Glastonbury unveil giant tribute to NHS and this year’s Pyramid Stage decoration

19 June, 2023

the crowd at Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage

Glastonbury organisers have unveiled a massive tribute to the NHS at this year’s Pyramid Stage.

The festival posted a video to their official social media pages showing an aerial shot of the Pyramid stage while artists work on the finishing touches of a mural on the grass dedicated to the NHS that read: “We stand with the NHS.”

Michael Sheen is heard in the background reciting an excerpt from Aneurin Bevan’s 1946 speech on the NHS bill. It read: “I believe it will lift the shadow from millions of homes. It will keep very many people alive who might otherwise be dead. It will relieve suffering. It will produce higher standards for the medical profession. It will be a great contribution towards the wellbeing of the common people of Great Britain.” Bevan was a a Welsh Labour widely regarded as the father of the NHS.

The mural is in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the NHS, and Glastonbury fans were able to watch the creation of the painting over the past week via the BBC’s Glastonbury webcam. At the time, they were only able to make out the first two words of the piece due to the view on the webcam being obstructed by trees and buildings.

A green peace sign was also revealed as this year’s Pyramid Stage’s decoration. Since 1985, artist Joe Rush and his performance art group, Mutoid Waste Company, have been putting together various art pieces and exhibits for the festival.

This year, a “monumental installation” called Carhenge will be appearing at Glastonbury. According to the festival organisers, the design was made to highlight the outcasts of society and pay tribute to those who embody “punk ethos”.

While the display will appear throughout the festival — which kicks off on June 21 and runs until June 25 — it will fully come to life on Thursday June 22. For this, the sculpture will be illuminated with a show of lights, created by designer Ed Warren, and “the inventive Congolese jump up beats” of musician Fulu Mizik.

2023 marks the first time that seven of his major installations will be shown together.

In other Glastonbury news, you can check out the latest weather forecast for the festival here.

Last week, it was revealed that Arcadia is set to run exclusively on renewable energy at this year’s festival, and that the iconic Spider sculpture will be returning to the area. The Chemical Brothers, Skepta, Floating Points, Daphni, Dubkasm, Plastician and more will all play in the spider across the weekend. Find the full list of artists here.

Earlier this month, the BBC announced details of its coverage of the 2023 festival, while the full line-up and stage times were also recently shared, with new names added including Queens Of The Stone Age and Rick Astley.

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