Glastonbury has introduced a new site called Terminal 1 – designed to celebrate migration and encourage diversity.
The new site has been introduced for 2024, and is located next to the historic Carhenge space at William’s Green. Its inspiration comes from the former terminal at Heathrow Airport, and, in keeping with its name, is designed to celebrate the diversity that comes from migration.
Laid out as a visual guide to the journey that many face as they look to move to the UK, the visual and digital design showcases the pros and cons of the migration process. To enter the space, visitors need to go through the recreation of the UK Border office, and correctly answer one of the questions on the UKGOV citizenship test.
From there, they are shown to different levels of the three-story space and given a visual recreation of the journey faced by those looking to migrate to the UK – all in a bid to promote compassion and support for the different cultures around the country.
“It’s a celebration of travelling communities,” performance director Miguel Umba told NME about the inspiration behind the space. “Glastonbury has a history of having welcomed marginalised communities, and by repurposing the design from the old Terminal 1 we intend to make this a space where we celebrate diversity and emphasise the idea that no one is legal.”
He continued: “It’s been curated by international artists – artists from Rwanda, Colombia, Latin America, California. Notting Hill Carnival is also involved, it’s staffed by CAIWU which is a Cleaners Union, and we have musicians from diverse backgrounds as well.”
A section of the site also makes a nod to the controversial idea put forward by the Conservatives, which proposes to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. This is shown as, after being given the interrogation in the UK Border office, visitors are shown into a section where a host explains the culture in the country, as well as various traditions they have.
“The political situation in the UK has been quite difficult over recent years, migration has increased, so has the understanding of it. So this was a perfect opportunity to talk about something that is crucial for us,” Umba explained, adding that it was no coincidence that the site arrived in time for the upcoming general election.
“I hope people leave thinking that just because we’re in Glastonbury enjoying ourselves, that doesn’t mean it’s the same situation for everyone in the world. For some people, their lives depend on someone ticking a box for a question in a test, or on the decision of a government.
“Yes, migration is a very difficult topic to talk about, but also it requires us to connect and be compassionate. So many of us are migrants or will need to migrate at some point, so we should all be compassionate and attack the policies that don’t help welcome people.”
The Terminal 1 area of Glastonbury opened on Wednesday (June 26), on the same day that the festival opened its gates. It will remain open until the final day of the 2024 edition (June 30), and features contributions from visual artists including Love Watts, La Linterna and Yoshi Sodeoka.
The headliners for this year are Dua Lipa, Coldplay, and SZA, and Shania Twain’s is set to take on Sunday’s Legends slot. Performances from LCD Soundsystem, PJ Harvey, Little Simz, Burna Boy, Idles, Anne-Marie, Confidence Man, Disclosure, Camila Cabello, The Last Dinner Party, Avril Lavigne, The National, Jessie Ware, Jungle, Justice, Masego, Sugababes and countless more are also planned. Check out the full line-up here.
Meanwhile, here are the worst clashes to expect this year, as well as the latest weather forecasts for Glastonbury 2024.
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