“Glastonbury will probably take one of its periodic fallow years in 2026”

[Ayrshire Chris]

1 hour ago, westholtschic said:

It will mean my 60th at the farm as missed my 50th in 2018 😁

You youngsters!  Will be my 70th

[westholtschic]

Just now, Ayrshire Chris said:

You youngsters!  Will be my 70th

Wow you are amazing brother 

[Crazyfool01]

If she were announcing the fallow year she wouldn’t say maybe/ might Not convinced at all . Could have just not mentioned it if a decision was yet to be made . Not like it’s a live gaff 

[bob323]

i could have sworn Emily and her husband Nick said they were planning to get rid of fallow years - I guess the stress of running the festival is catching up with them

Edited June 10 by bob323

[Helsbels]

Isn't 4 years on then a fallow year the usual that they did before Covid?

[FloopFiller]

5 minutes ago, Helsbels said:

Isn't 4 years on then a fallow year the usual that they did before Covid?

Yeah but I think a lot of people were assuming after having been forced on a two year break for Covid that they’d extend it this time around. In fact, I think Emily has said as much, so I’m sure there must be a major factor for them to reverse on that. Needing to reassess the budget? Michael’s health maybe? Who knows. 

[Looother]

Earlier in the podcast she says "we're talking about headliners for the next couple of years, cos we do it so far in advance. Especially American artists who are planning on touring, they plan those things a couple of years ahead". So unless I'm counting wrong they're already booking 2025 and 2026.

[broken monkey]

Looking back at the licencing agreement, it appears the request from Pilton Parish Council was for "fallow years are established as 1 in every 5 years in terms of the continuing agricultural use of the farm and as a rest for villagers", although I don't think this was specified once the licence was granted. 

Docs can be found here: https://publicaccess.mendip.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=RN5B5SKPKE700

I believe Worthy Pastures was granted permission for 8 weeks in fallow years, so there will still be an income from this.

[4AssedMonkey]

Do they need to ramp up demand by sending false messages like this?  I'd say demand is an all time high and I don't see a perceived slightly weaker lineup this year denting that one jot.

 

The cynic in me thinks that this may be hedging bets against availability of headliners.  Maybe the touring cycles of the big artists mean that they'll be thin on the ground in 2026?  I'd expect that they are already pretty much there with 2025's bigger bookings (headliners and subs) and already sending out feelers for 2026, so if anyone would know who's likely to be on the road around that time, Glasto would.  If it's slim pickings and artists are migrating away from the reduced fee/cache/BBC coverage and more towards the almighty dollar, then they could be in an untenable position.

[incident]

4 minutes ago, 4AssedMonkey said:

Do they need to ramp up demand by sending false messages like this?  I'd say demand is an all time high and I don't see a perceived slightly weaker lineup this year denting that one jot.

 

The cynic in me thinks that this may be hedging bets against availability of headliners.  Maybe the touring cycles of the big artists mean that they'll be thin on the ground in 2026?  I'd expect that they are already pretty much there with 2025's bigger bookings (headliners and subs) and already sending out feelers for 2026, so if anyone would know who's likely to be on the road around that time, Glasto would.  If it's slim pickings and artists are migrating away from the reduced fee/cache/BBC coverage and more towards the almighty dollar, then they could be in an untenable position.

 

Think this has it nailed tbh. If it was a ploy to sell 2025 tickets, you'd announce the fallow year at or after the 2024 event to get maximum (usefully timed) publicity out of it.

 

2025 ticket sales are very unlikely to be affected even slightly by anything Emily says in a low profile podcast interview. The only way it doesn't sell out if we get apocalyptic weather and that turns people off.

[Ayrshire Chris]

17 minutes ago, broken monkey said:

Looking back at the licencing agreement, it appears the request from Pilton Parish Council was for "fallow years are established as 1 in every 5 years in terms of the continuing agricultural use of the farm and as a rest for villagers", although I don't think this was specified once the licence was granted. 

