A look at The West Holts Stage, Glastonbury. The West Holts Stage is one of the major stages at Glastonbury Festival. It is one of my favourite stages as the artists that perform on it are a bit more eclectic than The Pyramid Stage and Other Stage.
I think, for some reason, the West Holts Stage gets overlooked by a lot of Glastonbury Newbies. I have no idea why, because amazing artists are performing there every year. West Holts is where you will find reggae, psychedelia, jazz, hip-hop and much more. This is the funky stage.
It’s all in the name
The name West Holts comes from farming. Worthy Farm is a working farm after all. So the name refers to a “halt” or a gate where cows could cross the former railway line. The previous name for this stage was The Jazz World Stage, and it first appeared in 2010.
Every year, the West Holts lineup is as eclectic as the genres of music I mentioned above. This is the reason why I love this stage so much. At Glastonbury 2024, my favourite performance was held here. Heilung blew us all away. I was looking at people around me, and their mouths were agape. Which is pretty impressive considering the Glastonbury crowd has seen everyone.
Another spine-tingling moment was when Kae Tempest performed on The West Holts Stage. It was just after the Grenfell fire, and Kae Tempest came out and basically did an hour of poetry that broke our hearts.
Karen and I were crying our eyes out. I thought it was just us, and then I looked around and everyone was crying their eyes out. It was quite surreal to be in a mass crowd where everyone was crying.
Another great reason to visit the West Holts area is to have a pint (or 3) at one of my favourite bars at Glastonbury. The Brothers Bar is always buzzing. The bar and Brothers Cider began at Glastonbury Festival in 1995. Now it is the official cider of Glastonbury Festival.
Who has performed on the West Holts Stage?
Here are just some of the performers that have played The West Holts Stage:
- Kelis
- Sudan Archives
- Candi Staton
- Sleaford Mods
- Roisin Murphy
- Acid Mothers Temple
- WU-Tang Clan
- Lizzo
- Jeff Goldblum
- The Jacksons
- Underworld
- Earth, Wind and Fire
- Hot Chip
- The Mothership Returns: George Clinton, Parliament, Funkadelic, & The Family Stone
- MIA
- Bryan Ferry
- The Wailers
- Chic Ft Nial Rodgers
- Public Enemy
- Bobby Womack
- Jimmy Cliff
- Femi Kuti
I told you that it is eclectic! Just have a look at some of those acts. Almost all of them are legends. If this were any other festival, those acts would be playing the main stage. If you want to listen to any of the above, you can do so by listening to my ultimate Glastonbury Playlist. It has acts from every Glastonbury, starting in 1970.
Glasto Latino
There will be a more in-depth look at Glasto Latino in another post, but I thought I would mention it, especially if you are new to Glastonbury.
To the right of The West Holts Stage is Glasto Latino, Glastonbury’s Latin stage. At my first Glastonbury, I ended up here on my first night. I then lost all my friends but stayed anyway because the vibe was so great. Needless to say, I have had a soft spot for this stage ever since.
If you are looking for great Latin music, then this is the venue for you. In the daytime, there are Latin classes too, so you can show off your moves later in the evening.
Writing this article made me realise just how blessed we are when we go to Glastonbury. There are so many amazing stages and venues, it is hard to decide on which one to head to. In my opinion, you should only have a few acts a day that you want to see. Then head out to different stages and watch someone you normally wouldn’t watch. You will discover some amazing music.
See you on the farm!
The Glastonbury Festival Guidebook Is Now Available
Hey there, Glasto Newbie!
So, you’ve scored tickets to Glastonbury? Congrats! Now, let’s make sure your first time is more epic than a Pyramid Stage headliner. My Glastonbury Festival Guidebook is like your cool best friend who’s been there, done that, and is ready to guide you through the festival’s wonders.
Download it below or get the print version on Amazon here: The Glastonbury Festival Guidebook
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