In case you did not know, Glastonbury Festival is an annual music and performing arts festival that takes place in Somerset, England. It is one of the largest and most well-known festivals in the world, and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. There’s probably a lot that you might not know this festival, but today my aim is to change that.
Here are 44 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know About Glastonbury Festival
1. The first Glastonbury Festival was held in 1970 and was originally focused on music and performances by local folk and blues artists. The idea to host the festival was conceived by organizer Michael Eavis after attending an open-air concert featuring Led Zeppelin at the 1970 Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music at the nearby Bath and West Showground.
2. The originally scheduled headline acts for the 1970 festival were The Kinks and Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, but they were later replaced by Tyrannosaurus Rex (later known as T. Rex). 1500 people attend the first festival. Tickets were priced at £1. The line-up also included notable acts such as Steamhammer, Quintessence, Stackridge, Al Stewart, Pink Fairies, and Keith Christmas. The first festival was held on the day after Jimi Hendrix died and tickets included free milk from the farm.
3. The festival was formerly known as ‘Pilton Festival.’ The very first festival was known as ‘Worthy Farm Pop Festival.’
4. The festival has since expanded to include a wide range of musical genres, including rock, pop, electronic, hip-hop, and world music.
5. In addition to music, the festival features a variety of other entertainment options, including dance, theater, circus performances, and poetry readings.
6. Glastonbury Festival is known for its unique and eclectic atmosphere, and has become a symbol of counterculture and alternative lifestyles.
7. The festival has a strong environmental focus, with a commitment to reducing waste and promoting sustainability through recycling and composting efforts, as well as alternative energy sources like wind and solar power.
8. Despite its size and popularity, Glastonbury Festival has maintained its independent, non-corporate spirit, and is organized and run by a small group of dedicated volunteers.
9. Approximately 200,000 people attend the festival annually, although the number of attendees can sometimes increase due to gatecrashers. That makes it the seventh largest city in the south of England, after London, Bristol, Southampton, Portsmouth, Plymouth and Brighton.
10. In 1994, a record attendance of 300,000 people was set at Glastonbury Festival.
11. The maximum allowed number of people at the festival is now capped at 203,000 (excluding police officers and kids under 13 years old).
12. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 and 2021 festivals were cancelled. To mark Glastonbuy Festival’s 50th anniversary in 2020, the BBC aired a series of highly acclaimed performances during the planned festival weekend, featuring artists such as Taylor Swift, Florence and the Machine, Adele, R.E.M., Beyoncé, the Rolling Stones, Jay-Z, and Billie Eilish.
13. The festival resumed in June 2022, featuring Billie Eilish as the youngest headline act in the festival’s history, performing on Friday night. Saturday night was headlined by Paul McCartney and Sunday night by Kendrick Lamar. The line-up also included talented musicians such as Diana Ross, Charli XCX, Foals, HAIM, Idles, Little Simz, Lorde, Olivia Rodrigo, Megan Thee Stallion, Pet Shop Boys, Sam Fender, Phoebe Bridgers, Wolf Alice, and Years & Years.
14. Over 40,000 rubbish bins are scattered around Glastonbury Festival annually.
15. The Killers left their guitarist Dave Keuning at a service station on the way to the festival in 2005. They had to go back and pick him up. They just made it for their headline slot.
16. Suzanne Vega performed at Glastonbury wearing a bulletproof vest. She had received death threats but was determined to play the festival so police advised her to wear a bulletproof vest.
17. People have sold Glastonbury Festival mud. This is not made up. One person managed to sell some Worthy Farm mud for £74 in 2004. Whilst another punter had some mud from the festival framed.
18. In 1987 thieves stole people’s trousers at Glastonbury Festival. Quite a few people had to wander around the festival looking for their trousers after thieves took them out of their tents. The trousers were eventually found in a ditch.
19, There are at least 3 babies known to have been born at a Glastonbury Festival. Sean Crothers and Heidi Wesson even received a personalised gift from The Rolling Stones following their headline set in 2013.
20. The Glastonbury Festival vibe is so contagious that Police officers often dress up. One year they were dressed as fairies.
21. In 1971, the Pyramid Stage was introduced to the world as David Bowie, Joan Baez, and Fairport Convention performed for a crowd of 12,000. Over the years, the Pyramid Stage has become an icon and remains the main stage at Glastonbury.
22. The current iteration of the Pyramid Stage is actually the third version, with the second one having been destroyed by a fire in 1994 just before the festival.
23. The location of the Pyramid Stage is believed to be significant as it sits at the intersection of two Ley Lines, which in pagan beliefs are believed to generate powerful energy. This is why the main stage was designed in the shape of a pyramid.
24. The Dalai Lama turned up at Glastonbury Festival in 2015. He was invited to give a talk on the final day of the festival and deliver a message of peace and compassion to the audience. His appearance at the festival was widely celebrated and marked a significant moment in the festival’s history.
