Sunshine, secret sets and Elton’s sendoff: Glastonbury 2023 prepares to open gates

As Glastonbury-goers flock toward Worthy Farm, the UK’s biggest festival is yet to give up a number of secrets about the weekend – from surprise performers to the outcome of the mercurial south-western weather.

Most pressing is the question of whether Friday night headliners Arctic Monkeys will be able to fulfil their booking. On Monday (19 June) the group cancelled a performance in Dublin on 20 June owing to singer Alex Turner’s “acute laryngitis”. The 37-year-old had received medical advice to rest – presumably to ensure their planned third Glastonbury headlining set is able to go ahead.

If the Sheffield band is forced to cancel, then they could be replaced by the mysterious band the Churnups, a surprise act currently billed for 6.15pm on the Pyramid stage and widely believed to be the Foo Fighters.

Fans think the US group has been sowing hints that they will grace the farm this year. Frontman Dave Grohl recently posted his thanks to fans for their show of support at their recent live shows – their first tour following the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins last year – in which he described them as “churning up these emotions together”.

The band is currently touring a new album, But Here We Are, which addresses the fallout from Hawkins’ death. Eagle-eyed observers also noticed the appearance of a hawk-shaped bird on this year’s Glastonbury artwork – a possible reference to Hawkins, who had a hawk tattoo on his arm relating to his surname. His surviving bandmates have been using the symbol as a tribute to Hawkins.

However, rumours persist that the Churnups could be Blur or Pulp – or that one of the two Britpop bands might appear in one of several other as-yet-unannounced slots across the weekend. On Tuesday, the Pretenders announced that they are the secret act performing on the Park stage on Saturday night. “There has never been a festival like it anywhere else,” said frontwoman Chrissie Hynde.

Elton John has also confirmed that he is set to bring on several guest stars during his Sunday headline set – billed as his last ever UK performance. John told BBC Radio 1 that rather than repeat his ongoing Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, which concludes in Sweden in July, he has planned an entirely new show for the occasion, including rarely played songs.

“It’s a different show to what people have been seeing,” he said. “On Farewell Yellow Brick Road, there’s quite a lot of deep cuts, it’s not all hits, and you’ve got to keep people interested. When you put a setlist together, I always say it’s a bit like having sex. You start off really well, then you chill out a little bit, then towards the end of the show all hell breaks loose.”

It will be John’s first ever appearance at the festival, whether as performer or punter. Further down the bill, the famed new music fan tipped UK rock duo Nova Twins, Scottish pop songwriter Joesef and Nigerian pop star Obongjayar as performances to check out.

The current Met Office forecast suggests that the famous first-time festivalgoer will be spared the worst of Glastonbury’s infamous weather. There is a chance of residual showers throughout Thursday that are set to settle down for the weekend.

Friday is due to be dry and sunny, with temperatures peaking around 25°C. Saturday could see one isolated short shower, but the forecast should be warm and dry, with temperatures remaining high overnight. Sunday so far looks to be the same.

Glastonbury 2023 looks to be a relatively low-key festival compared with more momentous editions in recent years: last year was the delayed 50th anniversary celebration after the 2020 and 2021 events were postponed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The weekend also coincided with the overturning of Roe v Wade, a move protested by many of the weekend’s performers, including the US stars Phoebe Bridgers and Olivia Rodrigo, and saw a surprise appearance from the Swedish climate protester Greta Thunberg.

In 2019, David Attenborough made an unbilled appearance on the Pyramid stage and Extinction Rebellion led a procession through the festival, while 2017 will be remembered as the year that Corbyn-mania swept Worthy Farm. Glastonbury organisers have this year pulled the screening of a documentary about Corbyn following a complaint by a leading Jewish group that the film was antisemitic.

“It’s become clear that it is not appropriate for us to screen it at the festival,” they said in a statement. “Glastonbury is about unity and not division, and we stand against all forms of discrimination.”

In 2016, the UK voted to leave the European Union in the wee hours of Friday morning.

This year, the festival has expressed its solidarity with the NHS, painting a large display on the field in front of the Pyramid stage.

The organisers have also announced that Glastonbury 2023 will be the first entirely run by renewable energy and fuels. Sustainable, renewable, palm oil-free HVO fuel made from waste cooking oil will power all generators across the site. The famous giant fire-belching spider in Arcadia will also run entirely off recycled biofuels.

It is the festival’s latest environmental initiative: it banned single-use plastic bottles in 2019. This year, organisers have told festivalgoers not to bring disposable vapes on site, saying “they pollute the environment and can be hazardous at waste centres”.