Glastonbury 2025: Who Could Headline Next Year’s Festival?
Glastonbury Festival took place at Worthy Farm in Somerset in South West England this past weekend (June 28-30), headlined by Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA. The festival is inarguably the pinnacle of the U.K.’s festival season as 200,000 fans head to the British countryside for a varied lineup. SEVENTEEN, Burna Boy, Camila Cabello, Avril Lavigne and Shania Twain all performed on the bill, alongside emerging names like The Last Dinner Party, Kneecap, English Teacher and more.
Talk has already turned to next year’s edition. Festival boss Emily Eavis has confirmed that she’s already in conversation with artists for next year’s lineup, and that they’ll take their traditional fallow year in 2026. These are the acts that are potentially in contention to headline the 2025 edition.
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Oasis
Talk of the Gallagher brothers reuniting is now a fixture in the chatter around potential headliners. The group – helmed by brothers Noel and Liam – headlined once (in 2004) prior to their acrimonious split in 2009, though there’s a sense of unfinished business. Both have performed at the festival in recent years: Noel warmed up the crowd for Paul McCartney before his epic 2022 slot, while Liam took a similar slot in 2019. This summer, Liam embarked on a sold-out U.K. tour for the 30th anniversary of Oasis’ debut album, Definitely Maybe. The pair recently denied a report that suggested shows were imminent, but it’s the rumor that just won’t go away.
Taylor Swift
Similarly, it feels as if Taylor Swift is at some point destined to headline the Pyramid Stage. Swift was due to take top billing in 2020 alongside Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar before COVID put touring on hold. Post-pandemic, Swift returned with her blockbuster The Eras Tour. Given that the festival’s fees are famously low, and that the Eras run concludes in December 2024, a return could be tricky to negotiate.
Harry Styles
It’s perhaps a shock to learn that Harry Styles hasn’t topped the bill for Glastonbury yet. His former band One Direction never got the invite and, as it stands, the 30-year-old has yet to perform at Worthy Farm. That could change, though: a new album is reportedly in production, his first since 2022’s Billboard 200-topping Harry’s House. There were rumors he would make an appearance during Shania Twain’s Legends slot in 2024, but perhaps he’s holding out for next year….
Sam Fender
For the past decade, opportunities for British artists to ascend to headliner status at Glastonbury have been slim. If there’s a queue forming, however, Sam Fender would be at the front of it. The Newcastle-born musician’s second album Seventeen Going Under went to No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Album Charts, and last summer he played a huge show at St. James Park, his home city’s soccer stadium. In 2022, he played before headliner Billie Eilish on the Pyramid Stage. With album three due later this year, this could be the moment.
Raye
Similarly, only a handful of women – Florence + The Machine, Adele, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa and SZA – have headlined the festival in recent history, something Eavis is keen to rectify. Raye is a perfect option. The British artist had a global hit in 2023 with “Escapism,” feat. 070 Shake, which landed at No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 — and she scooped up a record-breaking six Brit Awards in February 2024. She headlined her first festival at BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend in May and the trajectory suggests Glasto could be next.
Madonna
Madonna was heavily rumored to take the Sunday headline slot in 2024 until negotiations reportedly broke down over a performance fee. The Celebration Tour – which grossed a remarkable $225.4 million, per Billboard Boxscore – wrapped in May 2024, but a show out of her touring cycle may be more manageable and achievable.
Rihanna
The Barbadian star has also flirted with a performance at the festival and has been heavily rumored in the past. In 2023, it was reported that she had to withdraw from the lineup due to the impending birth of her second child with husband A$AP Rocky. There were more whispers earlier this year, but with new music seemingly further away from what Navy stans would like to imagine, perhaps 2025 is more likely.
Olivia Rodrigo
The “Drivers License” singer is currently in the midst of her GUTS World Tour, which wraps in Australia this October. It would be a quick turnaround to get back on the road for June 2025 with a new record, but given how successful her last Glastonbury appearance was in 2022, she may well fancy heading back to Worthy Farm sooner rather than later.
Dave
U.K. rap has enjoyed considerable success at the festival in recent years. In 2019, Stormzy became the first artist from the scene to headline the festival. That same year, Dave went viral when he brought up audience member ‘Alex from Glasto’ for a scene-stealing appearance on the mic. The U.K. artist has enjoyed considerable commercial and critical success with his two records (2019’s Psychodrama and 2021’s We’re All Alone In This Together), and his joint single “Sprinter” with Central Cee is the longest-running rap No. 1 on the U.K. Singles Chart. If a third album materializes before next summer, consider him a shoo-in.
Fred again..
By the time 2025’s edition rolls around, an electronic act will not have headlined the Pyramid Stage for two decades, stretching back to Basement Jaxx’s slot in 2005. Whether that’s through a lack of viable acts or reluctance from the festival, Fred again..’s popularity suggests a clear path to bring dance music back to the main stage. His 2023 set on The Other Stage drew one of the festival’s biggest ever crowds and his secret sets at the 2024 edition caused areas to be shut down hours in advance. He headlined Coachella’s second weekend with Skrillex and Four Tet in 2023 and performed a solo set at Los Angeles’ 77,500-capacity Coliseum last month, suggesting he’s more than up for the challenge.
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