Last year they played an early evening set in the relatively modest John Peel tent, the venue's perimeters pushed to the limit by thousands of fans trying to squeeze in for a taste of their brand of foot-stomping folk. But this year Mumford & Sons are to take to Glastonbury festival's second stage on Friday evening, before Primal Scream, the festival has confirmed.

Going head to head with the Primals will be U2, who are headlining the Pyramid stage on the Friday night.

It is some leap for Mumford, who played the festival as relative unknowns last year but have since broken into the American charts, won a Brit award for best album, and performed at the Grammys.

Other nu-folk acts at Glastonbury 2011, which runs from 22 to 26 June, include Laura Marling and Fleet Foxes, while ravers will be pleased at the inclusion of The Chemical Brothers, Crystal Castles, and dance punk outfit Friendly Fires. Janelle Monáe, who had one of the most critically acclaimed albums of last year, and blues legend BB King, will also be performing.

Newcomers James Blake and Anna Calvi are set to play, as well as the all-female American art rockers Warpaint, rapper Big Boi, and Gruff Rhys.

Emily Eavis, Glastonbury co-organiser, said the Somerset festival had a lot to live up to after last year's 40th anniversary celebrations, but she was confident the prospect of U2, Coldplay, and Beyoncé, as well as the newly announced acts, would whet fans' appetites.

U2 will be the first headliner, and Eavis said "when people hear those anthems in that field it will just be amazing, you can't really go wrong with those songs."

The festival has been trying to sign the band since Glastonbury's founder, Michael Eavis – prematurely, it turned out – put them on a poster in 1982. They were due to play last year, but an injury to Bono's back made the band cancel.

Glastonbury stalwarts Coldplay will headline on Saturday. A band with a long association with the festival, having topped the bill twice before, they "really understand" Glastonbury, said Emily Eavis. "I really think they are at their live peak now. They have played together so much, and they give such a powerful live performance."

Putting R&B star Beyoncé in the top spot would help send people home with a bang, she said. "I know she will deliver with her incredible voice and dance moves."

Eavis dismissed the doubts of those who have suggested Beyoncé is too "pure pop" for Glastonbury. "I think when you've been in a field for four days you want something from a completely different sphere, that takes you somewhere else. It will be good to get a bit of female power at the end. She'll pack a punch and give us a fitting send off."

For the first time the festival will be offering sweeteners to revellers who cut their carbon footprint. People getting public transport to the event will be given access to solar-powered showers, compost toilets and discounts from food stalls.

Half of Glastonbury's emissions arise from transportation to and from the festival, and the aim is to increase the number of people who arrive by public transport to 50%, from the current 35%. Groups of cyclists from Bristol and Bath will be followed by a van with their gear, and they'll also get a coach home.

With the complete lineup falling into place, and a year off in 2012 to follow, Eavis said it would be a Glastonbury worthy of last year, when the festival had four days of uninterrupted sunshine. "I don't think we are going to start worrying about the weather just yet," she said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/mar/02/glastonbury-festival-2011-mumford-u2