The Glastonbury 2020 Line-Up Has Been Released Despite Coronavirus Concerns

Glastonbury organisers are said to be keeping their "fingers firmly crossed" that this year's festival will still go ahead, despite concerns that the COVID-19 pandemic could see it cancelled. The UK's biggest music festival decided to unveil 90 scheduled acts "after much consideration", posting the flyer to Instagram on March 12. Joining confirmed headliners Taylor Swift, Diana Ross and Sir Paul McCartney, are Kendrick Lamar, Dua Lipa, Mabel and the Pet Shop Boys.

Lana Del Rey, Aitch and A.J Tracey are also on the festival bill, which is set to celebrates its 50th anniversary at Worthy Farm. Motown legend Diana Ross said of her upcoming performance on the 'Legend Stage': “This is a dream come true. To all the fans across the world, this is my tribute to you. I'm coming to Glastonbury, with love.”

Taylor Swift will take the mainstage on Sunday, while US rapper Kendrick Lamar headlines on Friday. Glastonbury 2020 should also see the return of the festival's first ever female headliner Suzanne Vega, reports BBC News. It will be 31 years after she performed wearing a bullet-proof vest, something Stormzy echoed in 2019 with his performance in a stab-proof vest.

The festival plans on revealing the entire line-up over the coming weeks. This will be exciting news for Glastonbury ticket-holders who fought the queues to bag entry to the festival back in October 2019. Yet, there is still a degree of uncertainty whether festival will take place at all. Glastonbury co-organiser, Emily Eavis, told BBC Online she was releasing the poster "with the best intentions given the circumstances."

She added:"As things stand we are still working hard to deliver our 50th anniversary festival in June and we are very proud of the bill that we have put together over the last year or so," she said. "No one has a crystal ball to see exactly where we will all be 15 weeks from now, but we are keeping our fingers firmly crossed that it will be here at Worthy Farm for the greatest show on Earth!"

All hope for the festival is pinned on whether the virus spread slows down in the coming months. A recent BBC reports (March, 3,2020) said 'cases of coronavirus could rise to a peak in May or June, according to the "best guess" of Wales' chief medical officer.' As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise, to reduce the risk of spreading the virus, the government may impose “social distancing" naturally affecting large-scale events.

The organisers of Coachella, which was due to take place in the Californian desert in May, have postponed the festival until October this year. "While this decision comes at a time of universal uncertainty, we take the safety and health of our guests, staff and community very seriously," they said in a statement.

The Country To Country festival, due to take place in London, Dublin and Glasgow this weekend, was also postponed at the last minute on Thursday night, reports BBC Online.

Madonna has also cancelled her pending tour this year. You can keep track of other UK events that may be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic by visiting Bustle's guide on the subject.

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