Alongside this success the festival has made significant charitable contributions, with £5.2 million donated to organisations such as Oxfam, Greenpeace, and WaterAid.

This financial turnaround comes after challenging years during the COVID-19 pandemic, when – like many similar events worldwide – the festival faced cancellations in 2020 and 2021, resulting in multimillion-pound losses. However, the back-to-back successful festivals in 2023 and 2024 have helped to rebuild financial reserves, ensuring both the event’s longevity and its philanthropic commitments.

Thank you to everyone who entered the prize draw to win tickets to Glastonbury! Together you raised an incredible amount to support people affected by conflict.

Special thank you to @glastonbury for match funding, bringing the total to £1.2 million! [1/2] pic.twitter.com/OWFCFRZhXp

— War Child UK (@WarChildUK) March 28, 2024

Its profitability is a relatively small proportion of its overall income, Glastonbury generated £68.4 million in revenue—a 20% increase compared to the previous year—and contributed an estimated £168 million to UK-based businesses in 2023. The organisation also invested £3.7 million in purchasing additional land in June 2024, a move likely aimed at securing the festival’s sustainability and growth.

The festival has also seen a generational shift in leadership. Michael Eavis, who co-founded Glastonbury in 1970, has officially handed over day-to-day operations to his daughter, Emily Eavis. Emily has gradually assumed more responsibility over the years, and this transfer solidifies her role as the driving force behind the festival’s future.

While the 2025 lineup remains largely under wraps, Sir Rod Stewart has been confirmed for the prestigious “legends slot.” The announcement comes as part of what is being billed as Stewart’s festival farewell. 

 

 

 

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Musician Neil Young was initially slated to perform at Glastonbury 2025, marking his second appearance at the event. In a flip flop series of events, the singer abruptly stated his intent to withdraw, citing concerns about alleged “corporate control” by the BBC and other sponsors. Earlier today however he reversed this decision, citing an error in information and has assured fans that he is looking forward to headlining this summer. 

For 2026, the festival has announced a “fallow year” to allow the land to recover, a tradition that underscores Glastonbury’s commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship. This has perhaps contributed to the way that tickets for the 2025 edition of the festival sold out in just 35 minutes when they went on sale late last year.

Tickets for Glastonbury 2025 have now Sold Out. Thanks to everyone who bought one and sorry to those who missed out, on a morning when demand was much higher than supply.

There will be a resale of any cancelled or returned tickets in spring 2025.

— Glastonbury Festival (@glastonbury) November 17, 2024

The 2024 festival was headlined by pop superstar Dua Lipa, who graced the Pyramid Stage and later announced a Wembley Stadium show for 2025.  Kasabian took the stage for a Saturday evening set on the Woodsies Stage and in one of the festival’s famed surprise sets, Kevin Parker of Tame Impala delighted fans. 

Despite it being a good financial year for Glastonbury, its been an tough for other festivals. The number of cancelled, shut down, or postponed events has doubled since 2023. The most recent of these to announce its cancellation was Norfolk and Malta based Sundown Festival who announced on their website and instagram that they would not be returning for a 13th year in 2025.

It is a credit to Glastonbury’s continued cultural significance that it maintains both economic security and impact. It will be interesting to see if it remains both a symbol of tradition and a stage for reinvention, but with this renewed financial foundation, the festival appears well-prepared to face its next chapter, whatever challenges and opportunities may arise.

Earlier this month, Eurovision stars Måneskin announced that due to “scheduling conflicts” they had to cancel their appearance at the festival. “We love and miss the UK and all of our beloved UK fans and we’re absolutely gutted to no longer be able to play these shows,” they wrote in a post on their social media. The festival organisers then followed up by posting “We are saddened to hear that Jack Harlow and Måneskin have decided to perform at an award show the same weekend they were confirmed to play Reading and Leeds,” on their Instagram story.

This blow came after headliners Rage Against The Machine pulled out due to frontman Zack de la Rocha’s leg injury. A statement on Twitter was released saying: “Per medical guidance, Zack de la Rocha has been advised that the August and September 2022 UK and European leg of the Rage Against The Machine tour cannot proceed. It is with great disappoint that we announce this cancellation.” Soon after, The 1975 were announced as their replacement. This will mark their second appearance as headliners after their 2019 set. 

@OfficialRandL
Its not easy to find a headline festival act in short period of time but the replacement you have are not on the scale of RATM and are not even of the same genre of music. If you are not offering refund for sunday ticket holders that is absolutely unacceptable.

— Ryan Arthurton (@RyanArt9119) August 12, 2022

The changes to the line up have garnered mixed responses from ticket holders with one Twitter user describing The 1975 as a “downgrade”  and another saying that The 1975 were “not even of the same genre of music”.  The festivals’ refund policy states money can only be returned for a “material alteration which, in Festival Republic’s opinion, makes the event materially different to the event that ticket purchasers expected”, but it also mentions that “changes to the line-up” or “changes to a band” does not make consumers entitled to a refund. 

The announcement of the latest additions, Charlie XCX and AJ Tracey has also got some festival-goers feeling let down with on saying Reading and Leeds has “lost its identity” and another asking why there wasn’t a rockbound replacing Måneskin. A lot of the disappointment seems to be from those who had booked tickets to see bands more associated with the rock and indie genre; something which Reading and Leeds has been synonymous with since its inception. 

Despite this causing a stir, the system has actually been in place since 2011 and was set up to battle touting by ensuring fans have access to the the most in-demand tickets. The Ticketmaster website says “The prices are adjusted according to supply and demand. The goal is to give fans fair and safe access to in demand tickets, while allowing the artists and everyone involved in staging live events to price tickets closer to their true value.” Some have speculated that this approach is preferable to lining the pockets of those purchasing tickets to only resell. However, in the UK it has been illegal for people to sell tickets for live events, matches, and concerts for more than face value Since 31 July 2021.

Though some artists may welcome the dynamic pricing structure, others claim to have had no knowledge of it and are said to disagree with its practices. Back in 2020, Australian rock band, Crowded House released a statement on Twitter indicating that they were not aware of the system and had not approved the program. They approached Live Nation and requested that any ticket holders who had paid over face-value were to be reimbursed. 

pic.twitter.com/YGH9hNany5

— Crowded House (@CrowdedHouseHQ) November 17, 2020

There’s no doubt that since the pandemic, fans are thrilled that music has come back with a bang. A Wall Street Journal investigation from 2019, found the average ticket price to attend the Top 100 US tours increased up 55% in the last ten years and with the ongoing effects of inflation, and the pandemic, it is no surprise that music’s comeback will come at a cost.