more entertainment announced for Thursday at Glastonbury Festival

As the deadline approaches for unsigned artists and bands wanting to play on one of Worthy Farm's famous main stages at this year's Glastonbury Festival, it's been announced that all twelve of the finalists will play on the Queen's Head Stage on the Thursday of the festival.

The finalists will kick off proceedings on the stage from 11am, playing short sets in a showcase over four hours in the run-up to the more familiar Queen's Head line-up, which last year included Elbow, Santogold, Glasvegas, Roisin Murphy, and Kate Nash amongst others.

The news confirms that this year's Glastonbury Festival will be offering more music, starting earlier than ever before. With more people arriving on site early, the festival's intention is to provide more live music, and a chance to see more up and coming artists throughout the five full days from Wednesday 24th until Sunday 28th June 2009 at Worthy Farm, Somerset.

The Emerging Talent 2009 Competition is still open - but hurry as the last day to uploaded entries to the competition website is Monday 26th January before 11pm.

The competition, now in its fifth year, is open is open to musicians based in the UK and Ireland, who have not signed a contract who with a major record label, or a contract with any label for more than one album. This year the competition is once again being run online in association with Q magazine, so artists enter by uploading up to two tracks onto the competition website, where you you can also find the full competition rules and conditions.

For the first time this year the public will be able to decide one 'wild card' entry into the finals. The top 12 will go forward to a series of live finals in March 2009, and the overall winners will earn themselves a slot on either the Other Stage or the Pyramid Stage. Glastonbury has been running a competition to find the greatest Emerging Talent for the last four Festivals, and the winners will be following in the footsteps of previous winners Golden Silvers, and The Travelling Band (2008), Liz Green (2007), The Deadbeats (2005) and The Subways (2004).

This year's competition will be judged by a team of musical experts: Michael and Emily Eavis representing the Festival, Huw Stephens from BBC Radio One and music journalists from the Q stable.

Glastonbury's Emerging Talent Competition is the best way to get your music listened to by many of the stage and area programmers involved in the Festival.

There are still tickets available to buy now for Glastonbury Festival 2009. All registered festival-goers who want to buy tickets have two options. They can either buy a full weekend ticket at a price of £175 (plus a booking fee of £5). Alternatively, tickets can be reserved at a cost of £50 per ticket. The balance must be paid by 23:59 on Sunday 1st February 2009.

To buy Glastonbury Festival tickets, click here.

With both these options, the number of tickets available per transaction for registered customers is now unlimited - as long as each purchase (or deposit) is matched with valid registration numbers.

Online registration is also available and can be carried out by clicking here. Those without internet access can apply for a registration form (enclosing an SAE) to Glastonbury, PO Box 2445, Glasgow G40 9AG.

The ticket price includes includes a FREE programme, a useful cloth bag, and small around the neck guide. Car parking tickets can be bought at the same time and are priced at £10 per vehicle, and campervan tickets are priced at £65 per van. Car parking and campervan tickets can only be bought when paying the balance of your tickets.

To see who might be playing, take a look at the eFestivals' Glastonbury 2009 rumours >>.

For detailed information on all aspects of the festival, click here.

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