Michael Eavis hints at a special event planned for 2018

Glastonbury Festival 2016

Wednesday 22nd to Sunday 26th June 2016
Worthy Farm, Pilton, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 4AZ, England MAP
£228 - SOLD OUT

Daily capacity: 203,000

For the third time now Glastonbury Festival organiser Michael Eavis has hinted that the Festival are considering a new location, and this time he's revealed that it could well be for a new event held over the next fallow year, planned for 2018.

After the Festival ended last year, organisers confirmed there would be no "Festival at Worthy Farm in 2018", as we published (here). As we reported then it seems that organisers really were thinking about a 'new location' and perhaps would do something else somewhere else.

The organisers do have issues to address and one way of addressing them is to move site, with one of the contributing factors is the amount of people who were pissing on the land instead of in the facilities provided. Urine which then filters into the Environment Office monitored watercourses. It's a condition of the licence, and the continuation of the Festival that set water pollution levels are not exceeded.

eFestivals also understands that other landowners in the area, are also, as ever problematic. The Eavis family only own land in the middle of the festival and rely on their neighbours to let them borrow their land to site the whole 1000+ acres event in the Vale of Avalon. It's a big commitment to expect them not to use their farmland for development or other purposes so they can keep the Festival sited on it each year. There is now a large solar farm on part of the land which was used for the Festival's car parking, and some housing has been built near the Dance Village area.

Last year we reported that farmer Michael Eavis told Sky News (here) that he was looking into alternative sites, but he was keeping them secret and did not reveal a time frame, saying, "All good things come to an end and one has to make changes. I would love it to stay but it's getting very, very complicated now." Telling Sky News, "I'm always worried about the future, about the land not being available really, because I only own the middle bit, and that's where the pyramid is. I may have to find a site that's bigger and is all under the control of one person. That's the ideal situation really, so that might happen in the long-term ...All good things come to an end, and one has to make changes, all through your life you have to make changes. I would love it to stay here but it's getting very, very complicated now."

Just before Christmas we also brought news that Michael Eavis had again talked about the possibility of a move of the Festival to a new location according to The Sunday Times (here). The Festival's founder disclosed that he has an excellent site ready if that happens within 20 miles of Glastonbury, explaining, "I have a reserve site at the moment that’s pretty sorted. So if I get any problems with Worthy Farm, then I can move it about 20 miles up the road. I hope I don’t have to do that because the festival is really about the farm and Glastonbury and the vale of Avalon – all the mystery and legends of the area. So it wouldn’t be quite the same if we had to move it away for the sake of the gas pipe. But you never know."

Now for a third time the farmer has hinted that Glastonbury Festival may be moved from Somerset's Worthy Farm at an event at Thatcher's Cider base in Sandford, Somerset, to celebrate the cider maker being a sponsor of the Festival. According to a report today in The Western Daily Press (here) the event might be moved from its site at Worthy Farm in two years time. They also report that he has suggested he is planning 'something special' for the summer of 2018 which could allude there are plans to have a different event in a 'fallow year' which may be held outside of Somerset.

Speaking at the event he is reported as having said, "I am very proud of what we have managed to achieve over the years. I wake up every morning and get excited just thinking about the festival I have never really considered retiring because I would miss the festival too much. That is why I don't really want to have a year without a festival. At my age I want to enjoy as many festivals as I possibly can. I am getting too old and I don't want to miss out on any festivals."

The article suggests that instead of having a fallow year every five years to give the farmland a chance to recover as has become traditional the Festival could move in 2018. They report, that 'now the move outside Somerset suggests that there will no longer be a Glastonbury break, instead the festival will just take place elsewhere on the fallow years.'

Eavis leaves much of the booking of acts to his daughter Emily and her husband Nick Dewey but still takes an active interest in the music. He added: "We have a team of people booking all the bands for the different stages but I still like to get involved and have my say. It is still my name on all the cheques.

"It really is incredible what we have managed to achieve, we are the market leader and hopefully it will stay that way for some time. I know things change but somehow we have managed to stay at the top for a long time."

