Glastonbury Festival 2025 - What You Need to Know

[@richardyoung6286]

Interesting video and I agree with some of the points but for the sake of balance. Glastonbury is the only of the mainstream festivals in the UK that allows you to bring your own alcohol around the main site so you don't have to commit to the bar prices. Also that £6 meal deal also includes coffee and hot food (chili bowl I believe is an option). In some Starbucks you can't buy a coffee on its own for £6. Also free food is always available from the various Hari Krishna tents. Is Glastonbury festivals intentions to make money? Absolutely, but there's not much in modern Britain that we can hold up as our own and be proud of and I personally believe Glastonbury is one of them things. It's completely unique to any other festival and we should celebrate that.

[@JimDriver]

I quite agree! Glastonbury is to be celebrated and it does so many good things. I’m just providing an alternative view of what else goes on alongside the great stuff. For whatever reason, dissent from the “authorised view” doesn’t really exist and I’m a big fan of light and shade…

[@blueporta]

not true - Bearded Theory and if i remember right, Beautiful Days allow you to bring your own booze in.

[@dannyx2737]

What Starbucks do you go to where you can't buy coffee for £6?

[@Glaiket]

I think you underestimate how much it costs to put on!

[@GlastoGeek7]

Now research the actual cost of putting on a show the Size of Glastonbury Jim - Plant hire, infrastructure, staging, toilets, security, policing, stewarding, fencing, medical, 30,000 crew and performers, licences, insurance the list goes on.. just for balance of course😉👍

[@phillipmills5572]

I'm 46 and went with my brother 42 it was our first Glastonbury and we absolutely loved it, food was expensive but the fact you can take your own booze helps soften the blow,apart from it being a bit woke I couldn't fault it and wish I had gone 20yrs ago .❤

[@JimDriver]

When I had a book stall there I was woken up many times by Save The Rhino playing Rave music. Is that what you meant Glastonbury started off as the original "woke" festival - Hawkwind, Guru Maharaj Ji, Peace and Love, and all that - and its decline in that department is really what my video is about…

[@TheBearStudios]

Last time I went to Glasto would have been 1985 when the Battle of the Beanfield brought Stone Henge Free Festival to an end. In those days Glasto had little meaningful security and the BBC had not got their hands on it. As much as I am sure Glasto is an incredible experience these days , it is now just a giant money making BBC oriented show.

[@JimDriver]

I think it's unfair to say the BBC "got their hands on it" as they were coaxed in by the organisers and now pay a pretty penny to broadcast from Glastonbury. For them, it's a relatively cheap source of many hours of music and "culture" aimed at the oft-neglected 15- to 35-year-olds. For Glastonbury organisers, it's another income stream…

[@paulelephant9521]

I don't think Glastonbury is any more oriented to money making or the BBC than it was in the very early 90s when I first went. It's always had a commercial edge, it's a flipping music festival! People want to see professional bands so money has to be generated through sales of tickets and beer etc. Yes the BBC film some parts of it, but I don't think that influences what acts get to play. It has certainly changed, and I do miss some of the freewheeling anarchy of the Glastonburys of the past, but I can also see how some things needed to change because of the success. People have a right to expect to be safe at a festival, so certain aspects had to be sorted out. Tbh I'm amazed how much of the old spitit is still there, it's still an amazing experience everytime I've gone, and I've enjoyed 2024 as much as any other year, which is pretty fantastic and a credit to Michael and Emily Eavis imo.

[@terrypussypower]

@@paulelephant9521. Unless you went to the early Glastonburys, from ‘79 to ‘86, you don’t have a clue what it was like originally. It was incredible back then…. the nearest thing to a T.A.Z. (A Temporary Autonomous Zone…look it up) you could get in the U.K. at that time. The idea of coppers patrolling it was unthinkable! It’s total sh*t these days. Too many creeps.

