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Glastonbury’s Shangri-La announces festival’s first dedicated South Asian space

The six-stage line-up was announced earlier today on April 19, continuing the same theme as last year, “Everything (Still) Must Go, Pt 2, The Sequel.”

Glastonbury’s Shangri-La announces festival’s first dedicated South Asian space

Glastonbury’s Shangri-La has announced its 2024 line-ups and unveiled a brand-new stage, Arrivals, due to feature in the South East corner field for the first time this year.

The new area will be programmed, designed, and built by an entirely South Asian team, as a collaboration between Dialled In, Going South, and Daytimers, offering a “sensory” and “audio-visual” experience with a stage design both nostalgic and futuristic, a press release explains. It will be part of the Shangri-La area of the festival site in Somerset from 26-30 June.


Arrivals' line-up includes Anish Kumar, Baalti, Nabihah Iqbal, Gracie T, Nikki Nair, Bobby Friction, and Raji Rags in 2024.

"This is a seminal moment for UK Festival culture,” says BBC Asian Network presenter Bobby Friction, who called the opening of Arrivals “a dream come true”.

“South Asian and British Asian music have had their own small festivals over the years and some Asian artists have performed in the big gatherings that are now a quintessential part of a British Summer, but a full-on Glastonbury space dedicated to South Asian music, beats and DJs for the entire festival? That's just crazy,” he said.

Earlier this year, London’s Southbank Centre announced a new South Asian music event series taking place in the spring, featuring performances from Anu, Vedic Roots, and more.

The six-stage line-up was announced earlier today on April 19, continuing the same theme as last year, “Everything (Still) Must Go, Pt 2, The Sequel."

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Last year, something shifted in what the world watched. Global viewership of Southeast Asian content on Netflix grew by nearly 50%, and this isn't just a corporate milestone; it’s a signal. Stories from Jakarta, Bangkok, and Manila are no longer regional curiosities. They are now part of the global mainstream.

The numbers tell a clear story. Over 100 Southeast Asian titles have now entered Netflix’s Global Top 10 lists. More than 40 of those broke through in 2024 alone. This surge is part of a bigger boom in the region’s own backyard. The total premium video-on-demand market in Southeast Asia saw viewership hit 440 billion minutes in 2024, with revenues up 14% to £1.44 billion (₹15,300 crore). Netflix commands over half of that viewership and 42% of the revenue. They have a clear lead, but the entire market is rising.

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