Glastonbury traffic builds as people queue for 15 HOURS to get into site

Huge queues have been witnessed outside Glastonbury Festival as revellers attempt to get to the site early.

Thousands of people have already begun to descend on Worthy Farm for the five-day musical and cultural extravaganza, with large amounts of traffic building along rural roads in Somerset early on Wednesday.

Joyous scenes just after 8am this morning saw ticketholders cheering and clapping as the pedestrian gates finally opened. Some are reported to have camped outside as early as 15 hours before in order to secure their spot.

Founder Michael Eavis was seen greeting people out of the window of his farm vehicle moments after his daughter Emily officially opened the event.

Gates will now stay open for 24 hours a day until the end of the festival. Records for official attendance are expected to be broken this year, with over 200,000 tickets sold for this year’s event.

The early arrivals come despite Arctic Monkeys’ headline set on the Pyramid Stage still being more than 48 hours away, though music will begin on some smaller stages on Thursday morning.

People at the front of the queue told of how they were “surprised” to reach the coveted spot near the entrance after setting off from their homes at 1.30am.

Some showed off their inventive solutions for carrying large amounts of belongings and camping gear, such as the trusty wheelbarrow.

Chris, his son Mike and his friend Jon have been coming to Glastonbury together since 2008, and their preferred method is using a wheelie bin.

They’ve been using the bin for the past four or five years. This year they’ve travelled from London and High Wycombe. Chris told Somerset Live: “I love the vibe at Glastonbury, I like the anonymity and the ‘i am who I am’ of it. “

Nigel Hayes, 42, who is a kitchen fitter from London, told the PA news agency he has been to every Glastonbury since 2002 and his 40-year-old sister Joanne Hayes, who is also from London and works as a personal assistant and accompanied him, has been to every one since 2007.

Mr Hayes said: “We got here at 4.30am, we set off at 1.30am from London… it would be nice to set off and get a beer.”

Ms Hayes added: “We’re a bit surprised to be at the front to be fair.”

When asked what he likes about the festival, Mr Hayes said: “Glastonbury is all about the people, it’s a lovely vibe, it’s a lovely place to be.”

He added: “There’s something for everyone, I always say – no matter who you are, try it once if you can. There’s so much going on with music and comedy.”

Lewis Capaldi, Arctic Monkeys, Guns N’ Roses and Elton John will headline Glastonbury 2023, while Cat Stevens will take up the famed ‘legends slot’ at 4pm on Sunday.

Lizzo and Lana Del Ray will also be among the thousands of acts performing on other stages over the weekend.

This year’s expected record attendance of 210,000 is the highest number since 2002.