Glastonbury, the world's biggest green field arts and music festival, opened on Friday with a record 177,500 people braving rain to hear British rockers Arctic Monkeys, Icelander Bjork and the haunting sound of Canadian band Arcade Fire.
The festival in the heart of rural south-west England is notorious for its torrential downpours, which cause slippery mudbaths. But Emily Eavis, festival organiser, was upbeat, telling Reuters the rain would not be such a problem this year.
"The ground is quite dry and so far there's only a little mud. I'm not sure if it's dry because of the wind or the new drainage system," said Eavis, daughter of 71-year-old festival founder Michael Eavis who set up his farm as a musical hippy haven in the 1970s.
Other bands performing on Friday include indie rock-fusion Kasabian, critically acclaimed Bloc Party, US groups Modest Mouse and Bright Eyes, plus Super Furry Animals, the Fratellis and Mr Hudson and the Library.
Bleary-eyed festival goers, many of whom arrived two days early to secure prized camp sites overlooking the main stages and on high ground, emerged from their tents and there was a buzz of excitement at the prospect of the first day of music.
Thousands gathered to light camp fires and candles around Banksy's "Portaloo Stonehenge" and Chinese-style lanterns were released to float into the sky every 10 minutes. Each time one was released, the crowd would cheer as it left the ground.
Crime so far has been relatively low. Only 33 arrests have been made on the festival site, with 34 arrested by British Transport police at London's Paddington Station on their way. Most of the arrests were made for drug-related offences.
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