AFTER THREE YEARS, THE FESTIVAL RETURNS FOR ITS 50 TH ANNIVERSARY, WITH
HEADLINERS SUCH AS BILLIE EILISH AND PAUL MCCARTNEY. WORDS: SACHA SCOGING
Glastonbury turns 50THE INFO
Sources:bbc.com glastonburyfestivals.co.uk guerillaarchaeology.com portobellofarm.co.uk somersetlive.co.uk theguardian.com vam.ac.uk1 , 500
£ 1
£ 1 , 500
900
1981
1997
2. 4 mIN 2019 , A SENSORY
SCULPTURE CALLED
BEAM CONVERTED
THE VIBRATIONS
OF GLASTONBURY’S
BLACK BEE COLONIES
INTO LIGHT AND
SOUND EFFECTS VIA
ALGORITHMS.
The number of attendees at the
most recent festival, in 2 019.
This included entertainers,
artists, musicians, medics,
cooks, face painters, farmers,
ticket-holders, yoga teachers,
circus performers and every
walk of life in between.203 , 000
IN 1987 , HUNDREDS
OF TROUSERS WERE
STOLEN FROM TENTS.
THE TROUSER-LESS HAD
TO RECLAIM CLOTHES
FROM A DITCH.
The festival’s Pyramid Stage is positioned on the Glastonbury
Abbey and Stonehenge ‘ley line’, which are said to radiate ‘earth
energies’ linking ancient spiritual sites around the world.A brief history:
in numbersENERGY
The festival utilises biofuel, solar
and wind power, while the
Pee Power Project can convert
urine into enough electricity to
charge mobile phones.WASTE
More than 1,2 00 compost toilets
produce some 500 tonnes of
horticultural compost.More than 10, 000 native flora
species have been planted locally
since 2 000. Festival profits go to
causes that include Greenpeace,
Oxfam and Water Aid.ENVIRONMENT
Candle-lit folk, beat poetry and
Balkan polka await those who
locate the elusive Underground
Piano Bar: a secret subterranean
venue with a sunken dance floor
and surprise sets from big names.The number of attendees at
the first Glastonbury in 1970 , or
Pilton Pop, Folk & Blues Festival,
as it was originally known.The price of a ticket to the first
event, which included free
camping, a bottle of milk and an
ox roast from the site’s
Worthy Farm.The initial loss made by co-
founders, Michael and Jean Eavis,
who created the event hoping
to pay off their mortgage.The site has grown from a
handful of fields to its current
size of 900 acres, large enough
to fit 500 football pitches.Cold War-era Glastonbury
was organised in conjunction
with the Campaign for Nuclear
Disarmament (CND), and the
festival becomes an annual event.One of the wettest festival
weekends on record, ‘The Year
of the Mud’ also saw the BBC
take over television coverage.The record number of fans who
sought a ticket for 2 022’s event.
The 135 ,000 tickets sold out in
just 34 minutes.