[@pugtronix]

Used to go quite a lot with my brother as standard ticket holders 1999-2011 and even back then it cost a small fortune. However I managed to get work there this year as part of the recycling crew so i didn't need to purchase a ticket, I spent less than £80 over the whole weekend (I've yet to be paid, so that sum will come down) and that included my beer, weed and petrol money to get there, food was supplied (3 very decent meals a day) PPE was included as was use of showers with no queueing whatsoever, sun cream and the cleanest toilets I've ever seen at the festival and back stage access. I must admit I was very impressed with the whole waste management system in place, I wonder what the budget was for that as there were thousands of employees. But I think Glastonbury Festival is just too big now.

[@JimDriver]

The bigger it gets, the more impersonal it is. But also, the more money it makes… 😀😀

[@kitcanttat]

I went in 79, 81, 84 and 85 and it was impossible to see/do everything even back then (theatre, comedy, film, music etc). I think it was £16 in 79, about 14,000 in attendance, by 84 about 35,000. In 79 I wandered into Michael Eavis's barn, sat on the hay bales and watched Steve Hillage rehearse for his set the following night. There was no backstage area, you could chat to the acts as they came off stage round the back of the pyramid. Someone asked John Cooper Clarke for his autograph, "Only if I can have yours", he deadpanned. As a spectacle it looks great on TV, but these numbers are mind-boggling. It's a different beast now. Luckily, other smaller, cheaper and closer festivals are available.

[@JimDriver]

Great memories! Thank you for sharing… Cheers!

[@hughiedavies6069]

Thanks for covering this side of Glastonbury, i haven't been since the 90s

[@JimDriver]

Fantastic that you enjoyed it! Maybe it's time to plan a trip back to Glastonbury before it disappears up its own b***side… ! 😀

[@theguvnor5964]

I tried many years ago to be a food vendor at Glastonbury....I didnt get the gig but I did receive the requirement package....its very expensive to be a vendor there and although those vendors make a ton of money their presence is designed to make Eavis money also.

[@JimDriver]

Indeed: it's a slick operation…

[@djdarq6311]

Oh the horror

[@Glaiket]

Most of the hospitality areas where quite empty. Also ‘VIP’ is not where celebrities hang out. Most celebs usually hang out in the staff bars with the scaffolders and the scenic artists.

[@JimDriver]

Yes, the staff bars are definitely where most of the action happens!

[@mikaeljonsson1975]

Is it VOB ( VOICE OF BACEPROT) Not in the list, Why?

[@dennydharmasetiawan510]

VOB 🤘 at Woodsies stage june 28 2024. Come and see them ❤

[@mikaeljonsson1975]

@@dennydharmasetiawan510 MANTAP & Terima kasih Danke Merci Thanks Tack!

[@JimDriver]

Undoubtedly!

[@rozanowski]

As everything around starts with good intentions and ideal, and with time (these days at very incrased speed) it slides into gutter fueled by peoples greed and "smart ones" wanting to make easy quick money.

[@JimDriver]

Not sure it's "easy money" but I think the organisers have refined it into a fine art. I saw one post where someone paid £19.50 for a medium-sized Yorkshire pudding loaded with roast pork, veg and gravy. The poster didn't complain about the price but it didn't look a lot for £20 (and Im a veggie!!)…

[@theguvnor5964]

Founder Michael once revealed that Coldplay and Paul McCartney were both paid around £200,000 for past headline sets.

[@JimDriver]

Exactly! Both would get way more than that for a normal festival appearance (if you could get them!), although with Glastonbury headliners are rarely announced before tickets go on sale…

[@jamesmckenna2059]

So looking forward to Glastonbury Festival 2024, Blondie, Manic Street Preachers who were fab & the Pretenders were a joy to watch last year! Praying Coldplay & The Killers will be taking part in 2024. Oh and check out my new Glastonbury 2024 T-shirt

[@JimDriver]

Thanks for sharing your excitement! It's great to connect with fellow festival-goers who appreciate great music.

