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Music – Festival

This weekend should have been the 50th , held at Worthy Farm in . This has become a staple of British summer festival season. Due to the current lockdown this anniversary weekend has been postponed to next year. However, this week will give us an opportunity to explore the history of Glastonbury, of the iconic Pyramid stage and understand how a farm in became home to some of the biggest musical acts of all time.

Task 1: The first festival took place in 1970, take a look at the following video, where Glastonbury founder discusses his hopes and worries before the first festival began. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p008c2q0 Then use online sources to find the answers to the following questions. • What was the first festival called in 1970? (It wasn’t known as Glastonbury back then) • What time of the year did it take place? • How many people attended? • How much did a ticket to the festival cost? • How was the headline act?

The festival became an annual feature of the British Summer in the 1980s and a key symbol being the now iconic Pyramid Stage. The first pyramid stage was built in 1971 by theatre designer Bill Harkin. In 1981 a permanent structure doubling as a cowshed and animal food store during the winter months was built on the same site. In 1994, shortly before the Festival, it burned to the ground. Finally in 2000, using designs based on the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, Pilton villager Bill Burroughs constructed a Pyramid Stage four times the size of the original.

Task 2: Using the net template of a pyramid on the following page, work out how to create a pyramid stage of your own. Before assembling to make a 3D shape, use paint or whatever art equipment you have to add your own personal designs to the stage.

Between Thursday 25th June and Monday 29th June the BBC will be showing highlights from the performances across the festival (from 79 stages) from the past 50 years. With parental permission, watch some of your favourite acts who have performed there or find someone new, you never know, you may find a new favourite.

Task 3: Every year there is big anticipation and speculation of who will perform and headline at Glastonbury. This year should have been , and Sir Paul McCartney. Take a look at some of the posters from previous years, decide who would be you dream headliners (you need 3) and create a poster for your ultimate Glastonbury Festival.