Following the cancellation of the 50th anniversary of Glastonbury Festival, the future of when and how the festival will return has been on everyone’s minds.
The 50th edition of the festival was scheduled to occur in June 2020, yet founders Michael and Emily Eavis were required to postpone the event to 2021, following the health and safety guidelines necessary to cope with the coronavirus pandemic.
As one of the biggest music events required to take a backseat for 2020, over the course of the year the Eavis’s have shared with fans the measures they have been taking to make sure Glastonbury goes ahead and will “move heaven and earth” to get the festival up and running again in 2021.
Unfortunately, due to the blow the music and festival industry itself has taken and the financial impact of Glastonbury’s postponement, there have been many concerns regarding whether the festival will actually be able to take place safely. Co-founder Emily Eavis has dispelled rumours that the festival has already been cancelled; with former Spice Girl Mel B stating to BBC Radio 5 Live that the 2021 edition will no longer be taking place.
“I know that Glastonbury’s been cancelled so a lot of, like, big stage performances are kind of on hold again this year, which is sad but we’ve got to get this virus under control…” – Mel B, BBC Radio 5 Live
Emily Eavis responded to Mel B’s statement on twitter, quelling rumours for now as fans questioned whether Glastonbury has indeed been cancelled:
Nope, no news this end [re: Glastonbury 2021].
Will let you know right here as soon as there is news.
Emily Eavis
However, as we are unsure as to whether the 2021 edition will indeed be taking place, Eavis has confirmed with festival goers that the their previously purchased passes for the 2020 festival which have been carried over for use in 2021 will be rolled over into 2022 if worst comes to worst, which would mean leaving Glastonbury postponed for another year.
While a postponement or cancellation would be devastating, if the coronavirus pandemic is not properly controlled by the festivals scheduled date at the end of June, it may indeed be a necessary move to make sure the public are safe and healthy before continuing on, or we may see worse consequences for the public and the music and festival industries in the future.
In the meantime, we await further news and updates from the Eavis’s as we move forward in 2021 and all industries assess the situation accordingly regarding tackling the coronavirus.
