Climate activist Greta Thunberg announces surprise Glastonbury appearance

25 June 2022, 11:42

Greta Thunberg has announced she will make a surprise appearance at this year's Glastonbury festival.

The 19-year-old environmental activist shared the news on Twitter, saying she would appear on Glastonbury's main stage, the Pyramid Stage, on Saturday evening.

"I’m excited to announce that today I will be on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury 5.15pm," she wrote on Twitter.

"See you there!"

Many people on Twitter have welcomed the announcement.

"Can't wait to hear what you have to say," wrote one Twitter user.

Another thanked her for "waking up" the younger generation.

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Ms Thunberg will likely use the opportunity to address festivalgoers about climate change.

She will not be the only performer to bring politics to the festival, with musicians including Billie Eilish, Joe Talbot and Phoebe Bridgers using their performances to comment on the US Supreme Court decision to overturn a landmark case ending the county's constitutional right to abortion.

Eilish introduced her song Your Power - which explores people abusing their power - by saying: "The song we're about to do is, I think, one of the favourites that we've written and it's about the concept of power and how we need to always remember how not to abuse it.

"And today is a really, really dark day for women in the US. I'm just going to say that as I cannot bear to think about it any longer in this moment."

Joe Talbot, frontman of rock band Idles, was heard saying the court's decision had taken the US "back to the Middle Ages" during their performance on Friday.

Addressing huge crowds from Glastonbury's Other stage, he said: "This is for every mother and every woman and her right to choose whether she is a mother or not. Long live the open-minded, long live my mother, and long live every single one of you."

Meanwhile, American singer-songwriter Bridgers led chants of "F*** the Supreme Court" during her Friday evening performance on the John Peel stage.