Has ‘woke’ Glastonbury outdone itself this time? Gen Zers shun DJ sets and bands for debate panels featuring leftie speakers, a string of MPs and Just Stop Oil – after starting the day with artisan coffees, organised runs and Joe Wicks workout classes
- Drag performers, alternative healers and workout celebrities are all at the farm
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This year’s Glastonbury festival is one of the wokest ever, as Gen Zers shun the usual warm-up DJ sets and bands for political debates after a series of group workout sessions.
Hundreds of people were seen taking part in organised runs or a 30-minute workout session, led live by Joe Wicks, instead of heading straight for the stages or alcohol tents.
Health conscious Gen Zers were also seen shaking up the festivities with cold outdoor showers, stretches and even a group jog.
The organised run, which saw around 200 people take part, stretched for around 5km as joggers pounded through the fields while others slept off their hangovers.
And then rather than the customary ‘baby wipe’ bath, young people could be seen having showers near their tents, to ensure they feel and look fresh for the day.
Glastonbury returned with a bang on Friday morning – but Gen Zers prioritised their health over a good time
Representatives from Just Stop Oil, politicians and left-wing activists will all appear inside Left Field at Glastonbury
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe reacts after warm welcome as she joins a panel discussing women’s rights and Iran in the left field tent
Gen Z attendees – known for their health conscious lifestyles – didn’t head straight for the beers either.
The longest queues by far this morning were for artisan coffee, as ticket holders made the most of the dry weather and got up early.
Crowds then also gathered for Joe Wicks’ Glastonbury workout this morning – a 30 minute HIIT exercise class.
Alternative health solutions are also being widely promoted: including a tent charging £15 for attendees to lie upside down in an attempt to help ease back problems.
Elsewhere across the festival site are plenty of recycling stations, signs to reduce waste and biodegradable food packaging.
A drag queen was even spotted entertaining crowds on Thursday night at the so-called ‘Meat Market’.
After defying an attempted ban to stop the screening of a Jeremy Corbyn film on Thursday, many at Worthy Farm will line up to watch speeches from MPs, left-wing speakers and even Just Stop Oil.
Left-wing lawyer and head of The Good Law Project, Jolyon Maugham, is also due to speak at the festival.
At the Left Field site, which has long been at the heart of talks by politicians, activists and community leaders, this year’s attendees will hear from experts on climate change, industrial action and the Grenfell fire.
The first act to take to the Pyramid Stage were The Master Musicians of Joujouka, who said their ‘trance’ music was a form of ‘healing’
Hundreds of people got up early to take part in a workout led live by Joe Wicks
Alternative healing methods included hanging upside for back pain
Alternative weddings involving handfasting are also available
Debates on Friday will see Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe join up with comedian Shappi Khorsandi and others to discuss women’s rights in Iran in ‘Woman, life, freedom: Solidarity with Iran.’
A second event, ‘This land is your life: The fight for nature’ will feature Black Girls Hike, Right to Roam and Surfers Against Sewage.
Billy Bragg, who has previously been involved in online spats with JK Rowling over his support for transgender rights, will then lead a ‘radical round-up’ on Friday evening, as well as on Saturday and Sunday.
He will also hit the stage to close the programme at the venue on Friday night.
‘One minute to midnight, Can politics deliver on climate action?’ will kick off the political action on Saturday, and platform speakers from militant activist group Just Stop Oil.
READ MORE: Pro-Jeremy Corbyn activists DEFY Glastonbury bosses and screen banned ‘conspiracy theory’ movie about failed ex-Labour leader
However the eco-group claimed on Friday that scheduled speakers Ed Miliband and John Harris have now pulled out of the event.
The Shadow Secretary for Climate Change and Climate Editor at BBC News have allegedly been ‘banned’ from appearing alongside spokespeople for the group.
Just Stop Oil claimed on Twitter: ‘Ed Miliband, Shadow sec. of state for Climate Change and Justin Rowlatt, climate editor for BBC News.
