Glastonbury‘s Emily Eavis has confirmed that there will be no festival in 2026, explaining that it has been allocated a “fallow year” to allow the ground to rest. However, puzzled fans have pointed out that the festivals’ fallow years usually take place every five years, and 2024 is only year three of action due to the event not taking place during the pandemic.
Revellers will need to snap up tickets fast when they go on sale for 2025, as that’ll be the last chance to attend for an entire 24 months. Emily Eavis – who recently led the drive to recruit more female headliners for the event – is feeling confident about taking a year out.
She explained: “The festival before a fallow year is always a fun one to plan, because you almost have to fit two years into one!” However, the pressure is on as she admitted to the Sun on Sunday: “It’s got to be the best one yet. Every single one of our vast, incredible crew is crucial to making this event work.”
She revealed that she and the other organisers are already in talks with big names as they hope to claim them for Britain in 2025. There have been calls for Taylor Swift to make an appearance, but Emily’s lips are sealed on who they’ve so far entered discussions with.
The last official fallow year for Glastonbury took place in 2018, but the ground also had three years to recuperate during the Covid pandemic, when all festivals were cancelled.
The land was not used between the summer of 2019 and the summer of 2022, meaning the latest announcement has come a little earlier than expected.
The unexpected news has left some fans fearing for Glastonbury’s future. The festival has received concerning online backlash this year, and was branded an “absolute disgrace” on Twitter.
Performances by Keane, Corrine Bailey Rae, Bloc Party and Kasabian were marred by political clashes, the constant presence of Palestinian flags and even an inflatable dinghy carrying “asylum seekers”.
Political clashes loomed large at the event, prompting one fan to take to Twitter and exclaim: “#Glastonbury festival isn’t being held on stolen land, as far as I’m aware…”
The band The Idles led chants of “F*** the King” as they expressed their discontent over the monarchy – despite Princess Beatrice drinking in the VIP bar during that day’s festivities.
The group also invited the audience to join in with pro-Palestinian chants. On Twitter, fans argued that the political content was imbalanced, pointing out that there appeared to be no tributes to the hundreds of Israelis who were murdered at a music festival during the terror attacks of October 7.
Meanwhile, Coldplay and Dua Lipa were accused of miming – something which Dua has since stepped out to deny – and fans argued that technical difficulties had robbed them of a chance to fully enjoy country pop legend Shania Twain.
It’s too early to say what the future holds for Glastonbury, with some arguing that it has become increasingly political since Jeremy Corbyn’s presence in 2017 – but 2025’s event is expected to go ahead.