2026 Fallow Year

[CaledonianGonzo]

6 minutes ago, AtomsForPizza said:

The more I think about it, I'm guessing Emily/GFL were keen for a genuine fallow year, the last one being 2018. Although the festival didn't run for two years during Covid, they must have still had loads going on behind the scenes/and must have been pretty stressful in the run up to 2020 when they had acts booked

 

I'm guessing it's a license thing and an olive branch to the locals more than it's something they genuinely need or want to do.  Emily is an event promoter, not a dairy farmer.

[DeanoL]

It's also possible that Emily is extremely smart and switched on to many of the issues around overcrowding and the need to make some big changes, so the slightly earlier fallow year is to give them the time to do that. We could be returning to a very different, fully overhauled site in 2027.

 

To make big changes like that really needs a fallow year as the planning from one festival to the next otherwise just rolls on and there's time to truly change things significantly.

[balti-pie]

Lineup dependant, i might give the Isle of Wight fest a bash - its reasonably close to me, and as its the weekend before glastonbury i cant ever imagine doing both back to back - this'll be the only chance to do it for another half decade. Again though its very lineup driven, i dont think there's much to do if you dont fancy any of the bands . . . 

[stuie]

42 minutes ago, balti-pie said:

Lineup dependant, i might give the Isle of Wight fest a bash - its reasonably close to me, and as its the weekend before glastonbury i cant ever imagine doing both back to back - this'll be the only chance to do it for another half decade. Again though its very lineup driven, i dont think there's much to do if you dont fancy any of the bands . . . 

nothing to do after headliners either, nightlife doesn’t exist. 

[The Nal]

57 minutes ago, DeanoL said:

It's also possible that Emily is extremely smart and switched on to many of the issues around overcrowding and the need to make some big changes, so the slightly earlier fallow year is to give them the time to do that. We could be returning to a very different, fully overhauled site in 2027.

 

To make big changes like that really needs a fallow year as the planning from one festival to the next otherwise just rolls on and there's time to truly change things significantly.

 

Get the impression theres change afoot alright. Half the SE Corner needs to get in the bin at this stage.

 

The Theatre and Circus areas are fairly dead in their current state. 

 

Avalon needs addressing. 

[mazola]

3 hours ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

Its not going to get any easier. 2024 was a success and people are still going to be going for tickets on the basis that someone like Taylor Swift is bound to be doing it next year.

I think the reason may be Swift agreeing to 2027, meaning they need to squeeze the fallow year in otherwise it would be 6 festivals on the bounce.

[gfa]

53 minutes ago, mazola said:

I think the reason may be Swift agreeing to 2027, meaning they need to squeeze the fallow year in otherwise it would be 6 festivals on the bounce.

there's no way shes agreed to a festival in 3 years time - that's unheard of ?

[CaledonianGonzo]

7 minutes ago, gfa said:

there's no way shes agreed to a festival in 3 years time - that's unheard of ?

Agreed.  Any agreement that exists with Taylor will be very loose and very generic.

[DeanoL]

1 hour ago, The Nal said:

 

Get the impression theres change afoot alright. Half the SE Corner needs to get in the bin at this stage.

 

The Theatre and Circus areas are fairly dead in their current state. 

 

Avalon needs addressing. 

With Melvin on board, there's a chance to revitalise T&C to something more akin to how it's handled at Latitude. No doubt would upset a fair amount of people but it really needs it.

[Skip997]

21 hours ago, DeanoL said:

With Melvin on board, there's a chance to revitalise T&C to something more akin to how it's handled at Latitude. No doubt would upset a fair amount of people but it really needs it.

No idea what happens at Latitude, but T&C is a bit of a “sacred cow”, being Bella Churchill’s creation 

[Crazyfool01]

Ah crap would have had my 50th birthday onsite potentially… will probably have a foreign holiday if I’m able to persuade any mates … difficulty being that mates are able to get a few days away from partners for Glastonbury but doubt they’d be so accommodating for a foreign holiday . I’ve had many birthdays onsite over the years so will count my blessings 

[NorthernSoul52]

Probably do a BST depending who's on - or may finally try my luck at a European festival.

 

We'll see.

[Ayrshire Chris]

1 hour ago, Crazyfool01 said:

Ah crap would have had my 50th birthday onsite potentially… will probably have a foreign holiday if I’m able to persuade any mates … difficulty being that mates are able to get a few days away from partners for Glastonbury but doubt they’d be so accommodating for a foreign holiday . I’ve had many birthdays onsite over the years so will count my blessings 

That’s a pity, I had assumed it would be 2027 until I read the article in the Sunday edition of the free press. 

