**Glastonbury Festival to Take Planned Break in 2026, Organisers Confirm**
One of the UK’s most celebrated cultural events, the Glastonbury Festival, will not take place in 2026, as organisers have announced it will be a “fallow year” for the iconic Somerset gathering. The news was confirmed by the Eavis family, longstanding stewards of the festival, who revealed that next summer’s edition would be the last before a planned hiatus.
Since its humble beginnings at Worthy Farm, Glastonbury has evolved into an internationally recognised music and arts festival, drawing in hundreds of thousands of revellers from all over the world. However, as history shows, the festival traditionally schedules a gap year every five or so years to allow the land, as well as local residents and the organising team, a much-needed opportunity to rest and recuperate. The most recent fallow year was observed in 2018.
Emily Eavis, one of the principal organisers and daughter of the festival’s visionary founder, Michael Eavis, stated, “It’s crucial that we give the land at Worthy Farm a break. A festival on this scale has a significant impact—not just on the grounds, but on the infrastructure and the local community.” She remarked that planning the final festival before a fallow year is always “a fun one to plan”, as it often feels like fitting two years’ worth of excitement and activity into a single edition.
Looking ahead to the 2025 event, anticipation is already building as rumours of bookings and surprise acts swirl. Emily Eavis hinted that the team are “already in talks with some acts for it”, describing the process as “exciting”. Speculation is sure to grow over which world-class performers will grace Glastonbury’s famous Pyramid Stage next summer.
This year’s line-up, as always, is turning plenty of heads. Set to perform are British pop favourites The 1975, revered singer-songwriter Neil Young, US sensation Olivia Rodrigo, and the genre-bending Chrome Hearts. The bill also features an eclectic mix of talent including Charli XCX, rapidly-rising rapper Doechii, and Kneecap, the controversial Irish rap trio whose inclusion has sparked debate amongst politicians and fans alike.
In a bid to improve the festival experience and manage concerns over overcrowding, the organisers have made adjustments this year. Capacity has been trimmed by “a few thousand” compared to previous years, with the ticket allocation falling below the usual figure of 210,000 attendees. Emily Eavis observed, “It will be interesting just to see how that affects the dynamics on site.” She also pointed out that times have shifted: “There were years where you just couldn’t sell out – you just couldn’t give [tickets] away.”
Sustainability is also front of mind for the organisers. The ever-popular Shangri-La area is making a bold change this year, focusing on tree planting and green spaces, a move described by Eavis as “completely the opposite to anything they’ve done in the past”. In addition, the festival has successfully acquired new land adjacent to the main site, which will now house additional crew members, further easing congestion on site.
The 2024 edition is running from 25 to 29 June, with a number of mystery acts listed as ‘TBA’. Intrigue surrounds a special act named Patchwork, set to appear on the Pyramid Stage on the Saturday. With planning for this particular performance taking around a year owing to “logistical reasons,” Emily Eavis has remained tight-lipped about the details, perhaps fuelling further speculation amongst festival-goers and the wider public.
As the festival gears up for its 2025 edition before the announced break in 2026, sentiments are mixed among fans. For many, the fallow years are viewed as an essential part of what keeps Glastonbury so unique: not just a chance for the land to heal, but an opportunity for the organisers to return refreshed, with renewed energy and ideas.
While there will be a brief absence of festivities at Worthy Farm in 2026, the spirit of Glastonbury—and its tradition of reinvention—remains firmly intact, with fans already looking forward to what surprises the return edition will bring. As always, the festival’s ability to adapt appears as robust as its cultural legacy.