Glastonbury: Mud, Music & Magic Before the Big Break

There’s a reason Glastonbury Festival is more than just a festival—it’s a cultural ritual. Born in 1970 on Worthy Farm, it started as a £1 hippie gathering headlined by T. Rex and has since become the world’s most iconic music pilgrimage. Over the years, it’s seen legends like Bowie, Beyoncé, and McCartney, political protests, surprise reunions, and enough muddy wellies to fill an ocean.

And 2025 was one for the history books. With 2026 set as a “fallow year”—Glasto’s tradition of taking a break to let the land (and the locals) recover—the festival went all in. It was five days of political fire, girl-powered performances, indie nostalgia, and secret sets that’ll live forever in festival lore.

Politics in the Spotlight

Glastonbury has always had a political edge—think Greenpeace banners in the ’80s or the climate protests of the 2010s—but this year, it reached a boiling point.

From Bob Vylan leading the crowd in controversial pro-Palestine chants to Wolf Alice and The Libertines showing solidarity with flags on stage, the festival became a megaphone for activism. Even Rod Stewart (!) used his set to dedicate Love Train to Ukraine.

Then came The 1975, taking a different tone. Matty Healy told the crowd, “We don’t want our legacy to be politics… we want it to be love and friendship,” before launching into Love It If We Made It while flashing images of Trump and immigration crises on the screens. Classic Glasto—messy, layered, impossible to pin down.

Girls Took Over the Farm

If 2022 was all about Billie Eilish’s historic headline slot, 2025 belonged to the women.

Olivia Rodrigo’s Pyramid Stage set was a two-hour scream therapy session, with even the guys in the crowd yelling along to All-American Bitch. Charli XCX shut down the Other Stage on Saturday, finally getting the moment she’s been working toward for a decade (and mouthing “What the f**?!”* when she saw the sea of fans bouncing in unison).

And then there were the future queens—CMAT roaring through the Pyramid on Friday afternoon, Wolf Alice owning their sunset slot, and Lorde pulling a surprise Friday morning secret set, premiering her new album Virgin front-to-back before dropping fan-favorites like Ribs and Green Light.

Nostalgia for the Indie Kids

For anyone who lived through the Tumblr-era indie boom, this was pure time-travel. The 1975 went full throwback, performing hits like Chocolate and Sex from their debut album. The Libertines, Franz Ferdinand, and even a newly reunited Maccabees (joined by Florence Welch!) reminded everyone why UK indie once ruled the planet.

And then came Britpop icons Pulp under the code name “Patchwork,” closing their set with Common People—where even Olivia Rodrigo was spotted on Paul Mescal’s shoulders, screaming every word.

Secret Sets Worth the FOMO

Glasto finally brought back the thrill of surprise:

• Lorde opened Woodsies early Friday with an intimate album debut
• Lewis Capaldi made an emotional Pyramid comeback after his 2023 health struggles, tearing up mid-Someone You Loved
• Haim crashed the Park Stage with new tracks from I Quit
• Pulp’s Britpop revival turned the Pyramid into a karaoke night

These were the kind of moments you can’t fake—or stream.

Celebs? Just More Faces in the Mud

Part of the magic is how celebs become just another pair of muddy boots. Louis Tomlinson camped with everyone else. Paul Mescal and Gracie Abrams went Instagram official side-stage. Paul McCartney watched sets like a proud dad. Alexa Chung continued her reign as the Queen of Glasto, while Charli XCX proved she’s the festival’s People’s Princess by ditching VIP parties to dance with fans at San Remo until 2 a.m.

A Festival with Roots and Rhythm

What makes Glasto timeless is that it never forgets where it came from. The first tickets cost £1 and came with free milk from the farm. Today it’s a global event, but it still belongs to the people who make the pilgrimage, rain or shine, for that unexplainable feeling of being part of something bigger than yourself.

And as Worthy Farm prepares for a well-earned rest in 2026, Glastonbury 2025 felt like a love letter to its own history—mud, politics, chaos, and all.

Because even when it takes a year off, Glasto never really disappears. It just waits for us to come back.