Andrew Kerr: very sad news

Glastonbury Festival 2015

Wednesday 24th to Sunday 28th June 2015
Worthy Farm, Pilton, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 4AZ, England MAP
£220 (secured with a deposit) - SOLD OUT

Daily capacity: 198,000

This afternoon the co-founder of Glastonbury Fair, the 1971 forerunner of today's Glastonbury Festival passed away.

Andrew Kerr was one of the forging triumvirate of what is the greatest Festival on earth, who together with farmer Michael Eavis and Arabella Churchill, brought to our culture the wonderful event which has become the Glastonbury Festival Of Performing Arts. He died in Yeovil hospital, after falling ill just before ticket sale day on Saturday night. The Intolerably Hip writer had refused medical intervention and said he felt it was time.

Glastonbury Festival organiser Michael Eavis has made the following tribute on the Festival's website:

Andrew Kerr, who was in his eighty-first year, died today at 2.30 pm. He had been ill for some time and went into Yeovil Hospital yesterday. Andrew came to me in 1970 with ideas to run a free festival, and with the help of Arabella Churchill and others he raised the necessary funds.
He brought a new green conviction to Worthy Farm, raising environmental and ecological concerns to a national level of debate for the very first time. His charisma and charm dissolved any opposition to the Festival and the Glastonbury we know now owes so much to his vision.

Many attendees of the Glastonbury Festival these days will, perhaps, be unaware of who Andrew Kerr actually is and where he is placed in the history of the famous Festival. However, back in 1971, at the age of 37 he staged the Glastonbury Fair, along with Arabella Churchill, as a sequel to farmer Michael Eavis' first famous Pilton Pop Festival of 1970.

It was at that event, 40 years ago, that the first iconic Pyramid Stage inspired by Kerr's friend John Michell was to appear, the name Glastonbury was to first be used, and the now regular June date was set.

Without Kerr's great contribution, drive and enthusiasm to create that first big event at Worthy Farm, it would be likely that there may be no descendent of it around today.

Kerr was inspired to put on the free festival after his experience at the commercial Isle of Wight Festival in 1970, and to mark the 40th Anniversary of the Fair, Glastonbury Festival asked Kerr to organise the 'Spirit of 71' stage, with a number of the original performers.That same year Kerr published his biography 'Intolerably Hip' which tells the story of his life.

The Festivals on the farm weren't annual events. Kerr returned in 1978 when there was a spontaneous free festival, helped to organise the Wagon Shed gigs in 1980, and helped Eavis to apply for the Festival's licence in 1981.

Kerr was a regular visitor of the event as as it grew over the years. In 1981 when Kerr helped with the event it attracted around 18,000 people. He became the site manager from 1981 until 1987 when the event attracted 60,000 revellers, and it became necessary for professionals to take over.

The Festival was just a small part of Kerr's fascinating life, he became an organic farmer, sailor, writer, CND supporter, a seeker of spiritual enlightenment, and more.

Kerr's legacy is that the Festival stays as true as possible to his original aim of being rooted in green issues, to try to conserve natural resources, to respect life and to awaken the spirit. Tenets that the Festival has always led the way in, and still does, in bringing to great gatherings and shared experiences. Although the festival now becomes home to 177,000 people, with many more than that hoping for a ticket each year.

Perhaps is was fitting that the man who is part of the mythos of the legendary event went on to his next big adventure over the first weekend in October, a weekend that is so important to all those trying for tickets for the Festival. Andrew Kerr's twinkling smile and his sense of humour will be missed at next year's event.

His funeral will be in Scoraig Scotland where he lived in a Croft for many years, and where his family still live.

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