Madonna, Dua Lipa and Coldplay will headline Glastonbury next year, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
After months of discussions, it has been agreed that they will all appear on the world-famous Pyramid Stage, with Madonna closing the music extravaganza on Sunday night.
British singing sensation Ms Lipa will be Friday’s top act, and Coldplay will play on Saturday. Organisers are said to be ‘thrilled’ with the line-up, which will be the first time that two female artists have headlined in Glastonbury’s history.
One festival insider said: ‘It’s the dream line-up, a brilliant mix of different music and different atmospheres. Then, of course, you have Madonna on the final night, which will be epic.’
Madonna, pictured, will be closing the festival on the Pyramid stage on the final night
For Ms Lipa, 28, pictured, it will be her first appearance as a headline act at the festival
It will be the first time that Madonna, 65, has performed at the festival, which is held at Worthy Farm, Somerset. For Ms Lipa, 28, it will be her first appearance as a headline act.
Earlier this year she found herself embroiled in controversy after she failed to join Sir Elton John on the Glastonbury stage for their duet Cold Heart. Fans claimed there must have been a falling-out between the pair, though Ms Lipa insisted she was working in New York.
Coldplay have headlined four times before – in 2002, 2005, 2011 and 2016.
Glastonbury bosses have been accused of choosing too many male acts to headline. Last year the line-up was all male, with Arctic Monkeys, Guns N’ Roses and Sir Elton John taking the top slots.
Speaking last month, organiser Emily Eavis, daughter of Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis, revealed that a huge US star’s team, believed to be Madonna’s, had got in touch with her saying that she was free.
She said: ‘2024 is still a little up in the air, and I thought it was taking shape, then last week I just got a call, and this is what happens if you wait a little longer, because often we’ll be booked up from July.
‘This year we’re holding out for a little bit longer and last week I got a call from a really big American artist saying this person’s around next year, and I was like, “Oh my God, this is incredible.” Thank God we held the slot.’
Coldplay have headlined four times before – in 2002, 2005, 2011 and 2016. Pictured, Chris Martin of Coldplay
Addressing the lack of women headliners, Ms Eavis added: ‘I’ve always been really passionate about gender split [on festival line-ups] and I think, actually, our problem was that I’d been so outspoken about it that having a year when there wasn’t a female sent people a bit mad – or some people.
‘And we did have a female – she pulled out and we replaced them with Guns N’ Roses. But everyone knows that it’s top of my list.
‘It is difficult with female artists because there aren’t enough headliners. But we’re also creating them. We’re putting the bands and female artists on smaller stages and bringing them through all the time. And who knows? Next year we might get two. And certainly, I can say that the Legend is female.’
Glastonbury 2024 will be held from June 26–30
