Glastonbury will take a break next year to allow the land to recover.
The iconic festival is hosted every year, with intervals roughly every 5 years, on Worthy Farm, a 1500 acre farm in Somerset. Since its conception, and debut in 1970, Glastonbury has been organised and run by the farm’s owners, the Eavis family. When Worthy Farm isn’t hosting Glastonbury, it’s a dairy farm, with cows grazing the festival site for most of the year. They even sell their own cheese, called Worthy Farm Cheddar.
In 2026, Glastonbury will take a fallow year, a concept in farming which means to leave the land unsown for a set period to restore its fertility. In the context of Glastonbury, it means taking a break from the festival in order to prevent irreparable damage to the farmland, as well as to restore some peace to the small village of Pilton, which is situated about 6 miles east of the festival.
Michael Eavis, the co-creator of the festival, discussed the importance of fallow years in yesterday’s (26 June) edition of The Glastonbury Free Press. He said: “I invented those in the ’80s, because it was very stressful with the licence, the police, the village, the press and the council.
“I thought, ‘We’ll give them all a break so they’ve got nothing to complain about for a bit!’ And of course, the farm gets a rest. It was a really good idea. I think we’ll be ready for a break next year!”
As well as this, fallow years are important for the cows that graze the land. The festival’s co-organiser, and Michael Eavis’ daughter, Emily Eavis, explained on the BBC’s Sidetracked podcast: “The fallow year is important because it gives the land a rest, it gives the cows a chance to be out for longer and reclaim their land.”
Traditionally, the fallow period is once every five years. The last official fallow year was in 2018, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Glastonbury was also postponed in 2020 and 2021.
Although many fans will miss Glasto in 2026, it makes this year’s festival all the more special. Emily Eavis told The Sun exactly why: “The festival before a fallow year is always a fun one to plan, because you almost have to fit two years into one.”
It’s a pattern that means the line-ups before a fallow year are often especially stacked, as this year’s Glastonbury clearly demonstrates. The festival kicks off today, 27 June, boasting a star-studded bill, featuring the likes of Alanis Morissette, Fat Boy Slim and Supergrass. Tomorrow we’ll see performances from Charli XCX, Doechii, Weezer and Gary Numan. And Olivia Rodrigo, The Prodigy and Jorja Smith will perform on Sunday, the final day.
For more MXDWN coverage on Glastonbury 2025, click here
