On Friday 22nd January, festival founders and organisers Michael and Emily Eavis officially announced that Glastonbury Festival would not be running this year due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The cancellation follows several months of speculation around whether the 50th anniversary event would be able to run.
“Michael and Emily Eavis made an official statement confirming that the Somerset festival would not be going ahead in 2021.”
On the 4th January, Emily Eavis tweeted that Glastonbury had not yet been cancelled. She said, “There’s no news to this end yet, we haven’t cancelled. Will let you know right here as soon as we have an update”.
However, just weeks later, Michael and Emily Eavis made an official statement confirming that the Somerset festival would not be going ahead in 2021. “With great regret, we must announce that this year’s Glastonbury Festival will not take place and that this will be another enforced fallow year for us.
“In spite of our efforts to move Heaven and Earth, it has become clear that we simply will not be able to make the Festival happen this year. We are so sorry to let you all down.”
With great regret, we must announce that this year’s Glastonbury Festival will not take place, and that this will be another enforced fallow year for us. Tickets for this year will roll over to next year. Full statement below and on our website. Michael & Emily pic.twitter.com/SlNdwA2tHd
— Glastonbury Festival (@glastonbury) January 21, 2021
The cancellation of the festival for a second year running is likely to place additional pressure on the government to provide protection to the UK music and festival scene. Julian Knight MP, chair of the Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport Committee, tweeted that the news was “devastating” and called for a Government-backed insurance scheme to protect UK festivals.
The news that the UK has lost the Glastonbury Festival for a second year running is devastating. 1/ https://t.co/5dFj68VSSo
— Julian Knight MP (@julianknight15) January 21, 2021
He tweeted: “The jewel in the crown will be absent, but surely the government cannot ignore the message any longer – it must act now to save this vibrant and vital festivals sector”.
What will happen to purchased tickets?
In June 2020, Michael Eavis told The Guardian that Glastonbury would “seriously go bankrupt” if it was cancelled for a second year running. However, the festival looks set to go ahead next year with new dates scheduled for 22nd – 26th June 2022.
The official statement released on Friday confirmed that everyone that paid a deposit for a 2020 ticket will be eligible for a like-for-like ticket to the 2022 event.
The statement read, “As with last year, we would like to offer all those who secured a ticket in October 2012 the opportunity to roll their 50 deposit over to next year and guarantee the chance to buy a ticket for Glastonbury 2022.”
“We are very appreciative of the faith and trust placed in us by those of you with deposits, and we are very confident we can deliver something really special for us all in 2022!”
Details on the official Glastonbury website confirm that those with coach packages will have their coach tickets rolled over to 2022 along with their ticket deposits.
Anyone wishing to cancel their booking and receive a full refund for their deposit can do so free of charge up until 31st December 2021. After this date, standard refund costs will be applied to those wishing to return their ticket up until 6th May 2022.
What can we expect to see in 2022?
Huge artists were set to perform at Worthy Farm in 2020 to celebrate the festival’s 50th anniversary. Paul McCartney, Kendrick Lemar and Taylor Swift were confirmed as headliners while other acts included Dua Lipa, FKA Twigs, Manic Street Preachers, Primal Scream. Diana Ross was also booked to fill the Sunday legends slot.
It is likely that there will be changes to the 2020 lineup, though Taylor Swift and Paul McCartney are still strong rumours.
Michael Eavis has hinted at the possibility for a smaller event at Worthy Farm later in the year. He told LBC:“I would like to do something smaller somewhere around the anniversary date of when we started, which was the 18th of September 1970”.
The smaller celebration could take the form of the annual Pilton Party, a smaller event held in September for villagers, workers and local people. Eavis stressed that he needed “reassurance from the ethics people” before anything could be confirmed.
“it’s certain that the 2021 festival season will be far from normal.”
With the UK’s biggest festival announcing cancellation for 2021, the question of whether other festivals will follow suit is raised. The outcome will largely depend on whether the government offers an insurance scheme that will allow festival organisers to plan for summer 2021 without risk of bankruptcy. Either way, it’s certain that the 2021 festival season will be far from normal.
Alex Lovegrove
Featured image courtesy of Annie Spratt on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.