What is Glastonbury Festival?
Glastonbury is the festival other music festivals are measured against. For five days in late June, a dairy farm in Somerset, in the south-west of England, becomes a temporary city of about 210,000 people, with dozens of stages, hundreds of acts, and whole neighbourhoods of circus tents, healing fields, late-night clubs and art. Most people camp, and many never see the same corner twice.
It started small. On 19 September 1970, the farmer Michael Eavis, inspired by a blues festival he had seen nearby, held a festival on his land at Worthy Farm in the village of Pilton. About 1,500 people paid one pound each to see T. Rex, who had stepped in for the original headliners. Eavis kept going, and the festival grew into the giant it is today, still run by his family: his daughter Emily now leads the organization.
Glastonbury is also a fundraiser. Most of its workers are volunteers, and its main partner charities, Oxfam, Greenpeace and WaterAid, run stewarding and stalls on site. And every few years it stops to let the land and the village rest. 2026 was one of those fallow years; the festival returns in 2027.
What to expect
The site is enormous, about 1,500 acres of fields and hillsides overlooked by Glastonbury Tor, and walking between stages can take half an hour.
Wednesday
Gates open
The gates open early on Wednesday and campers race for good pitches. There is no main-stage music yet, but the site is already busy with smaller venues, markets and the first of many sunsets watched from the hill above the Stone Circle.
Thursday
Warming up
More of the small stages and late-night areas open. It is the best day to walk the whole site and learn your way around before the crowds for the headliners arrive.
Friday to Sunday
The main event
All the stages run from late morning until late at night, led by the Pyramid Stage, the festival's famous main stage. After the headliners, the late-night areas carry on into the small hours.
Beyond the music, the Green Fields hold the Stone Circle, the Green Futures area and the Healing Field, with crafts, workshops, talks and the gentlest pace on site. Many regulars say their best moments at Glastonbury happened there, or by chance on the way somewhere else.
Looking out over the festival's tents from a hillside on site
Photo by Ed.ward / flickr · CC BY-SA 2.0
Planning your trip
Getting there
Worthy Farm is about six miles east of the town of Glastonbury, and the nearest railway station, Castle Cary, runs festival shuttle buses to the site. Coach packages from cities across Britain, sold with tickets, are the easiest option. Driving means a car-parking ticket and long queues to get in and out.
Where to stay
Almost everyone camps on site, and the best pitches go to the earliest arrivals. Pre-pitched tents, campervan fields and tipis can be booked at extra cost for more comfort. Hotels and guesthouses in the towns around Glastonbury are scarce and expensive that week.
What it costs
A ticket for the 2025 festival cost about 375 pounds plus a booking fee, which covers camping. Add travel, a tent and gear, and food and drink on site, which is varied and of good quality but priced for a festival. You can bring your own food and drink, apart from glass and some other items, which brings the cost down.
Go like you know
- Pack wellington boots whatever the forecast says, and sunscreen for the days when it is hot.
- Watch at least one sunset from the hill above the Stone Circle.
- Take cash and a power bank; phone signal is patchy and queues are long.
- Edinburgh's Festival Fringe is the other great British summer gathering, in August, for comedy and theatre.
- London's Notting Hill Carnival closes the summer at the end of August.
Frequently asked questions
When is Glastonbury?
The 2027 festival runs from Wednesday, June 23 to Sunday, June 27, after a fallow year in 2026. The festival usually takes place in the last full week of June, from Wednesday to Sunday, with a break every few years to rest the land.
How do I get tickets?
Register on the festival's website well in advance, with a passport-style photo. Tickets usually go on sale in the autumn before the festival, in a short online sale that sells out in under an hour, with a smaller resale of returns in the spring. There is no other legitimate way to buy them.
Is Glastonbury suitable for children?
Yes. Children under 13 can come free with a ticket holder, and there is a dedicated area, the Kidz Field, with shows and activities. Many families camp in the quieter family camping areas. Bring ear defenders for small children near the big stages, and plan for long walks.
