Chloe Harcombe
BBC News, West of England
Ben Birchall/PA MediaBen Birchall/PA Media
Some punters began their journeys early
The festival will not return in 2026 to allow the land to recover
Thousands of weary music fans are heading home as Glastonbury Festival has come to an end for another year.
It comes hours after US pop star Olivia Rodrigo headlined the Pyramid Stage and closed the festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset.
A team of volunteers have started the major clean-up of the site to prepare the land for a fallow year in 2026. Revellers were urged to take all of their belongings with them and to leave their campsite tidy.
People were encouraged to leave the site between 00:00 and 06:00 BST to get ahead of the queues and avoid the heat, as temperatures are expected to reach up to 31C (88F).
Those beginning their journeys later were advised to cover up with light, airy clothing, carry water and apply sunscreen regularly.
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The festival’s clean-up volunteers are working their way through thousands of discarded items left on the site, including paper cups and food containers.
They are also emptying overflowing bins and removing large items left behind, such as camping chairs, inflatable mattresses, slippers, flip-flops and shopping bags.
Reuters
Festival organisers encouraged people to start their journeys early to avoid crowds and the heat
At the scene – Tamsin Curnow, BBC Points West
It’s a warm and muggy morning on site.
There’s heavy cloud cover at the moment and it feels like a lot of people have heeded the festival’s advice to head off early to avoid the fierce heat this afternoon.
There’s been a gentle stream of people heading out of the main pedestrian gate towards the bus station, where extra water taps have been set up to make sure everyone can get a cold drink.
And of course as they head off site, it’s what they leave behind.
The piles of recycling and rubbish are growing – so far are several air beds and a suitcase!
Andy Bennett/BBC
Many of the bins on site are overflowing with rubbish
Glastonbury Festival is set to return in 2027.
Organiser Emily Eavis told the on-site newspaper, Glastonbury Free Press, she had a “huge list of things” to improve before then.
“We’re always looking to make it better. The detail is critical. Even just a small touch – like putting a new hedge in – can make a real difference.
“And that’s what fallow years are for: you lay the ground to rest and you come back stronger,” she added.
Ben Birchall/PA Media
Hours before the clean-up began, Olivia Rodrigo was performing on the Pyramid Stage
Ben Birchall/PA Media
Litter left in a catering area on the site