Glastonbury 2023 is well underway, with Elton John, Guns N' Roses and Arctic Monkeys leading the charge for the event, which has returned for its second year after COVID forced it into hiatus.

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It hasn't all been smooth sailing, however: Festival-goers had been left fearing that Arctic Monkeys wouldn’t be appearing at Glastonbury 2023 after frontman Alex Turner contracted laryngitis and the band cancelled a gig earlier this week.

But Emily Eavis has confirmed the band’s set at Glastonbury will go ahead, telling BBC Radio 2: "He's OK. They're on.

"It was a little bit close there for a minute. We were thinking about whether we should have a serious back-up plan - but no, thankfully, they're on."

The Sheffield band will take to the stage at 10:15pm on Friday (23rd June) in what will be their third time headlining, following previous appearances in 2007 and 2013.

Speaking before Turner fell ill, drummer Matt Helders told BBC News that "they were in a good place" and "firing on all cylinders".

Other additions to the Pyramid line-up include Rick Astley, pop singers Maisie Peters and Sophie Ellis-Bextor, The Master Musicians of Joujouka and a mystery act going by the name ChurnUps.

If you didn't manage to bag a ticket, don't worry: if you're hoping to watch at home, you can keep up with the excitement via BBC One/ Two as well as iPlayer.

Here's everything we know so far about Glastonbury Festival 2023, including the line-up, how to watch it on TV and how to get tickets.

Glastonbury 2023 line-up

Lizzo in a pink outfit on stage
Lizzo will perform at Glastonbury 2023. Photo by Sergione Infuso/Corbis via Getty Images

Glastonbury has revealed all of the artists set to appear at the 2023 festival.

Elton John will headline the proceedings, closing out the festival from the Pyramid Stage on the Sunday night, while Arctic Monkeys will headline the opening night of action on the Friday from the Pyramid stage.

Meanwhile, Guns N' Roses will headline the Pyramid Stage on the Saturday night, whilst other artists set to appear on the main stage over the weekend include Rick Astley, Lil Nas X, Blondie, Aitch, Lizzo and Lewis Capaldi.

Elsewhere, the Other Stage will be headlined by Wizkid, Lana Del Rey and Queens of the Stone Age on Friday, Saturday and Sunday respectively.

The full line-up for the Pyramid Stage, complete with expected set timings, is as follows:

Friday 23rd June

  • Arctic Monkeys 22:15 - 23:45
  • Royal Blood 20:15 - 21:15
  • The Churnups 18:15 - 19:30
  • Texas 16:15 - 17:15
  • Stefflon Don 14:45 - 15:45
  • Maisie Peters 13:15 - 14:15
  • The Master Musicians of Joujouka 12:00 - 12:45

Saturday 24th June

  • Guns N' Roses 21:30 - 23:45
  • Lizzo 19:30 - 20:30
  • Lewis Capaldi 17:35 - 18:35
  • Aitch 16:00 - 17:00
  • Amadou & Mariam 14:30 - 15:30
  • RAYE 13:15 - 14:00
  • Rick Astley 12:00 - 12:45

Sunday 25th June

  • Elton John 21:00 - 23:05
  • Lil Nas X 19:00 - 20:00
  • Blondie 17:00 - 18:15
  • Yusuf/Cat Stevens 15:15 - 16:30
  • The Chicks 13:30 - 14:30
  • Sophie Ellis-Bextor 12:15 - 13:00
  • The Bristol Reggae Orchestra and Windrush Choir 11:00 - 11:45

You can check out the full Glastonbury 2023 line-up on the official website here.

Read our big Glastonbury Festival 2023 preview, featuring an exclusive interview with Sir Elton John in this week's issue of Radio Times magazine – out now.

Elton John Radio Times cover

How to watch Glastonbury 2023

Those who didn't manage to get their hands on tickets for this year's festival will be able to watch multi-stage coverage aired live on BBC One/ Two as well as from BBC iPlayer’s dedicated Glastonbury channel from Thursday 23rd June to Sunday 25th June.

Coverage will be brought to audiences by Cerys Matthews, Clara Amfo, Craig Charles, Danny Howard, Deb Grant, Dermot O’Leary, DJ Target, Huw Stephens, Jack Saunders, Jamz Supernova, Jo Whiley, Jordan North, Lauren Laverne, Pete Tong, Sarah Story, Steve Lamacq, Tom Ravenscroft, Vick Hope and Zoe Ball.

BBC Radio 6 Music will be the festival’s radio home and provide all-day coverage from Wednesday 22nd June through to Sunday 26th June, while BBC Radio 1, Radio 1 Dance, Radio 1Xtra and Radio 2 will offer coverage of the festival, too.

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Lorna Clarke, BBC director of music, said in a statement: “I’m very proud of the BBC’s long history of broadcasting from Glastonbury, the highlight of our Summer of Live Music.

"Our coverage this year will be our most extensive to date, with over 35 hours of programming across BBC One, Two, Three and Four, and over 40 hours on BBC iPlayer – in addition to digital live streams from the five biggest festival stages.

“We’ll also have wall-to-wall coverage on the BBC’s pop radio networks and BBC Sounds – with over 60 hours of broadcasts from the festival itself.

"For the first time, we’ll be showing sets from the Pyramid stage in Ultra High Definition, a fantastic progression in our Glastonbury story, which aims to help audiences access every epic musical moment.

Elton John performing at the piano
Sir Elton John. Simone Joyner/Getty Images

“Our expert team of presenters will guide audiences around Worthy Farm, whilst BBC iPlayer – with its dedicated Glastonbury channel – and BBC Sounds will allow people to watch and listen on demand, throughout the festival weekend and beyond. Many thanks to Emily and Michael Eavis for once again allowing us to bring their incredible creation to millions of music lovers around the UK.”

Glastonbury festival organiser Emily Eavis said: “It’s a joy to have the BBC and its brilliant team back and broadcasting live from Glastonbury for the first time since 2019 – continuing a special partnership that’s been evolving since 1997.

“I’m looking forward to Worthy Farm being filled with thousands of people once again and for millions more around the country being able to enjoy performances from our stellar line-up, courtesy of the BBC, wherever they are.”

When is Glastonbury 2023?

A general shot of the Glastonbury crowd
Glastonbury Festival. Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images

This year's Glastonbury Festival takes place from Wednesday 21st until Sunday 25th June at Worthy Farm in Somerset.

The festival has typically taken place towards the end of June, while the 2023 event will be the second time Glastonbury has gone ahead since the pandemic in 2020.

Glastonbury 2023 tickets

If you're holding out for Glastonbury tickets, then we've got some bad news for you – the first official sale has already taken place. You needed to have been registered ahead of time, providing your basic contact details and a photo for the Glastonbury system.

Coach and ticket packages for the 2023 festival went on sale on Thursday 3rd November on the Glastonbury SeeTickets page and they very quickly sold out.

However, as detailed above, fans can enjoy the best of the festival on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer.

Glastonbury Festival will take place from 21st until 25th June 2023 at Worthy Farm, Pilton, Somerset.

Looking for something on TV tonight? Find something to watch with our TV Guide.

Take part in the Screen Test, a project from Radio Times and the Universities of Sussex and Brighton, to explore the role of television and audio in our lives.

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Authors

Lauren Morris
Lauren MorrisEntertainment and Factual Writer
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