Thousands of festival-goers braved muddy fields and rain on Wednesday to be a part of the 2011 Glastonbury Festival.

A pioneer event in the British performing art arena, Gastonbury contributes over 100 million pounds every year to the region's economy.

Starting from 22-26 June, 2011, the tickets for the current event were sold within just four hours of sale. Key performances slated this year are by U2, Beyoncé and Coldplay. The gates for the event were opened yesterday and since then revelers have been thronging the area for camping and taking part in the festival.

Check out the unique images of the 2011 event:

Glastonbury 2011 Revelers tread muddy fields to celebrate event.
Revellers struggle as they carry their belongings through muddy fields on the first day of Glastonbury Festival in Somerset. REUTERS
Glastonbury 2011 Revelers tread muddy fields to celebrate event.
Revellers struggle as they carry their belongings through muddy fields on the first day of Glastonbury Festival in Somerset. REUTERS
Glastonbury 2011 Revellers tread muddy fields to celebrate event.
Revellers struggle as they carry their belongings through muddy fields on the first day of Glastonbury Festival in Somerset. Reuters.
Glastonbury 2011 Revellers tread muddy fields to celebrate event.
Revellers struggle as they carry their belongings through muddy fields on the first day of Glastonbury Festival in Somerset. Reuters.
Glastonbury 2011 Revellers tread muddy fields to celebrate event.
Revellers struggle as they carry their belongings through muddy fields on the first day of Glastonbury Festival in Somerset. Reuters.