‘Both have been banned from speaking at the festival’s Speakers Forum by their bosses.
‘Why? Because they were slated to share a platform with spokespeople from Just Stop Oil. This is bizarre.
‘The North Sea is 5C hotter than normal, Scotland had its biggest wildfire ever, and no one heard about it—because there was an even bigger fire in Canada. More fossil fuels will make it worse.
‘But The Labour Party, supposedly the government’s opposition, are too scared to even discuss that in a tent.’
Gen Zers were pictured having cold water showers outside their tents on Friday
Crowds were up early this morning and enjoyed an artisan coffee
Joe Wicks holds a workout for an energetic crowd at the Glastonbury festival, June 23
Fans of the Arctic Monkeys were already camping out ahead of their headline set tonight
Festivalgoers attend day 3 of the Glastonbury festival in the village of Pilton in Somerset
Temperatures remained warm on Friday as crowds gathered in the fields
Following the climate debate will be another named ‘Can we save the NHS?’ – which will feature groups Migrants Organise, We Own It and Labour’s Shadow Minister for Mental Health, Dr Rosena Allin-Khan.
On Sunday, the venue will platform striking workers including a teacher, nurse, and head of the Royal College of Nursing Pat Cullen, in an event named ‘Power in a union: A year of strikes and solidarity’.
Finally Gen Zers will hear from survivors of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, as well as bereaved loved ones.
Meanwhile the Pyramid Stage was today opened by a trance-beats healing act named The Master Musicians of Joujouka.
The group of 10 Sufi musicians from a village in the southern Rif Mountains in Morocco opened the main stage this year with a form of trance beats which are said to be ‘used for healing’.
They played a range of drums and woodwind-type instruments while donning brown robes over a white shirt with a cream headpiece.
They were introduced to the stage with the host saying: ‘Good morning Glastonbury, we have a fantastic band to start us off with here on the Pyramid Stage – The Master Musicians of Joujouka.’
Photos from across the festival show complex recycling stations, as well as flags and posters carrying political messages such as ‘Eat the Rich’.
Meanwhile alternative weddings are also taking place across the weekend.
Finance director Stuart Beauchamp, 49, and Anna Stevens, 44, were married earlier today by having their hands tied together at Glastonbury, watched on by a crowd of festivalgoers.
Mr Beauchamp said: ‘We wanted to do it here because it’s the best festival on the planet and we fit right in with our fancy dress, we wanted to put our own spin on our wedding.’
Ed Miliband has reportedly pulled out of appearing at the festival on Saturday
Orange-themed festival-goers enjoy themselves on Friday
People watch The Master Musicians of Joujouka perform on the Pyramid Stage
‘We won’t stay tied together the whole festival! We’ll probably untie when she needs the toilet,’ Mr Beauchamp laughed.
Festival-goers were queuing with their significant others to have their love legitimised by the Handfasting ceremony but were eager to ensure it did not legally bind them.
Glenda told MailOnline: ‘I’m so popular and in such in high demand. I’ve got bookings all day. I did five weddings yesterday and eight today but I’ve lost count really.’
The festival may have outdone itself on Thursday, when Jeremy Corbyn activists screened a documentary called ‘Oh Jeremy Corbyn – The Big Lie’ – in defiance of a ban.
Glastonbury has previously seen Greta Thunberg appear on stage in 2022, Corbyn himself in 2017, and Ed Miliband on 2016.
But the film, which was meant to be shown at the festival on Sunday afternoon but was axed in a last-minute decision by the festival after it was deemed ‘not appropriate’, is a notch above any previous speaker.
Last night, however, Reel News – described as an activist video collective to ‘help effect social change’ – flouted the ban, screening it at the festival’s Speaker’s Forum tent.
The film has been slammed by critics who have labelled it ‘antisemitic’ and ‘laden with conspiracy theories’.
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