Glastonbury might not return until 2022, according to the bosses behind the festival.
Following the announcement in March that this year’s event had been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, it now appears that revellers may not get the chance to celebrate Glasto’s 50th anniversary for another two years.
Discussing the future of his festival, founder Michael Eavis admitted that while the team are working tirelessly to make sure it returns next year, it may not be possible.
Speaking on ITV News West Country on Monday (3 August), the 84-year-old said: “500 people is OK, isn’t it? But my job, 250,000 altogether is too many people I suppose, isn’t it really?
“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.
“The only certainty I think is the year after – 2022, to be perfectly candid, so we might have to wait for two years maybe.
“But I am still hoping and we are fighting and working at it all the time to make sure it happens next year.”
Eavis said, however, that fans can rest assured that Glastonbury will be back one day and that it will be ‘stronger’ than ever before.
He added: “You can’t kill it off just like that. It will come back – probably stronger, actually.”
The international music festival was meant to take place between 24 and 28 June – with the likes of Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, Kendrick Lamar and Diana Ross headlining.
However, in a statement earlier this year, Michael and daughter Emily Eavis said it was not possible, but assured people that tickets could be rolled over to next year.
“We are so sorry to announce this, but Glastonbury 2020 will have to be cancelled, and this will be an enforced fallow year for the Festival,” they said in a statement.
“Clearly this was not a course of action we hoped to take for our 50th anniversary event, but following the new government measures announced this week – and in times of such unprecedented uncertainty – this is now our only viable option.
“We very much hope that the situation in the UK will have improved enormously by the end of June. But even if it has, we are no longer able to spend the next three months with thousands of crew here on the farm, helping us with the enormous job of building the infrastructure and attractions needed to welcome more than 200,000 people to a temporary city in these fields.
“We would like to send our sincere apologies to the 135,000 people who have already paid a deposit for a Glastonbury 2020 ticket.”