He added: "We have the biggest act in the world with Adele on Saturday night and on the Sunday night we have the biggest band in the world. When I celebrated my birthday in October Chris Martin came over from the States for the celebrations. Here at the festival we have always been really close to Coldplay and I am thrilled they are coming back again. They are one of those bands who have been associated with the festival."

For those that worry about the weather and are planning to attend this year the farmer predicts a great summer and a great festival, adding, "We are having quite a lot of rain at the moment which is always a good sign. If we get a lot of rain early in the year then it usually means we have a hot June."

This year's sold out Glastonbury Festival runs for five full days from Wednesday 22nd until Sunday 26th June 2016 across over a 1,000 acres of beautiful countryside at Worthy Farm, Pilton in Somerset.

Tickets have sold out, however ticket re-sales of returned tickets will take place this week over two separate days, and can only be booked by those who are registered, as part of the Festival's system to beat ticket touting.

Just like the main sale in October, those wanting to travel to the Festival by coach will get the first opportunity to book tickets. The all important resale for Ticket + Coach packages will be from 6pm on Thursday, 14th April.

That will be followed by a resale of General Admission tickets, at 9am on Sunday, 17th April.

General Admission Tickets cost £228 + £5 booking fee (with postage by Royal Mail Special Delivery charged at £7.75 per order).

For general admission it is expected that once again there will be a maximum of 4 tickets per transaction, and for coaches a maximum of 2 tickets per transaction.

Please note that all tickets purchased in the resale must be paid for in full at the point of booking (there is no deposit scheme offered for resale). These tickets can be refunded up until 8th May, and cancellation protection is available at the point of purchase.

Registration does not reserve or guarantee you a ticket in the resale. Registration must be done before 5pm today, Wednesday, 13th April 2016.

Online registration can be carried out by clicking here.

The Friday headliners are Muse, Adele tops the bill on Saturday and Coldplay on Sunday, plus PJ Harvey, Jeff Lynne's Electric Light Orchestra, Art Garfunkel, Cyndi Lauper, Earth, Wind & Fire, The Last Shadow Puppets, Sigur Ros, Ronnie Spector, Ellie Goulding, Explosions In The Sky, Foals, Beck, LCD Soundsystem, ZZ Top, Disclosure, New Order, Skepta, The 1975, Grimes, Annie Mac, Syrian National Orchestra for Arabic Music, Underworld, James Blake, Chvrches, Savages, Floating Points, Laura Mvula, Stormzy, Daughter, Little Simz, Vince Staples, John Grant, Band of Horses, Jess Glynne, Carl Cox, Nao, Fatboy Slim, Bring Me The Horizon, Richard Hawley, The Lumineers, Lady Leshurr, Rokia Traore, Guy Garvey, Kamasi Washington, Jack Garratt, AlunaGeorge, Hinds, Ezra Furman, M83, Kurt Vile (solo), Mercury Rev, Gregory Porter, Madness, Wolf Alice, Baaba Maal, Ernest Ranglin, Bastille, Roisin Murphy, Santigold, Years And Years, Dua Lipa, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Bat For Lashes, Protoje, Two Door Cinema Club, Jake Bugg, Mac DeMarco, St Etienne, Blossoms, Of Monsters and Men, Lapsley, Bossy Love, Early Ghost, Gillbanks, Hattie Whitehead, Henry Green, Lady Sanity, Marcus McCoan, and She Drew The Gun.

The full complete line-up will not be announced until later this month. Expect something like 2,000 performances at over 100 venues including music, cabaret, theatre, circus, a fantastic Kidz area, poetry, green crafts and information, site art, decor, and loads, loads more ... much more than just the music, so make sure you check it all out!

This year organisers particularly want to highlight the Festival's environmental policies which all ticket purchasers are required to subscribe to. The pledge must be agreed to buy those paying off their balances. It is not possible to attend the Festival without agreeing to Love the Farm, Leave no Trace.

Ticket holders for this summer's Glastonbury Festival are reminded to take part in their future by making sure they apply for an EU Referendum postal or proxy vote. You will find links to the form to postal vote here and proxy voting here. For more information (see the news page here).

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 2016 line-up & rumours, updated as we receive information.

Help us to help you - if you hear of a band that's playing, please let us know.

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