Docs can be found here: https://publicaccess.mendip.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=RN5B5SKPKE700

I believe Worthy Pastures was granted permission for 8 weeks in fallow years, so there will still be an income from this.

Not sure if the worthy pastures thing was given permission, they did ask for it but there were objections. Hope it does go ahead, it was good fun. 

[incident]

1 minute ago, Ayrshire Chris said:

Not sure if the worthy pastures thing was given permission, they did ask for it but there were objections. Hope it does go ahead, it was good fun. 

 

I'm also not sure if it got permission - reports on that are contradictory - but would they really run it again anyway? I don't think they they got the demand they expected in 2021, as things started to reopen, and I can't see it being any higher in a "normal" fallow year.

 

I love Glastonbury, but if they do take a fallow year then there's so many other great festivals out there and not enough time so surely the play is to go to one of those rather than spend a week poking around a largely empty site.

[-TLR-]

i absolutely LOVED Worthy Pastures and for one would be very happy indeed if it was to make a return.

 

to me WP was actually exactly what the Festival should be.

[Ayrshire Chris]

6 minutes ago, -TLR- said:

i absolutely LOVED Worthy Pastures and for one would be very happy indeed if it was to make a return.

 

to me WP was actually exactly what the Festival should be.

Yes, we had a great time, met Michael E and got a photo with him. We usually camp down Glasto way anyway so it was something different.  Also meant some income for the festival as the worthy view tents were put into use. 

Edited June 10 by Ayrshire Chris

[Gnomicide]

1 hour ago, Helsbels said:

Isn't 4 years on then a fallow year the usual that they did before Covid?

 

No. It's been 5 years on, 1 year off for a while.

 

2007 - 2011

2012 off

2013 - 2017

2018 off

2019 - covid. 

[philipsteak]

1 hour ago, incident said:

 

 

 

2025 ticket sales are very unlikely to be affected even slightly by anything Emily says in a low profile podcast interview. The only way it doesn't sell out if we get apocalyptic weather and that turns people off.

 

Pretty much anything she says seems to get reported in more mainstream media though. Unless that's just the all seeing algorithms at work for me. 

Although I agree, even with that the affect on sales is going to be tiny if anything.

[One Tonne Baby]

Proper lol at the fact this literally comes from the horses mouth (sorry Emily) and people are still like...nah, dont think so mate/dont believe her.

[The Nal]

Got the impression the land and cows etc was one issue but all the bullshit and outrage about the festival these days is another. Emily and the fest need a break from idiots online. Shes received death threats from cretins before. 

[Helsbels]

1 hour ago, Gnomicide said:

 

No. It's been 5 years on, 1 year off for a while.

 

2007 - 2011

2012 off

2013 - 2017

2018 off

2019 - covid. 

Don't know where I got the 4 year thing from in my head, doh!

[gooner1990]

11 minutes ago, Helsbels said:

Don't know where I got the 4 year thing from in my head, doh!

Throughout the 90s and early 00s it was four on, one off.

[Beaver89]

Listened to this this morning and didn't hear any fallow talk. Anyone got a timestamp?

[sunnyshoes]

5 minutes ago, Beaver89 said:

Listened to this this morning and didn't hear any fallow talk. Anyone got a timestamp?

No time stamp as I'm not that clever but it was really near the end. The last 5 mins maybe. 

[Beaver89]

1 minute ago, sunnyshoes said:

No time stamp as I'm not that clever but it was really near the end. The last 5 mins maybe. 

Literally just found it scanning through. 43 minute mark.

"and we might do a fallow year after that" was the exact phrasing.

[Crazyfool01]

53 minutes ago, Beaver89 said:

Literally just found it scanning through. 43 minute mark.

"and we might do a fallow year after that" was the exact phrasing.

So in my opinion leaves room for speculation 

[Nobody Interesting]

Just now, Crazyfool01 said:

So in my opinion leaves room for speculation 

 

This is EFests - of course there is room for speculation.