It has welcomed the biggest names in the music business and set the scene for some of the most memorable live performances of all time.
From Paul McCartney to David Bowie, from Coldplay to Radiohead, Glastonbury has played host to the cream of the music crop.
As the eve of Glastonbury 2013 fast approaches, we look back at 10 of the most memorable Glasto performances of years gone by: Smiths, 1984
Credited by organiser Michael Eavis with finally making the festival "cool", the Smiths' 1984 performance broke new ground for Glastonbury.
The decision to add the band to the line-up prompted uproar - people felt it wrong such a popular band should play at the festival. As such the stage crew spelt their name 'The Smits' on the running order.
But playing to what was at first an indifferent audience, the Smiths soon instigated a stage invasion.
Guitarist Johnny Marr later told the Guardian: "One fan was trying to climb on stage, I helped pull him up, and then a few more people followed, and all of a sudden we'd managed to turn it into a Smiths gig.
"What people don't realise is how mellow and low-key Glastonbury used to be. It wasn't televised, and it wasn't a career-defining moment back then. You'd turn up to find just three fields – and they would be by no means full.
"You had a choice between the s**t field, the field no one cares about, or the muddy one. Today's video screens would have seemed like an utter abomination." Radiohead, 1997
Considered one of greatest Glastonbury headliners of all time, Radiohead wowed crowds with their '97 performance featuring tracks Paranoid Android, Karma Police and The Bends.
Amid stormy weather and a raft of technical difficulties, the band put on an unforgettable show two weeks after releasing, to huge acclaim, their third album OK Computer.
Michael Eavis described it as "the most inspiring festival gig in 30 years". Paul McCartney, 2004
It was a performance which saw festival-goers chanting 'Hey Jude' all the way back to their tents, and sent tingles down the spines of all who witnessed it.
Glasto-goers gathered in the pouring rain as Macca pulled off the mother of all cover sets, playing classics We Can Work It Out, Blackbird, Live And Let Die and Eleanor Rigby.
An awe-inspiring opportunity to sing along with a real-life Beatle, the performance has gone down in history as one of the most memorable Glastonbury moments. Orbital, 1994
Classed by Q magazine as one of the top 50 gigs of all time, Orbital's '94 performance was euphoric.
Paving the way for the addition of a dance tent the following year, Orbital put on what was quickly recognised as a pivotal performance.
In the face of a sceptical crowd and just weeks after the Pyramid Stage burnt down, brothers Paul and Phil Hartnoll converted Glastonbury to dance music.
Andrew Harrison of the Guardian wrote in 2011: "Techno bled into drum'n'bass into dream-like abstract reveries, and some 40,000 people roared the Hartnolls on, bringing to life the paradox of dance music: there's nothing so human as machine music.
"A year later Glastonbury had a Dance Tent. Now it has a whole Dance Village, with a host of stages catering for everything from techno to dubstep, drum'n'bass to future garage, acid house, disco, soul and funk, with headliners such as Fatboy Slim playing alongside Carl Cox, Pete Tong and the Chemical Brothers." Pulp, 1995
Filling in for the Stone Roses, Pulp saved the day and made Glastonbury history in 1995.
Added to the bill last-minute, Jarvis Cocker and co had to camp on site like 'Common People'.
And despite hesitation from some disappointed Roses fans, Pulp won over the crowd and put on an unforgettable performance with Do You Remember the First Time, Sorted for E's & Wizz, and Babies. David Bowie, 2000
David Bowie took to the stage in what Michael Eavis described as the best Glastonbury ever.
The festival's 30th anniversary, Bowie wowed crowds with Little Wonder, Let's Dance and Ziggy Stardust.
"He was even wearing the same jacket - or at least had another one made exactly the same," Emily Eavis later told the BBC.
"It was an amazing set. It really felt like he was so pleased to be back and he really connected with it in a great way, which you don't often see." Jay Z, 2008
Despite a sceptical crowd and a spat with Noel Gallagher, Jay-Z stunned critics with his 2008 performance.
Opening his set with "no chance" – the words used by the Oasis guitarist when asked about Jay-Z's upcoming Glasto slot – the rapper swaggered on stage with a guitar strumming the opening chords to 'Wonderwall'.
Critics stood corrected as Jay-Z proceeded to deliver what many consider one of the best Glastonbury performances ever.
And when Jay-Z won the Best International Male award at the Brits that year, he even thanked Glastonbury in his acceptance speech. Coldplay, 2005
Two months' worth of rain had fallen in the space of a few hours, making Glasto 2005 one of the wettest to date. But amid twinkling lights and with the emotional pull of The Scientist, the knee-deep mud was for a few hours made bearable.
Chris Martin and co put on one of Glastonbury's most memorable performances, and even seemed to bring with them better weather – by Sunday morning the sun had emerged. Happy Mondays, 1990
The Happy Mondays took to the stage as Glastonbury Festival for Contemporary Performing Arts (as it was then called) celebrated its 20th year.
But while it might be considered one of the most memorable Glasto moments, it wasn't necessarily for the right reasons. Michael Eavis later told the Mirror: "I wasn't very happy with the Happy Mondays.
"They turned up with their own laminating machine and started making false backstage passes, which annoyed me.
"Their set wasn't very good either and it showed disrespect. They were very chaotic." Muse, 2004
Muse became a household name after closing Glastonbury 2004.
Voted by NME readers in 2011 as the best-ever Glastonbury performance, Muse wowed crowds and proved themselves to be a formidable force on the British rock scene.
But the night ended in tragedy when drummer Dom Howard's father died backstage shortly after their performance.