[@beth6205]

How on earth do I get tickets

[@JimDriver]

Watch this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJfGfZWbp6qgnsksi

[@beth6205]

@@JimDriver Thank you I did watch it when it came out last year :) but will definitely watch it again trying in resales keep up the good content

[@theguvnor5964]

Paul Mccartneys fee last year was £200,000 compared to his normal fee of £4 million.

[@JimDriver]

Indeed!

[@theguvnor5964]

I believe the food vendors are not allowed to use generators so they have to pay for electricity also.

[@JimDriver]

Good point That's the case with all traders at Glasto…

[@Suelovesboo]

I went back in the early 2000’s working at a friends stall it was great got paid for listening to bands

[@JimDriver]

Yes, I always preferred Glastonbury when I was getting paid for being there… 😀

[@theguvnor5964]

Glastonbury Festival-goers have been left gobsmacked by this year's food prices - with simple fries going for a hefty £8 - after arriving at Worthy Farm this weekend.

[@JimDriver]

Hopefully a choice of mayonnaise, ketchup or salt?

[@theSTUNTHAMSTER]

I paid £5 for chips from 2 different stalls. still crazy a crazy price but I had the munchies.

[@martinthomas6393]

GLASTO lost its roots so so long ago! HAWKWIND dayz!

[@JimDriver]

Yes, Nik Turner had a few things to say about that before he passed on… 😃

[@theguvnor5964]

@@JimDriver Hawkwind)the original,,,great band)Dave Brock still playing of course.

[@sicks6six]

1984 when Michael refused to let the convoy in was the start of the end. IMO..

[@graysynther2169]

Al way knew it had become commercial….but Jesus ! Keeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrccchhhhiiinnnnggggggg 😵‍💫

[@JimDriver]

Indeed!!

[@honestopinion253]

I think your not including the cost of security and insurance also the massive cost of cleaning up afterwards

[@JimDriver]

Thanks for taking part.! used to organise a music festival, so I know allabout all the hidden "extras": PRS is a big one, too but, believe me, the Glastonbury Festival balance sheet is very healthy… 😀

[@djdarq6311]

@@JimDriver good I’m glad they will be able to keep it going

[@HopeIanHope]

Cannot think of anything worse. I'll be down the pub enjoying a good live band for free 🤪😃👍

[@JimDriver]

Haha: quite right… 😀

[@daleclarke4317]

Agree 100 % No way l want to pay £350 plus food & drink to spend 4 days with 150,000 unwashed bodies, queueing the toilets and Jeremy Corbyn & woke RS,s preaching to me ...much rather go down the pub with a few friends & enjoy the top acts * without the blondy, style screeching *

[@timngabyuk]

Didn’t you run rhythm festival ???.. looks like the t shirt ;)

[@JimDriver]

Indeed I did! And that is my only remaining T-shirt from 2011 (my favourite) with the woodcut R logo design by Sarah Vardy.

[@Andrew-rc3vh]

It would take a Mongolian ten years of work to hire out a Mongolian tent for 3 days.

[@JimDriver]

Yes, indeed. I'm not sure they would have been as luxurious as the ones as Glastonbury but your point is well made!

[@krisbowditch827]

How about £385 and 200,000 attendees that what I’ve just read =£77 million before tax , probably pay 10 million for the bands etc .. haven’t even mentioned merch, or food beverages profit .🙈🙈🙈

[@JimDriver]

Official figures show that 142,000 pay to get in and 35,000 of attendees are staff, stall holders, performers and guests....

[@themod7181]

They pay bands though

[@JimDriver]

@@themod7181 Have you watched the video? I point out that the bands that do get paid get less than they would anywhere else and quite a few are only paid expenses; some get nothing…

[@tezzasmif.]

And they changed the John Peel stage to Woodsie?! 🤮 I knew it wasn't all Peace & Love the year the mud was up to just below my knees and Michael Eaviss said they would fix the drainage for next time.. we went back and it was worse.. remember a man collapsed in the mud and died?

