Glastonbury is Waiting for Burna Boy, Seun Kuti
igeria’s Burna Boy and Seun Kuti will join global superstars like Kendrick Lamar at the British Glastonbury Festival this summer despite fears that the event would be rescheduled or cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. More than 90 names were added to the first line-up list on March 13, 2020, joining co headliners Taylor Swift and Sir Paul McCartney for the UK show which is to witness its 50th anniversary.
Glastonbury Festival is a fiveday celebration of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, in England. In addition to contemporary music, the festival hosts dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret, and other arts.
Leading pop and rock artistes have headlined, alongside thousands of others appearing on smaller stages and performance areas. The US rap star Lamar will be the fourth rapper to headline the major stage, following Jay-Z, Kanye West and Stormzy, whose 2019 set was widely hailed as one of the greatest ever.
Diana Ross is among those lined up to play at the legendary event.
More artistes will be announced later as the handlers revealed. Following announcement, the organisers say the festival is currently still scheduled to go ahead in June despite the Coronavirus scourge.
Co-organiser, Emily Eavis wrote on social media on Monday: “So, after much consideration, given the current circumstances, and with the best of intentions, here is the first list of musical acts for Glastonbury 2020. As things stand, we are still working hard to deliver our 50th anniversary Festival in June and we are very proud of the bill that we have put together over the last year or so. No one has a crystal ball to see exactly where we will all be 15 weeks from now, but we are keeping our fingers firmly crossed that it will be here at Worthy Farm for the greatest show on Earth!
”As always, this is just a taste of what is to come, we plan to announce many more artistes and attractions, area by area, over the coming weeks leading up to the full line-up in May. In the meantime, we post this with much love to all.”
In view of the Coronavirus, the UK government is not currently planning to ban largescale events, though Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned of future events being cancelled because of the burden they would place on emergency services
Organisers of the Glastonbury event announced: “Glastonbury
Festival thoroughly plans each year’s event, and puts in place all necessary measures to protect the public and maximise safety. We work closely with all of the relevant agencies, including Public Health England and the NHS, and always review our plans as any circumstances change.
With this in mind and with our 2020 Festival still 16 weeks away, we continue to plan and prepare for the event, whilst at the same time closely monitoring developments with the coronavirus situation.”
Seun Kuti was billed to perform at Coachella 2020 before it was postponed till October 2020. Burna Boy also performed at the 2019 Coachella and the 2020 BRIT Awards. Festivals including Coachella, Stagecoach and other major events in the US have been postponed due to the Covid-19 outbreak, while acts including The Who, Madonna and Miley Cyrus have cancelled live dates.