Glastonbury Festival Stage

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Lore & Background

The real Glastonbury Festival has a rich history of iconic performances and structural changes. The first festival in 1970 was the Pop, Blues & Folk Festival, hosted by Michael Eavis on 19 September 1970, attended by 1,500 people. The original headline acts included The Kinks, who cancelled and were replaced at short notice by Tyrannosaurus Rex (later T. Rex); the other headliner was Al Stewart. Tickets were £1. The 1971 festival featured the first Pyramid Stage, a one-tenth replica of the Great Pyramid of Giza built from scaffolding and metal sheeting. Performers included David Bowie, Traffic, Fairport Convention, and Hawkwind. In 1981, a new Pyramid Stage was constructed from telegraph poles and metal sheeting repurposed from Ministry of Defence materials, doubling as a hay barn and cowshed. The 1994 Pyramid Stage burned down just over a week before the festival, but a temporary main stage was erected in time. That year, headliners included the Levellers, who played on the Pyramid Stage, and the festival's crowd estimates varied, but it was not widely accepted to be 300,000; the 1994 festival also introduced a 50 kW wind turbine. Channel 4's televised coverage that year helped make Orbital's performance legendary, marking dance music's appearance on the mainstream agenda. In 1995, a security fence breach occurred, adding thousands of attendees, but official attendance was around 80,000 and the breach did not double the festival size. The festival took a year off in 1996 to allow the land to recover.

In Their Own Story

The mud clung to the boots as the final setlist loaded on the screen. The Pyramid Stage loomed ahead, bathed in the golden light of a British summer sunset. This wasn't just another gig; it was the culmination of months of grinding through clubs and arenas. As the first chord struck, the roar of thousands echoed across the field, validating every note played along the road to this moment.

Reader's Guide

Visually, the Glastonbury Festival Stage features an expansive outdoor layout with a large central stage structure reminiscent of the iconic Pyramid Stage. The background displays festival flags and distant tents, creating depth not found in indoor venues. The atmosphere varies by tier; lower tiers feature smaller club crowds, while this stadium tier offers massive, dense audiences. Lighting effects are dynamic, often simulating sunset or floodlights depending on the time setting. In Tour Mode, the map functions as a progression system where players travel between cities to unlock new venues. Reaching Glastonbury requires completing preceding regional tours and maintaining high performance scores.

Did You Know?

• The first Glastonbury Festival in 1970 was called the Pop, Blues & Folk Festival and was attended by 1,500 people.
• The 1971 festival featured a Pyramid Stage that was a one-tenth replica of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
• In 1994, the Pyramid Stage burned down just over a week before the festival, but a temporary main stage was erected in time.
• The 1994 festival introduced a 50 kW wind turbine to provide some of the festival power.
• In 1995, a security fence breach added thousands of attendees, but official attendance remained around 80,000.

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