[@JimDriver]

I look back on the mud with fondness though the first year it happened (1997?) I lost half of my stock of books. Ah, happy days…

[@Glaiket]

The drainage was fixed this year??? The run offs ran under the production roads. Also it was bone dry!

[@Glaiket]

Well he is a paedo!

[@tezzasmif.]

So it's only taken the Eaviss's about 20 years to fix then 🤣

[@christoguichard4311]

Did the Hogs ever play Glasto?

[@JimDriver]

A great question and I had to check! As far as I know, the Hogs have never graced the Glastonbury stage... but if you listen closely, you you would have heard Tony's music echoing last night when Arctic Monkeys were playing…

[@ramonivanrosasarguellesrea7722]

Hola , que día se presenta Lana Del Rey?

[@JimDriver]

¡Gracias por prestar tanta atención a mi video! Lana Del Rey toca el sábado por la noche...

[@henrycrofts1018]

BOOM TOWN

[@JimDriver]

Good pun: or are you referring to the festival of that name…

[@Djsonley]

The most "free" festival on the planet Burning Man in USA they literally have a billionaire's row where Elon Musk, Zuc all those hang out some years so Glasto is kinda small fry at the top end compared. It's a great festival end of the day. I've been almost 10 times and enjoyed my last two better than any before. You can talk about "it was better in my day" etc but the facts are seeing someone like Elton John for example in a crowd of 200 thousand people for basically his last gig ever is a memory you will never forget. You see artists you grew up with and it still has the magic. The more quieter parts of the festival are super family orientated too. It has a good mix and the BBC coverage much like Top of the Pop's back in the day is culturally important for music fans worldwide. It does a great service to both the UK and art in general.

[@JimDriver]

Thanks for taking the time to set the record straight. I don't disagree with anything you say. I was putting forward the alternative view (which is also true!), but I've not seen it expressed anywhere else. Personally, I think I preferred seeing Elton John way back in the 1970s (when he thought he was American!) and I'm not sure the old geezer who retired at Glastonbury would be my cup of char. For the same reason, I avoid seeing the Stones or (God forbid) The Who nowadays…

[@PDuB1]

“Maybe” “I believe” “They get a big chunk” “People have told me” “I believe… special tills” “Stages don’t get budget” “ a FB post, unpaid bands” “Bankers glamping” Not sure what your point here is but you seem to have a beef with glasto about money in general. What’s the hospitality broker got to do with anything?

[@JimDriver]

Thanks for the comment and I get what you;re saying, The problem is the people involved don't advertise what they're doing but I've operated festivals (and been to literally hundreds in every capacity), and I know how things work. Plus I've been to Glastonbury many times from the 1980s (both front of stage and backstage) and I see what I see…

[@PDuB1]

@@JimDriver I’ve worked in the bars at glasto since 2010 and I can tell you there’s absolutely nothing special about those tills! A special one is one that works all the way through the weekend 😏

[@andrewwilkinson553]

Did you forget VAT....did you enjoy covering income but not costs? Did you read the published accounts?

[@JimDriver]

I included VAT and PRS in my calculations. If you can find any meaningful P&L accounts in the public domain, let me know. I'm not sure (as a private company) they exist…

[@chrisstronach5495]

I've been to 10 Glastonburys. The last was 2000. It used to have a counter-cultural feel, and could be genuinely edgy. All you needed was a lump of hash, £20 and a few beers. It wasn't about the music - you could go a whole weekend without seeing a single band. It's been recuperated by the establishment, and is about as subversive as going to the toilet! Middle-class wankers! I'd rather stick pins in my eyes than go again!

