The V&A is hosting a seven-day celebration of Glastonbury music festival online to mark what would have been the festival's 50th anniversary.
The last weekend of June was supposed to see thousands of festival-goers head to Worthy Farm in Somerset to attend the "greatest show on Earth" with stars like Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift and Paul McCartney headlining Glastonbury's 50th anniversary celebrations. Then the coronavirus outbreak hit and those plans were put on hold until 2021. But that doesn't mean fans can't enjoy a taste of the festival this year. To fill your Glasto void, the V&A museum is hosting a virtual exhibition and it wants you to get involved.
The museum, which is home to the Glastonbury Festival Archive, launched the exhibition today and it will run for seven days showcasing how the festival "has developed over the past 50 years to become the global cultural phenomenon it is today". Among a treasure trove of Glastonbury memorabilia are vintage posters and programs, interviews, films, press cuttings, photos, maps, soundscapes and backstage passes. Curators are also inviting fans to share their own personal accounts in order to paint a more colourful and complete picture of Glastonbury from a range of different perspectives.
Have you witnessed an iconic performance at the Pyramid Stage or experienced a secret set in the far-flung corners of the site? Did you have an epiphany while watching the sun come up at the Stone Circle? Maybe you met lifelong friends while queuing for cheese-smothered nachos with mud-splashed knees at 3am? Whatever treasured memory you have to share, the V&A wants to hear it.
"These memories will form an important part of the collection, allowing us to map personal experiences to the rich and extensive timeline of the festival’s history," the V&A said in a statement. "We are interested in capturing your recollections to help us build and trace the festival’s development, its impact and its influence."
Meanwhile, the BBC will show classic Glastonbury performances from artists like Amy Winehouse, Radiohead, Björk and Beyonce from Thursday 25 June until Sunday 28 June. Online fans can access an on-demand archive of 60 iconic performances through the BBC iPlayer (available in the UK only).
The V&A's virtual Glastonbury exhibition runs until Sunday 28 June, see here for more information.
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