26 minutes ago
By Maisie Lillywhite and PA media, BBC News, West of England
BBCGlastonbury’s new “fire-belching, mind-blowing” dragonfly has been unveiled at the world-famous festival.
The incendiary insect, is replacing Arcadia’s spider, which some fans have been “grieving” the loss of.
Arcadia’s arachnid was a key destination for late-night dance music at Worthy Farm for more than a decade, and first appeared at the Somerset festival in 2007.
Festival organisers said on their website: “The transformation of the first dragonfly marks the dawn of a new season.”
The Dragonfly, which was lit up on Wednesday night for light rehearsals, was built from an ex-military Royal Navy helicopter.
Organisers said they were proud to turn “a weapon of destruction into a unifying symbol”.
Its design is inspired by the arrival of the first dragonfly and the Aboriginal First Nations of Australia.
The stage will be opened each evening by a “spectacular” ceremony called Warraloo, alongside Aboriginal representatives of the Whadjuk Noongar.
Speaking before The Dragonfly’s unveiling, Dutch festival-goer Henno Tamms, who is ringing in his third Glastonbury since 2017, said he had fond memories of the Arcadia spider, including watching Calvin Harris play inside it.
“A lot of people online were grieving like ‘oh no the spider’s dead again,” Mr Tamms, 27, said.
“But it looks promising, so we’ll have to see … maybe it’s a birth of the new thing.
“They’ve blown our minds before, I’m sure they can do it again.”
PAMr Tamms’ friend Mr Goldstein, who he met at Glastonbury 2017, said: “Even when they’re testing the fire, you’re like ‘this is the place to be’.”
The 35-year-old, from New York, added: “Even if I like the performers or not, there’s something so magnificent about the ritual (at Arcadia)… with the music and when it’s connecting together – it’s incredible.”
The main acts at Arcadia are set to perform from Friday to Sunday, with Fatboy Slim opening the stage at 22:00 BST.
