I know you're proud of your town, your joke, your team
But I'm here to see Self Esteem
Not your wind-blown patchwork
That obscures Jarvis Cocker's twerk
But as much as I want to see bands that are live
I don't mind if you cover up The 1975
10) Benedict Cumberbatch's confession
Benedict Cumberbatch 'went under the fence' at his first Glastonbury
The Avengers and Sherlock star was reminiscing with Simon Pegg on Saturday about his first trip to Glastonbury - and let's just say it wasn't 100% legit.
"I went under the fence, I don't know if I'm supposed to say this, but I did," he told the BBC.
He added that he broke in by going "under the tunnel" and made his way there to see Pulp perform.
Here's hoping that he managed to catch up with the band after their surprise set on Saturday to recount the tale to them, too.
"And I had my tent on a very, very steep slope," Cumberbatch added cheekily.
11) The BBC's bleeping bandits
Self Esteem - The Deep Blue Okay
At home, you're probably not aware of this – but there's an entire team at Glastonbury dedicated to creating "broadcast safe" versions of the music for daytime radio, to avoid the wrath of Ofcom.
They sit in a cramped office, carefully editing out curse words. And, as the taboos around explicit language have weakened, their job's only become harder.
"Did you see the swear sheet for Self Esteem?" I heard one sigh on Friday night.
"After the second mother****** I was like, 'This is going to be a long night'."
12) Secret performances that beat the headliners
Pulp - Common People
Glastonbury loves a surprise set, and this year they outdid themselves. The "secret" acts (whose secrets weren't particularly well kept) were so big that they often overshadowed the headliners.
Lorde was first up, sauntering onto the Woodsies' stage on Friday morning, playing her just-released album Virgin to an eager crowd of fans.
Lewis Capaldi got a hero's welcome as he played the Pyramid Stage in a "TBA" slot; and the mysterious band billed as Patchwork were, to no-one's surprise, Pulp.
The Britpop heroes were marking the anniversary of their 1995 headline set: One of the truly legendary Glastonbury performances, where the band - who'd just released Common People - first established their status as national treasures.
They finished the set with that song, naturally, assisted by Red Arrows flypast; and Sunday night headliner Olivia Rodrigo hollering the lyrics from her boyfriend's shoulders.
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Elsewhere, there were unannounced sets by CMAT and Kae Tempest on the BBC Introducing Stage, an impromptu performance by Olivia Dean in the Strummerville tent.
And Haim drew what one colleague described as The Park Stage's biggest-ever audience when they appeared shortly after 7pm on Saturday night.
The Californian sisters' sun-kissed garage rock was the perfect soundtrack as the sun set over Worthy Farm - with highlights including a muscular take on The Steps, the loping groove of Taylor Swift collab Gasoline, and the totally fed-up pop hit Relationships.
The quality of this year's surprise sets is indicative of one thing: With no Glastonbury in 2026, and the acts who could have headlined next year's instalment didn't want to miss out.
13) One Glastonbury legend anoints another
Getty ImagesRobert Smith of The Cure was Olivia Rodrigo's special guest during her Sunday evening headline slot
"He is perhaps the best songwriter to come out of England, he is a Glastonbury legend and a personal hero of mine," Olivia Rodrigo tells the audience during her headline slot.
She is talking about Robert Smith, The Cure's frontman for the past 49 years and a four-time Glastonbury headliner.
There are audible gasps from a few mums and dads in the crowd when one audience member asks, "Who is he?" but you'd hope they were won over after an absolutely superb duet on the Pyramid Stage.
The pair sang Friday I'm in Love and Just Like Heaven, with their vastly different sounding vocals somehow contrasting perfectly.
Rodrigo confessed her love of British culture throughout, including Marks and Spencer's Colin the Caterpillar and also admitted she'd got through "three sticky toffee puddings" since arriving on Worthy Farm.
Perhaps she‘ll give apple crumble a go next.
14) A wedding... and a wedding cake
Maya Yagoda DjurdjevicCharles and Charlie Shires tied the knot in the Healing Fields, and held their reception in the BBC Introducing tent.
Maya Yagoda DjurdjevicYou can do anything at Glastonbury. Even get married.
Charles and Charlie Shires turned up at a recording of the BBC's Sidetracked podcast, fresh from a ceremony at the festival's Healing Fields.
They'd literally tied the knot, in an ancient Celtic ceremony known as handfasting, where a couple's hands are bound together.
"We made our own hand-tying cord out of ribbons," explained Charlie. "I was crying the whole way through. It was very gorgeous."
"Are your family pissed off with you?" asked Annie Mac.
"Probably," laughed Charles. "But we just thought this is the best place, right? Everyone has the most fun in this place every summer."
To celebrate, Charlie - who is a professional baker - brought a wedding cake from their home in Yorkshire, and distributed slices to the audience.
"I can't believe it survived," she laughed.
15) What's happening in 2026?
Getty ImagesEmily Eavis (centre) made the most of this year's festival before taking a well-deserved break next year
Glastonbury is taking next year off, but that doesn't mean Emily Eavis will be putting her feet up.
"We bought some land on the outside of the site and we're just going to do a big planting project," she told the BBC's Sidetracked podcast.
The project, which will see 30,000 new saplings added to the site, is intended to "restore the wild side of the farm and the surrounding land," she added.
The festival won't be far from her mind, though. All weekend, Eavis has been wandering around the site making notes on her phone about improvements she wants to make.
"I've got a huge list of little things," she told the on-site newspaper, The Glastonbury Free Press.
"We're always looking to make it better. The detail is critical. Even just a small touch - like putting a new hedge in - can make a real difference.
"And that's what fallow years are for: you lay the ground to rest and you come back stronger."
See you in 2027, then. *sniff*