The UK’s iconic Glastonbury Festival opened its gates on Wednesday amid controversy over the inclusion of Irish rap trio Kneecap on the bill.

The group has made headlines with their outspoken pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel stance. One of their members has been charged with a “terror” offence for allegedly supporting Hezbollah.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday said it was not “appropriate” for the band to perform at Glastonbury, the country’s biggest and most famous music festival.

Acts due to perform from on Friday include chart artists Charli XCX and Olivia Rodrigo as well as veteran stars Neil Young and Rod Stewart, who has said he will be joined by his former Faces band member Ronnie Wood.

Other big names on the bill include Raye, The Prodigy, Alanis Morissette and Snow Patrol.

Tickets for this year’s Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in southwest England sold out within 35 minutes when they went on sale in November, with standard tickets priced at £373.50 ($471.50).

The festival officially opened at 10:00PM (2100 GMT) on Wednesday with a theatre and circus act followed by fireworks.

But many ticket-holders, ladened with tents and backpacks, arrived hours earlier to claim the vast site’s prime camping spots.

Glastonbury attracted more than 210,000 fans in 2024, hosting 3,000 performances across some 80 stages. Many of the gigs were broadcast by the BBC, which has partnered with the festival since 1997.

Glasto, as the festival is popularly known, was inspired by Britain’s 1960s counterculture and hippie movements. Its first iteration was as the Pilton Festival in 1970.

Glam rockers T. Rex were the first headliners. Since then, it has attracted cult status and big names, from David Bowie and Paul McCartney to Stormzy and Elton John, who played his final UK gig there in 2023.

The British weather is often the headline act, some events turning into mud baths, but the forecast is largely dry for the next five days. afp