Glastonbury Festival advanced ticket scheme full details confirmed

Glastonbury Festival, back on top form in 2008, have confirmed the full details for the advance ticket scheme, which has the Festival offering 'early bird' tickets six months before the event for the first time in its history.

Tickets for Britain's biggest and best outdoor music festival will be available to buy - or reserve for a £50 deposit - from Sunday 5th October, with festival-goers who have registered able to buy up to six tickets for registered friends and family in one transaction.

Next year's Glastonbury runs for five full days - from Wednesday 24th June until Sunday 28 June 2009 – across 1,000 acres of beautiful countryside at Worthy Farm, Somerset.

Festival founder and organiser Michael Eavis says: "We have come up with a scheme that will allow people a much longer period to plan and pay for their tickets, while still continuing the battle against ticket touting. By paying as little as £50 up front this year, festival-goers from all over the world will be able to guarantee a ticket for next year’s event. At the same time the very successful registration scheme will ensure that tickets will only go to those named individuals who have reserved them in advance."

Many festival-goers have already registered their names for the 2009 event and will therefore have their all-important registration number. Anyone who hasn't registered will be able to do so when registration re-opens on Monday 1st September. Those without internet access can apply for a registration form (enclosing an SAE) to Glastonbury, PO Box 2445, Glasgow G40 9AG.

When the booking lines open at 9am on Sunday 5th October, all registered festival-goers will have two options. They can either buy a full weekend ticket at a price of £175 (plus a booking fee of £5). Alternatively, tickets can be reserved at a cost of £50 per ticket. The balance will be payable by Sunday 1st February 2009. With both these options, the number of tickets available per transaction to registered customers has been increased to six.

While £175 puts Glastonbury in the top-price bracket for festivals, it actually works out far cheaper than festivals at a similar price. Included in the ticket price is the festival programme, of a quality that would see other festivals possibly charging £30 for it (based on a comparison with their own offerings). On top of that, at Glastonbury there's no 'early entry' charge (some other festivals charge in the region of £10 a day to arrive early), and festival goers can save themselves a fortune by taking their own drinks, not only into the campsite but also with them as they enjoy the Festival - most other festivals do not allow festival-goers to have their own drinks inside the festival.

Glastonbury Festival 2009 will take place from Wednesday 24th to Sunday 28th June, at Worthy Farm, Pilton, Somerset. It will play host to more than 2,000 performances at 50 or so venues including music, cabaret, theatre, circus, and also has a fantastic Kids area, poetry, green crafts and information and loads, loads more.

No acts are confirmed as yet, but as usual eFestivals will bring you the very best-sourced rumours, allowing festival-goers to see who is playing long before the bands are formally announced - keep your eyes on the Glastonbury 2009 rumours, updated as we receive information.

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