Sam Fender is reportedly set to headline Glastonbury 2027, according to The Mail on Sunday. The 32-year-old Geordie musician is said to have secured a coveted spot on the Pyramid Stage at Worthy Farm next June, although organisers have yet to officially confirm his appearance.
A source told the publication: 'Sam is over the moon, it's a major milestone in his career and he's so excited he's even been telling his neighbours.'
From Pyramid Stage debut to headliner
The reported booking would mark a significant step up for the Seventeen Going Under hitmaker, who previously performed on the Pyramid Stage in 2022, appearing ahead of headliner Billie Eilish. Three years earlier, he was forced to cancel a planned Glastonbury appearance at the last minute due to illness.
Fender has since established himself as one of Britain's biggest musical acts, collecting five Brit Awards and winning the Mercury Prize for his third album, People Watching. His collaboration with Olivia Dean, Rein Me In, has also enjoyed extraordinary success, spending a record-breaking 23 weeks at the top of the UK singles chart.
Lewis Capaldi's backing and ticket sell-out
According to an industry insider, his friend and fellow musician Lewis Capaldi has been championing him for a headline slot. 'Lewis has been gunning for Sam to get the headline slot,' the source claimed. 'He's been bringing Sam on stage at his gigs just to get him more out there and more talked-about.'
Both Capaldi and Dean performed at Glastonbury in 2025, when The 1975, Neil Young and Olivia Rodrigo topped the bill. Rod Stewart also made his long-awaited return to the festival for the Sunday afternoon legends slot.
Glastonbury is taking a break in 2026, with organisers observing one of the festival's regular fallow years to allow the farmland to recover. Tickets for the 2027 event sold out in just 42 minutes last Sunday, despite fans having no idea which artists they would be paying upwards of £400 to see.
Festival organiser Emily Eavis has previously confirmed that all three headliners have already been booked, although their identities are being kept under wraps until the official line-up announcement, expected in the spring.
Bookmakers' favourite and other rumoured acts
Fender had already emerged as the bookmakers' favourite to headline the festival, with Betfred offering odds of 2/1 on his appearance. Other artists tipped to take one of the three coveted slots include Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift, both at 3/1, while Beyoncé, Chappell Roan, Eminem, Fred Again, Little Simz and Miley Cyrus have also featured prominently in the speculation.
Swift was originally due to make her Glastonbury debut as a headliner in 2020, before the festival was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic. She has yet to perform at Worthy Farm, making a potential 2027 appearance particularly enticing for fans. Sheeran, meanwhile, last headlined the festival in 2017, meaning a return next summer would come exactly a decade after his previous headline performance.
However, Eavis has already ruled out two major names. Despite persistent rumours of an Oasis reunion at Worthy Farm, she previously told a fan on Instagram that the band had not been booked 'this time'. Madonna has also been taken out of contention, with Eavis insisting on BBC Radio 4 in August that the Queen of Pop was 'definitely not' among the headliners.
For now, Fender's reported booking remains unconfirmed by the festival. But should the reports prove accurate, the musician will have completed an impressive journey from having to pull out of his first Glastonbury appearance to commanding its most famous stage. And for the thousands of ticket holders waiting to discover what their £400-plus investment has bought them, the first piece of the puzzle may finally be falling into place.