25. Glastonbury Festival operates a ‘Challenge 21’ policy for alcohol sales. If you look under 21, you will not be served alcohol unless you can prove you are over 18 – by presenting ID, or by wearing a ‘Challenge 21’ wristband. These will be available from the Property Lock-ups on site, on presentation of a valid form of photo ID.
26. 135,000 weekend tickets for the 2019 edition of the festival sold out in just 36 minutes.
27. Michael Eavis actually created the festival in the hope of paying off his mortgage. Although, his efforts went in vain when he was left with more of a debt to pay.
28. Glastonbury Festival’s site has grown to the size of 1100 acres – that’s enough to fit 500 football pitches. The length of the fence around the festival site is 8 miles (12.8 kilometres).
29. If you are thinking of sneaking in the festival, jumping through the fence, that may not be possible. The organizers built a strong formidable fence called ‘ Super fence’ in 2002 (aimed to keep out gatecrashers).
30. Glastonbury Festival is registered in Guinness Book of World Records in juggling. On 26 June 1984, 826 people, each juggling at least 3 objects, managed to keep 2,478 objects in the air.
31. The festival uses about 30 megawatts of electricity that equates much as the city of Bath. Most of the power comes from 200 dotted generators around the site and rest comes from the renewable source of energy, mainly solar and wind.
32. Glastonbury Festival was once a lawless place. There were no police officers present at the site until 1990.
33. If you dont have a ticket to Glastonbury or you cannot afford it, there are plenty of measures you can take. It’s volunteering for the work in Glasto. You have a free ticket and get well paid. It is estimated that more than 1,300 people volunteer for recycling work just to have a free ticket.
34. More that 5500 toilets are installed for Glastonbury Festival every year. All the toilets have water reduction systems to minimise and reuse the water the toilets use during the weekend. Some of the toilets are installed with something called ‘pee power’. This is a system developed by The University of the West of England in Bristol which converts urine into electricity.
35. The Healing Field is the one section of Glastonbury that truly captures the cultural mood. The healing fields, which are dedicated to esoteric therapies, were opened in the mid-80s and are still going strong. The festival’s chill-out zone, the Healing Field, is open and fully operational at midday.
36. The Silver Hayes stage at Glastonbury is famous for its Dance Tent, which started as a single tent with a capacity of 1,500 people in 1995. It was created and programmed by Malcolm Haynes during the new Jazz-world stage in 1989. The Dance Tent has grown over the years, becoming a massive tent that can hold up to 20,000 people and has seen memorable moments such as the Massive Attack takeover.
37. Glastonbury Festival attracts hundreds of young people from around the world who are drawn to the town’s rich history of spiritual pilgrimage, magical energy, and holy locations. The festival is also believed to be located on the planet’s Heart Chakra and attracts thousands of visitors each year.
The festival has become a melting pot of Christian and pagan beliefs and is associated with the legend of a church founded by Joseph of Arimathea and the existence of pre-Christian paganism coexisting with Christian and New Age ideas. The town’s sacred hill has a lengthy religious history and contains indications of early Christian and pagan settlements, including the ruins of a church at the top.
38. Glastonbury has maintained its tradition of showcasing new performers and bands, including through its Emerging Talent Competition (formerly the Unsigned Performer’s Competition), which offers new UK and Ireland-based artists in any genre the chance to win a slot at the festival and receive talent development funding. The competition was won for the first time by Brighton rockers The Subways.
39. Kanye West’s headline performance at Glastonbury in 2015 was met with mixed reactions, with some fans loving it, while others were disappointed.
40. Morrissey’s performance at Glastonbury in 2019 was controversial due to his political views and statements. Some fans were upset that he was given a platform at the festival.
41. Jarvis Cocker’s performance with his band Pulp (in 1996) was controversial due to his lewd and suggestive dance moves on stage. The incident was widely discussed in the media and caused a stir among some festival-goers.
42. Oasis‘ 1994 performance at Glastonbury was controversial due to the band’s rowdy and aggressive behavior on stage, which some fans felt was inappropriate for the festival’s atmosphere.
43. Unfortunately, there have been several instances of deaths at the Glastonbury Festival over the years. These incidents have included fatalities related to drugs, medical emergencies, and accidents. The festival organizers work closely with local authorities and medical services to ensure the safety and well-being of festival-goers, but despite their best efforts, incidents can still occur.
44. Elton John is on the line-up for the 2023 edition of the festival. He has never performed here, but he will headline the Pyramid Stage on the Sunday. It’s the final UK date of his Farewell tour. Elton John says he has created a brand new show (especially for Glastonbury Festival) and has confirmed that he will have special guests peforming with him during his 2 hour set.
Well, there you have it, 43 interesting facts you might not have known about Glastonbury Festival. If I’ve left out something important, feel free to comment below.
Watch this space for updates in the Music category on Interesting Facts.
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