The return of Glastonbury Festival next year after a fallow 2026 will reportedly see a new strategy in place to attract younger fans from Gen Z with its major acts.
We know the three headliners have now been signed, with musical superstar Billie Eilish the latest report following previous – still unconfirmed – rumblings regarding Harry Styles and Sam Fender performing on the famous Pyramid Stage as well.
US chart-topper Eilish, aged 24, has been ‘lured’ by organiser Emily Eavis to headline once again, according to The Mail on Sunday, which would mean that the three nights’ main performers have an average age of under 30.
Grammy winning Aperture singer Styles and Mercury Prize winner Fender are both aged 32.
Birds of A Feather singer Eilish has already performed twice at Worthy Farm before, debuting in 2019 before making history as Glastonbury’s youngest solo headliner aged 20 in 2022.
Meanwhile Fender made his first appearance on the Pyramid Stage the same year as an evening act; Styles is yet to ever perform at Glastonbury, but is known to have been a target of Eavis’ for a while now.
The publication also claims that heavy rumours of Robbie Williams, 52, being given the coveted Sunday afternoon Legends slot next year also backs up the suggestion that Glasto is skewing younger for 2027 – although there’s also bookie support for US rockers Bon Jovi.
Glastonbury in 2025 saw Sir Rod Stewart, 81, take to the stage for the Sunday teatime slot, while 80-year-old Neil Young was Sunday’s headliner – but faced stiff competition from Brat star Charli XCX, 34, who was performing on the Other Stage at the same time.
While next year’s headliners are yet to be announced, Styles has a convenient gap in the schedule of his final 2027 dates for the Together, Together tour over Glastonbury in June: he wraps up in Chicago on June 5 before kicking off again on July 2 in Berlin.
Glastonbury 2027, which sold out in minutes earlier this month, is confirmed for June 23 – 27.
Meanwhile Sam Fender just announced a massive UK stadium tour for next year as well – but also left a rather conspicuous gap in his schedule.
His aptly named Proper Massive Stadium Tour includes his biggest headline shows to date, kicking off with two hometown shows at Newcastle’s St James’ Park on June 3 and 5, before heading to Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on June 10.
He’ll then take over London’s Wembley Stadium for two enormous shows on June 18 and 20 – before a gap until July 1, when he’s due to perform at Dublin’s Marlay Park.
Previous red-hot hopefuls likes Madonna and Oasis have already been ruled out as headliners for next year.
But while things remain unconfirmed, former Glastonbury acts have been throwing their own suggestions out there.
Speaking to Metro at the Mercury Prize ceremony on Thursday night in Newcastle, where their album Antidepressants was nominated, Suede’s Simon Gilbert suggested Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
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Meanwhile, frontman Brett Anderson revealed that he lived ’10 minutes away’ from the farm.
‘I can always hear it from mine and my wife’s bedroom,’ Brett shared, with Simon joking that his bandmate would therefore like ‘something quiet’.
‘Yeah, Brian Eno doing Music for Airports would be nice,’ agreed the frontman with a grin. ‘Falling asleep listening to 1/1.’
Also titled Ambient 1, the 1979 album popularised ambient music, which has been described as ‘ignorable but interesting’.
Suede initially headlined the NME Stage (now the Other Stage) in 1993 before taking to the John Peel Stage (now Woodsies) in 2015. They also performed on the Pyramid Stage in 2003.
Metro has contacted reps for Billie Eilish and Glastonbury Festival for comment.