[@JimDriver]

Yes, Glastonbury is not what it was. There again, nor am I!! 😀😀

[@chrisstronach5495]

@@JimDriver No, I'm getting a bit long-in-the-tooth for staying up all night and walking miles and miles. People don't realise the sheer size of the site. I'll put my feet up, with my pipe and slippers and listen to a Grateful Dead LP. 😂

[@sicks6six]

I've been there a few times. Only bought a ticket one time costing £13.50 which is how much it's gone up since last year. It's s**t now in comparison. Back in the day there were no cops on the festival site. Only when it got bigger the public road became part of the site did the cops turn up. The atmosphere now is just like any of the other festivals. There were no posh kids there. No arm waving. Phones didn't exist. You got free milk at the dairy which was cool. The peace convoy did most of the security. No VIP areas. No glamping. BBC ignored it. yeah it was okay. Hung out with John Peel one Saturday afternoon.. 🚬⛺ It's all about 💰 now

[@JimDriver]

Yes, I'm afraid Glastonbury as we know it and remember it was of its time. I suppose everything changed when it hit the media when people try to get in over the fence and the main fiddler had to be brought in. I suppose our only recourse is to remember the happy days and find something else to do in June. Thanks for commenting and for watching. I appreciate it! Cheers!

[@ufoenigma7858]

What a 'racket'!

[@JimDriver]

Tennis has always been much enjoyed at Glasters… 😀😀

[@ImAtLevel53]

Hmmmmm are all these genuine facts, what about all the good stuff They do

[@JimDriver]

There's no end of coverage about the "good stuff they do" on the BBC and in the mainstream media. I'm just putting forward a tiny alternative point of view. And, as far as I know, everything I say is true…

[@DougCarr-rk7dc]

Nothing shocks me pal. Glastonbury. Must have a quadruple fence now

[@JimDriver]

Maybe they should consider adding an alligator moat next!

[@junglie]

Bring back our free festivals free stonehenge, glas has been shite since mean fiddler & emily eavis took over.

[@JimDriver]

Yes, my view is it changed about the time of the Rave culture. They've always been good at making money TBH, but Emily seems slightly better at it than Michael!. I don't want to be a wet blanket but the Mean Fiddler hasn't been around for a long time… 😀

[@junglie]

@@JimDriver Good riddance they ruined the atmosphere of womad & glas when they took over security in 2001. not been since tbh.

[@neilbradley5011]

Deeplyvale 1978 ,the one and only free festival I went to and it was amazing.

[@raymondbonington9355]

Rather see the Steve gibbons band down the half moon Putney 😀

[@thatwasthedaythatwas]

Work it then

[@JimDriver]

I'm twerking on it… 😄

[@insaydnb]

30k for a pitch iv seen

[@JimDriver]

Yes, I've just been contacted (anonymously, of course) by a food trader who's there now and who's just watched the video. He is paying £35k for his spot plus 35% after £55k is taken, and they charge him for full-price tickets for passes for any staff over 12 he has (he needs 15 to legally work the hours). Last year he paid the best part of £100k. And, of course, it's all plus VAT!

[@johnnylatham9738]

All you need to know now is it's a pile 9f Corporate Middle Class Shite nowadaze😂❤

[@JimDriver]

Yes, I don't think few people realise how much of a money-making machine Glastonbury is. And their PR presence is huge: you'll never hear any negative reporting in the mainstream media…

[@callanderbarbers]

wow shocking what goes on, the original idea was amazing ,then the bbc wrecks everything, same thing happening to a big festival in Scotland, not so many music fans, now its trendys, with flowers in their hair n glitter, glamping, presecco, embraise the mud and drink cider people

[@JimDriver]

Glastonbury is what it is and there's still nothing like it in the world. I don't think the BBC had a detrimental effect on Glastonbury other than it opened the festival up to the mainstream and encouraged people to attend who previously would never have considered it… 😍💩

[@stubru16]

The after dark party of Glastonbury is full of drugs I didn’t feel safe, the security turned a blind eye to it all. Very weird festival,

[@JimDriver]

Sorry to hear about your experience at the After Dark Party. Sounds like it got a bit too wild for you…

[@illhorse]

So what? It's organised and run by owners and businesses who make money. Like everything else in the world. At least thousands of people have the best time of their life here. Whats the point of the video? What do u want to happen? Lower ticket price? More money to charity? Stop doing it? Pay the artists more? Most artists do it for the love and publicity. Always someone complaining just to try get famous via vids. Sad.

