Hundreds of thousands of punters are preparing to descend on the grounds of Worthy Farm for the much-loved Glastonbury Festival this month.
Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA are set to headline this year’s event, alongside other music greats including Cyndi Lauper and Shania Twain.
Despite the festival’s long-lasting success, it likely won’t be held in 2026 – but the reason why might surprise you.
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The festival’s organiser Emily Eavis has revealed she and her father, the founder of the beloved music event, are expected to take a planned break to give the farmland space to breathe.
“We are due a fallow year [at Glastonbury]. The fallow year is important because it gives the land a rest, and it gives the cows a chance to stay out for longer and reclaim their land,” she told the BBC.
Fallow years are dedicated breaks from the festival that allow the grass, farmland and animals at Worthy Farm to recover from the hordes of people who visit the grounds every summer.
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This is not the first time the festival will observe a fallow year. The first time the organisers planned a break for the farmland was in 1988. It then became a trend to plan a fallow year every five to six years.
The last time the festival took a planned break was in 2018, however it was also called off in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.
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“I think it’s important, I think it gives everybody time to just switch off and the public as well. Then you kind of go away for a bit and it feels lovely when you come back,” Eavis continued.
“And I think it’s quite good not to be seen to be cashing in.”
Despite – or perhaps because of – the regular breaks, Glastonbury continues to be a highly successful performing arts festival.
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The first festival at the now-famous English farmland was hosted in 1970 by English dairy farmer Michael Eavis.
Kylie Minogue, Elton John, Beyoncé, David Bowie and Paul McCartney are just a few of the music icons who have taken the stage at the esteemed festival over the years.
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