Glastonbury clean-up under way as 2024 music festival comes to an end

The clean-up of Worthy Farm in Somerest comes hours after US R&B star SZA closed the festival with a headlining set on the Pyramid Stage.

Thousands of revellers leaving the site on Monday have been urged to take all their belongings and tidy their campsite.

People had been told the best time to leave to avoid queues was between midnight and 7am on Monday and long waits are likely between 8am and 5pm.

Andy Rock, 55, from west Somerset, team leader for litter pickers on the Pyramid Stage, told the PA news agency on Monday: “There’s about 300 staff down here this morning, and they all got up early in the morning to pick the litter to clear up from last night.

“They’ve been doing that for the last four days and every morning it’s a bit messy in the morning, but this place is absolutely spotless by about 10-11 o’clock.

He said “nothing particularly unsavoury” had been found, but added: “I think somebody did leave behind some high-heeled crocodile skin shoes yesterday, but that was the strangest thing we found yesterday.

“I’m not sure why anybody brought those to Glastonbury, but mainly it’s the stuff you see around us. It’s cans, bottles, paper cups, and virtually everything we pick up gets recycled.”

Teams separate the litter into recycling, non-recycling and composting, he said, adding that it is a “very, very slick process”.

Police urged those leaving the site after SZA’s set to drive safely, be patient and listen to guidance from stewards.

The American singer has said she “faced her fears” to perform on the Pyramid Stage for the final night of the festival.

Sharing photos and videos from her set on Instagram, she paid tribute to her dancers and band who joined her for the energetic performance.

She wrote: “Tonight I faced my fears. Tonight my entire team made the impossible possible!!

“THANK YOU @dan_norman_ for working tirelessly w me on this stage! Thank you @fulloutcortland and the incredible dancers!”

She also recognised her “fire ass band” and “every single person that helped make this happen”.

She added: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart for dreaming w me. Glastonbury 2024 down.”

During her performance she admitted she was “so nervous” and appeared to have some sound issues.

Fans watching at home said that her vocals appeared distorted or muffled, but the revellers at Worthy Farm sang along to hits including Love Galore, F2F, I Hate U and Kiss Me More, her collaboration with Doja Cat, which was interspersed with Prince’s Kiss.

The star, whose real name is Solana Rowe, appeared on stage on an elevated podium to open her show with her Travis Scott collaboration Love Galore.

She was lowered on to the stage which was adorned with elaborate pillars and a large insect, which she sat on for her rendition of ballad Drew Barrymore.

Dressed in a patterned body suit and flat boots with neon laces that ran up to her thighs, she asked her fans: “Do I have any day ones in the crowd?”

She brandished two machetes during her rendition of her track Kill Bill, which takes its name from the Quentin Tarantino film starring Uma Thurman, before changing into a forest green gown decorated with leaves and metallic wings, for her track Supermodel, from her debut album Ctrl.

During track Nobody Gets Me, she climbed up a large fallen tree trunk and sat on an elevated platform on the tree.

She also performed Normal Girl and Rich Baby Daddy, her collaboration with Drake and Sexyy Red, before closing her set with throwback hit 20 Something, also from Ctrl.

She told the crowd: “Glasto, you want to do 20 Something before we leave? This is for day ones and day ones only.”

Concluding her show, she said: “Glastonbury, I was so nervous to be here with you today.

“I’m so grateful, you have my deepest love and my deepest respect. I love you always, god bless you.

“Get home safely, my name is SZA, good night.”

Her headline set followed Shania Twain’s “life-changing” gig in the Legends slot, when she performed from her back catalogue of hits including That Don’t Impress Me Much and Man! I Feel Like A Woman!

Twain will also perform a headline set at Hyde Park’s British Summer Time (BST) festival on July 7 with special guests The Corrs.

After Twain’s set, fellow Canadian Avril Lavigne played hits including Sk8r Boi, Girlfriend and Complicated on The Other Stage, telling the crowd she has always “loved” performing in the UK.

Nigerian singer Burna Boy and Paloma Faith were among the other musicians on Sunday’s Pyramid Stage line-up.

Festival organiser Emily Eavis has said 2026 will be a fallow year for Glastonbury, to allow the land to rest and recover, but she is already in talks with acts to headline in 2025.

This was the first year to feature two female headliners on the Pyramid Stage, Dua Lipa on Friday and SZA on Sunday.

On Saturday Coldplay made history as the first act to headline the festival five times.