Glastonbury 2024: Groove Armada set cancelled over safety concerns
This week, over 200,000 music fans will head to Worthy Farm in Somerset for a weekend of music, mirth and memories at Glastonbury Festival 2024. As one of the biggest events on the musical calendar, the festival has raised hopes with a lineup featuring headliners Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA.
Meanwhile, pop singer Shania Twain fills Cat Stevens’ shoes as this year’s booking in the legend’s slot. Indie fans can also expect plenty of action elsewhere, highlighted by sets from Idles, Fontaines D.C., Justice, Jamie xx, The National and The Breeders. Elsewhere, crowds are expected to heave for performances by PJ Harvey, LCD Soundsystem, The Last Dinner Party, The Streets and Bloc Party.
Although it is a weekend festival, with the main events occurring on the three days between Friday, June 21st and Sunday, June 23rd, many campers will arrive at the farm on the evening of June 25th. With some sleeping in their cars and others in the queue itself, the camping fields will begin to fill with tents first thing on June 26th.
Wednesday night is usually one for relaxing, but some of the festivities will begin with a fireworks display at nightfall. By Thursday evening, most campers will have arrived, pitched tents, and have a warm beer in hand before heading out to explore the smaller acts performing that night.
With no major stages open, Thursday nights often encounter crowd control issues, with swarms of festival goers roaming the pathways and funnelling into popular performances on the smaller stages. Last year, festival staff had to react to an overcrowding issue on Thursday night when Example played The Glade.
With this in mind, festival organisers have decided to cancel Groove Armada’s set at Stonebridge Bar on Thursday night, instead urging fans to watch the electro duo at The Glade on Sunday at 8:30pm. “To ensure that Groove Armada’s many fans can enjoy the duo’s DJ sets at this year’s Festival, their performance in the lower-capacity Stonebridge Bar on Thursday night can now not take place,” they wrote in a post on X.
On Sunday, there should be plenty of other performances drawing the crowds away. Additionally, The Glade has a larger capacity than Stonebridge Bar. “Instead, we encourage you to take in their sets at the larger capacity Glade on Sunday at 8.30pm and B2B with Eats Everything at Levels on Saturday at 6pm,” the organisers added. “Thank you for your understanding.”
Far Out will be on the ground at Worthy Farm to provide coverage directly from Pilton.
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