South Asians have been insultingly ignored by most music

Despite being a huge part of the British population, south Asian musicians rarely feature on festival lineups. So it was joyous to have an entire area dedicated to our cultural vibrancy

The words “my mum needs to see this” aren’t ones you often hear after 2am at Glastonbury, but that’s what festival-goer Shivali said as she took a video of her fiance dancing to a DJ set inside a new south Asian space in the festival’s iconic Shangri-La area.

From Indian to Nepalese, Bangladeshi to Sri Lankan, and beyond, the representation at Arrivals – Glastonbury’s first ever dedicated south Asian space – was as diverse as the music genres they brought to the stage. As a British-Indian journalist with ties to west Africa, I felt seen and at home in a place that seamlessly and joyously blended sounds and influences from across cultures.