[gfa]

Roskilde is my plan for the fallow year, if i can convince mates! Or somewhere else in Europe

 

There's not really any UK fests near glasto i'm interested in unless IOW pull a crazy lineup out the bag

[Crazyfool01]

2 minutes ago, Ayrshire Chris said:

That’s a pity, I had assumed it would be 2027 until I read the article in the Sunday edition of the free press. 

I was hoping on the maybe wording early on untill the free press confirm … ah well such is life 🙂 

[gooner1990]

23 minutes ago, gfa said:

Roskilde is my plan for the fallow year, if i can convince mates! Or somewhere else in Europe

 

There's not really any UK fests near glasto i'm interested in unless IOW pull a crazy lineup out the bag

 

Few of our crowd are thinking the World Cup in the USA/Canada/Mexico

[Supernintendo Chalmers]

On 7/7/2024 at 10:25 PM, Avalon_Fields said:

Personally I’m disappointed the fallow year is so soon, I’d rather keep going year on year. 

 

The cynic in me thinks they'll inevitably renege on it and 2027 will up being the fallow year and that this recent statement is simply to drum up even greater interest in 2025's event (there were some murmurings pre-festival this year of a perceived weaker lineup and reduced demand for 2025). I reckon a lot more people will be trying in October, if they think there won't be another festival until 2027. Either way, October/November's sale will probably be the most difficult yet.

[Ayrshire Chris]

45 minutes ago, gooner1990 said:

 

Few of our crowd are thinking the World Cup in the USA/Canada/Mexico

Maybe Arsenal in the world club championship?😊

[gooner1990]

3 minutes ago, Ayrshire Chris said:

Maybe Arsenal in the world club championship?😊

 

ha! 

 

only if 115FC get sorted out 😉 

[stuie]

2 minutes ago, Supernintendo Chalmers said:

 

The cynic in me thinks they'll inevitably renege on it and 2027 will up being the fallow year and that this recent statement is simply to drum up even greater interest in 2025's event (there were some murmurings pre-festival this year of a perceived weaker lineup and reduced demand for 2025). I reckon a lot more people will be trying in October, if they think there won't be another festival until 2027. Either way, October/November's sale will probably be the most difficult yet.

 

I don't think there's a precedent for that... if it was just Emily in an interview answering a question, maybe.  It's pretty widespread news now I can't see minds being changed! 

 

Something is going on in 2026 - infrastructure changes or significant site layout changes are my guesses. 

 

[gooner1990]

Just now, stuie said:

 

I don't think there's a precedent for that... if it was just Emily in an interview answering a question, maybe.  It's pretty widespread news now I can't see minds being changed! 

 

Something is going on in 2026 - infrastructure changes or significant site layout changes are my guesses. 

 

 

As someone who works there and probably has a better oversight of what's going on would you say changes are needed?

[gigpusher]

9 minutes ago, stuie said:

 

I don't think there's a precedent for that... if it was just Emily in an interview answering a question, maybe.  It's pretty widespread news now I can't see minds being changed! 

 

Something is going on in 2026 - infrastructure changes or significant site layout changes are my guesses. 

 

Possible changes plus I imagine they think it's better to do a fallow year in a World Cup year as well. Always very exciting going back after a fallow year as they've had time to do a lot. Fingers crossed with tickets etc.

[stuie]

4 minutes ago, gooner1990 said:

As someone who works there and probably has a better oversight of what's going on would you say changes are needed?

 

Absolutely needed and way overdue.   The half ticket/pass out/wristband system is such a faff and clearly isn't working as it should.  Paying customers in a long queue to get their tickets checked on the way out, while staff/crew whizz past them with EPO scans and no queue isn't a good look either.   Everyone needs a bar code now! 

[Supernintendo Chalmers]

9 minutes ago, stuie said:

Something is going on in 2026 - infrastructure changes or significant site layout changes are my guesses. 

 

Yeah, that's probably most likely.

 

I wonder if that might see a bit of a shift in demographic? There's a few I know who think 2025 will probably be their last, if they get a ticket. The festival before a fallow year seems like as good a time to bow out as any.

[gooner1990]

9 minutes ago, stuie said:

 

Absolutely needed and way overdue.   The half ticket/pass out/wristband system is such a faff and clearly isn't working as it should.  Paying customers in a long queue to get their tickets checked on the way out, while staff/crew whizz past them with EPO scans and no queue isn't a good look either.   Everyone needs a bar code now! 

 

I had an EPO band when I worked it back in 2019 so no idea why its not been rolled out fully.

 

My senior manager at my day job worked for Oxfam this year ( I think possibly as a supervisor)...I'll ask her what she did/experience when I have a chance. 🙂