Glastonbury festival has confirmed that the Dalai Lama will make a special appearance at the festival.
The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader will visit the Somerset site on Sunday, although no timing has been announced.
Festival organiser Emily Eavis said she was “honoured” to welcome him, calling his visit “a special moment for the festival”.
Kanye West, Florence and the Machine, and The Who headline the festival, which opened its gates on Wednesday.
After the first night, Avon and Somerset Police report they had arrested 10 people for drug offences and thefts from tents.
By the time the music starts on Friday morning, 177,000 people are due on site to see acts including Rudimental, Burt Bacharach, Pharrell Williams, Mark Ronson and The Moody Blues.
Florence and the Machine top the bill on Friday, rising up the bill after Foo Fighters’ frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg, forcing the band to pull out. Organisers have yet to announce who will fill their old slot at 19:15 BST.
The Dalai Lama will be talking in the festival’s Green Fields area.
A spokesman said the key themes of his visit would be “the promotion of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s message of compassion, non-violence and the oneness of humanity”.
Glastonbury will also have a visit from Professor Stephen Hawking, who is due to appear in the Kidz Field. It’s not known what format his “performance” will take.
And the festival has not lost its political principles. This year, two members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot will appear to give talks about their protests against President Vladimir Putin.
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Source: BBC