Lesson Plan

Lesson plan
Topic: Music festival

Aim:
- To help learners talk about music festivals in their own and other cultures, using music
festivals in the UK as an example.
Language aims:
- To develop speaking skills on the topic of music festivals in different cultures.
- To develop vocabulary learning skills.
Time Stage Procedure
3-5 mins Lead-in and - Refer students to the posters showing photos of the
establishing topic Coachella Festival and Tomorrowland Festival.
- Ask students to discuss the following questions in pairs
or groups:
+ Have you ever been to music festivals?
+ What adjectives would you use to describe these
events? (e.g. noisy, overwhelming, fun, etc.)
+ Who is your favourite band or musician?
+ Are music festivals popular in your country?
10 mins Pre-reading: - Give each pair or group a set of vocabulary cards and
vocabulary activity ask them to check if any of the vocabulary items they
thought of were on the cards.
- Ask learners to put all the remaining cards into three
groups: vocabulary items they know, ones they don’t
know, and ones they are not sure about.
- Learners can use the definitions to help them understand
any words which they find difficult. Encourage learners
to help one another with vocabulary that they find
difficult.
- Refer students to Task 1 in the student worksheet.
Students match the words and definitions individually or
in pairs.
- Show answers on the slides or elicit answers from
students.
15 mins Reading - Refer students to the reading text in Task 2 about

Glastonbury Festival, a major festival in England and ask
them to read it quickly to see which of the items on the
vocabulary list are mentioned.
- Put students into pairs or small groups. Tell them to read
the text again and discuss the questions below the reading
text.
- Elicit students’ answers.
15 mins Speaking - Put students into small groups of 3-4 people. Each group
will design their dream music festival. As a guide, they
can make notes in the table in Task 3.
- Each group make a poster on A3 paper and present their
ideas to others in the class.
- Ask students to vote for the festival that they would most
like to attend and give reasons for their choices.
1 min Recap and Ask students to plan a trip to the Coachella Festival
homework (Preparation for the next lesson about ‘present continuous
tense’ and ‘Planning a trip’).
Student worksheet
Task 1: Match the words to their definitions.
Word Definition
Countless Very many
Renowned Well known, or famous, usually for a positive reason

A soft, wet area of land, which you may sink into if you walk across
Quagmire
it.
Not prevented from doing something, even though it may be difficult
Undeterred
or problematic
An abbreviated from of ‘wellington boots’, which are rubber boots
Wellies
word in wet, muddy conditions
Demise The end or death of something
Substantial Large in size, amount, degree or importance

Describe the way in which something is growing or increasing very
Exponentially
quickly
Contemporary Existing or happening now, and therefore seeming modern
Boogie (away) To dance to pop music
Task 2: Read the text about Glastonbury Festival. Can you find any words from the
cards?
The first Glastonbury Festival took place in 1970 and was organised by Michael Eavis, who
still runs the festival with his daughter on his farm in Somerset in the south-west of England.
Michael charged people just £1 to enter, and the ticket included free milk from the farm. Only
1,500 people attended on that occasion, but this number has grown exponentially since then.
In 2023, there were more than 200,000 people in the crowd and tickets, which cost £335 each,
sold out within 1 hour. The festival takes place almost every year in the last weekend of June
and lasts for five days.
Although it is best known for contemporary music, Glastonbury (or ‘Glasto’ as it is often
called) is host to other performing arts such as dance, comedy and theatre. The festival site is
now made up of distinct zones, each one providing something different to cater for the tastes
of all those present.
Countless famous British musicians have played at the festival, including Sir Paul
McCartney, Coldplay and Adele, however the festival also attracts international interest, and
has seen headline acts in recent years such as the likes of Beyonce Knowles, Taylor Swift and
Billie Eilish.
The festival is renowned for being extremely muddy, and on many occasions heavy rainfall
has turned the whole festival site into a quagmire. Glastonbury-goers remain undeterred,
however, and are quite happy to boogie the festival away in their wellies.
Because of the high demand for tickets, the festival has also been famous for ‘fence
jumpers’. In 2000, when only 100,000 tickets were sold, about 250,000 people attended the
event – many of whom jumped over the surrounding fence to gain entry. Security increased in
2002 and a ‘super fence’ was created to prevent people from entering without a ticket. In the
same year, the new Pyramid Stage, graced by the presence of David Bowie, was welcomed
back following its demise in 1994 when it burnt down just a week before the festival was to
begin. The festival supports Fair Trade and has made substantial contributions to charity over
the years. In 2023, over 3.7 million pounds was donated, and Greenpeace, Oxfam and
WaterAid continue to be main beneficiaries.
Discuss these questions:
1. How has the festival changed since it began in1970?
2. How has it remained the same?
3. What challenges has the festival faced?
4. How did the organisers deal with these problems?
5. How does the festival benefit others?
6. What are some disadvantages of music festivals? How could organisers improve them?
Task 3: Design your dream music festival. Use the table and posters below for ideas.
Festival name
When it takes place
Location
How long it lasts for
Price of tickets
The sort of music played
Famous artists
Other attractions

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Topic: Music festival

Time Stage Procedure

15 mins Reading - Refer students to the reading text in Task 2 about

Countless Very many

Renowned Well known, or famous, usually for a positive reason

Substantial Large in size, amount, degree or importance

Boogie (away) To dance to pop music

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