Glastonbury may not return until 2022 due to coronavirus, founder admits

Glastonbury may not return until 2022, the festival’s founder Michael Eavis has revealed.

The festival’s 50th anniversary edition, which was set to take place in June, was cancelled in March due to the pandemic. Following the cancellation, it was suggested that the festival would go ahead in 2021 instead.

Speaking on ITV News West Country, Eavis admitted that the prospect of hosting Glastonbury next year is “wishful thinking” due to the high number of people who attend the festival.

“500 people is ok, isn’t it. But my job – 250,000 altogether – is too many people I suppose, isn’t it really,” said Eavis.

“I’m still hoping I’m going to be running next year and I’m going to be moving heaven and earth to make sure that we do. But that doesn’t mean it will necessarily happen. That is just wishful thinking really.”

Despite the possible two-year break, Eavis spoke positively about Glastonbury’s survival post-coronavirus.“No, I do not worry at all. I am so confident that it will survive. The only certainty I think is the year after, 2022, to be perfectly candid. So we might have to wait for two years maybe.”

He said: “But I am still hoping and we are fighting and working at it all the time to make sure it happens next year. You can’t kill it off just like that. It will come back. It will come back, probably stronger actually.”

In June, however, Eavis had previously emphasised the absolute necessity of running the festival in 2021. He told The Guardian that skipping next year could pose serious issues for the future of Glastonbury. “We have to run next year otherwise we would seriously go bankrupt … It has to happen for us, we have to carry on. Otherwise, it will be curtains. I don’t think we could wait another year.”

He added, “We haven’t got unlimited resources. We carry enough to float the next event.”

Glastonbury had previously skipped its 2018 edition in order to allow the ground at Worthy Farm, where the festival is held, to recover.

Acts that were set to perform for the 50th anniversary of Glastonbury this year included Taylor Swift, Sir Paul McCartney, Kendrick Lamar, Diana Ross, Dizzee Rascal, Pet Shop Boys and Lana Del Rey.