U2 tops line-up as Glastonbury kicks off in mud

THE world famous Glastonbury festival opened its gates yesterday to 150,000 fans, ignoring forecasts for rain and muddy fields to hear U2 and Beyonce alongside a bewildering choice of smaller acts from Spliff Richard to punk poet Attila the Stockbroker.

Now in its fifth decade, the event has grown from a humble gathering of 1,500 people on Michael Eavis’s Worthy dairy farm in 1970 — each paying £1 and receiving free milk — to a giant five-day celebration of music costing £195 (€220) for a basic ticket.

The main talking point in the build-up to the festival, held most years on a sprawling site set in picturesque southwest England, is the weather. The outlook this year looks more mixed than the sun-baked 2010 edition.