THOUSANDS of people sat on the hill above The Park stage at Glastonbury Festival last night, taking in the sheer scale of Somerset's city in the fields.

With around 210,000 festivalgoers expected at Worthy Farm this weekend, they could be forgiven for wanting to escape the noise and take themselves somewhere more peaceful – which is where the new Woodsies area comes in.

Woodsies, which occupies the space previously occupied by the John Peel Stage and The Woods, features a new Tolpuddle Fire and more than 1,000 newly planted trees.

Explorers can also climb the area's aerial walkways and admire the view towards Glastonbury Tor from Union Castle, a ship-shaped platform in an ash tree, and enjoy a drink or bite to eat at the Once In A Blue Moon Café and Tolpuddle Bar.

Somerset County Gazette: Some changes have been made to the area, but there's still a choice of cafés and bars for festivalgoers.Some changes have been made to the area, but there's still a choice of cafés and bars for festivalgoers. (Image: Newsquest)

The stage itself remains the same: a massive, colourful and circus-like big top that will host dozens of up-and-coming and established artists from Friday.

Festival founder Michael Eavis visited Woodsies on opening day (Wednesday) to officially open the new site.

When the new area was announced, the festival described it as “a new, verdant alternative to hang out throughout the day and after the main stages close”.

Its website adds: “Although the Woodsies Stage takes a new name for 2023, it will offer the same raucous, effervescent and gloriously sweaty vibes it did when it was known as the John Peel and, before that, the New Bands Tent.

“Party on into the night, find yourself in the enchanted fairy-lit woodland or make new friends around the convivial and warming Tolpuddle fire.

“Expect rare grooves, world and acoustic sounds from the ground and a feathered Mexican ritual solstice celebration to the god of the West!

“This year we have planted more than 1000 new trees in Woodsies alone as part of our commitment to maintain the magic of the original Worthy Farm and to let us remember the importance of keeping the land as a haven for wildlife as well as festivals and farming.”

Somerset County Gazette: The Tolpuddle Fire and the Union Castle platform at Woodsies.The Tolpuddle Fire and the Union Castle platform at Woodsies. (Image: Newsquest)

The stage will be headlined this year by Hot Chip, Christine and the Queens and Phoenix.

It will also be played by Eurovision winners Måneskin, Courteneers, Pale Waves, The Murder Capital, Cat Burns and Editors. 

After last year's festival, a petition was launched to remove John Peel's name from the stage because of historical sexual abuse allegations against the DJ, but the festival says the name changed to bring it in line with others that are named after the fields that house them, such as Silver Hayes, West Holts and The Park. 

In an interview with The Guardian in March, festival co-organiser Emily Eavis said: “We’ve had 20 years of John Peel and it’s been an honour to use his name.

“We’ve had a really good relationship with the Peel family and everyone’s on board.”