This summer, for the first time in Glastonbury’s history, the festival introduced a stage dedicated entirely to South Asian artists. The stage, dubbed "Arrivals," was partially funded by Lila and organised by Daytimers, Dialled In, and Going South. Located in Shangri-La, Arrivals showcased a wide variety of South Asian talent and attracted thousands of festival-goers. Artists included Nikki Nair, Almaas Badat, Gracie T, and DJ Ritu. The stage itself was built from the ground-up by a South Asian team, from the set designers to the sound system, provided by The Vedic Roots Sound System.
Photo Credits: Yushy
Although South Asians represent around 8% of the UK population, only 1-2% of Glastonbury attendees are South Asian. The stage was long overdue and marked a significant step toward increasing South Asian visibility and representation in the festival scene. Over the course of four days, a total of 30 South Asian artists and 20 South Asian music industry professionals were supported. The acts spanned a wide variety of genres, including rap, hip-hop, house, desi, electronic, pop, garage, techno, and Bollywood. Altogether, the stage attracted a diverse audience of approximately 10,000 people throughout the Glastonbury weekend.
The announcement and performance of the Arrivals stage captivated attention from all over the world. Arrivals received around a total of 1,739,505,093 media impressions. There were 43 articles dedicated to the stage, from Yahoo to BBC News, and 16 mentions on social media. In addition, there were approximately 80.6k accounts reached and 4664 accounts engaged. Most notably, BBC presented a mini-documentary dedicated to exploring the significant impact and success of the stage.
