Following the cancellation of Glastonbury due to coronavirus back in March, it was announced that the BBC would broadcast a “celebration” of the festival. Now, the broadcaster has unveiled exactly how it will celebrate Glastonbury in its 50th year.
Over 60 performances by some of the biggest artists to play the festival – including Beyoncé and David Bowie’s iconic headline slots from 2011 and 2000, respectively – will be broadcast on BBC Two, BBC Four, and BBC iPlayer in June.
BBC iPlayer will also host a new “pop-up” Glastonbury channel, playing historic back-to-back sets and highlights, as well as on-demand streaming of shows from the likes of Radiohead, Billie Eilish, The XX, and Lana Del Rey. The latter was due to play the festival this year, along with Charli XCX, Thom Yorke, FKA twigs, and (obviously) many more, as shared in a playlist after its cancellation.
“There are so many memorable sets being played across the BBC over what would have been our 50th anniversary weekend,” says Glastonbury’s Emily Eavis in a statement.
“Personally, I’m looking forward to a weekend of reflecting on the history of our festival and going back to some classic performances from David Bowie, Adele, REM, Beyoncé, The Rolling Stones, Jay-Z, Billie Eilish and lots more. Me and my dad will definitely be watching!”
The coverage will run from June 25 to June 29 2020, when the festival was originally scheduled to take place.