[@JimDriver]

Thanks for taking the time to watch and to comment on my video. I like to think that you made me just a little bit more famous and sad… 😀

[@illhorse]

@@JimDriver you may like to think it, doesn't make it true.

[@TheBelse]

it' now sounds like a religious cash grab ..I'm SHOCKED ..I've been many times ..it's still awesome ..i reckon given the money ..we could use ALL the money on a better party.

[@JimDriver]

Yes, no one minds them making money but I wish they'd be more upfront about everything…

[@TheMikeDudley]

But, but, Eavis thinks there's a "god", so... That's alright then. 😂🙄

[@JimDriver]

Who knew Eavis had a direct line to the divine for booking bands!

[@KenHigman-j9t]

Interesting vid. Not sure that it provided any actual "hidden truths" everything that you talked about is out in the open, otherwise you wouldn't have found it and if i'm honest it felt a little biased against the festival. There seemed to be lots of talk of all the money the festival takes in, along with some knowing chin scratching, wink wink, its a big cash cow dontcha know, but zero thought given to how much the whole thing costs to put together. Whilst not all the acts get paid, and yes many do it for a reduced rate, a hell of a lot of them do get paid and even at a reduced rate its still a lot of money. Then there's 8 miles of security fencing to be put up, thousands of loos to be installed, putting up the main stages, a full time team of organisers and bookers, god knows how much in various types of insurance, payments to the local police for supporting the event, and on and on and on and on and on. In 2018, the festival reported that it cost over £40 million to put the event on (in 2023 this figure was £62million). Also, its hardly a shock that traders have to pay for their pitches - in fact, i think most people would be shocked if the traders were given space for free. A base rent plus a percentage of takings is completely standard practice for "in demand" pitches. Also the "special tills" that record how much they take - its absolutely standard practice. As you said there are over 800 traders at the festival. Who in their right mind would want to manually reconcile over 1000 tills, each with hundreds or thousands of daily transactions or risk being ripped off by virtually every trader onsite. So, does the festival actually make money - yes of course it does, but not as much as implied in this video. In the same 2018 report quoted above, the festival made a post-tax profit of £1.43m, a lot of money, but nowhere near the levels implied in this video, and for comparison, the the charitable contributions in the same year were £2.1m. By 2023, the charitable contributions were up to £3.7 million, so it would be reasonable to assume that the festivals profits were also up, possibly to around the £2.5 - £3million mark, although that is a complete assumption on my part. The same 2018 report also said that the festival had cash reserves of £10.6m - sounds like a lot, but as per the article, its held in case of emergency - and thank god it did, because the cancellation of the festival in 2021 due to COVID meant the festival made a loss of £3.1 million. The type of loss that would have wiped out many business completely. So whilst the festival does make over £1million per event and probably more (I'd estiamte £2.5 - £3million) in recent years, the charitable donations outweigh that figure significantly. To pretend it is some massive cash cow, when the organisers could easily double their earnings overnight by shutting off the charitable donations element is not really fair in my view. Sources for my figures: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10378493/Glastonbury-suffers-losses-3-1million-cancelled-year-Covid.html www.showmans-directory.co.uk/report-finds-that-glastonbury-2023-generated-gbp168m-for-uk-businesses www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48750501#:~:text=In%20the%20year%20to%20the,the%20event%20against%20unforeseen%20events.

[@JimDriver]

Jolly good. My experience came from actually organising events for many years and being part of the industry since 1972. But you believe what you like. Maybe if you make a video extolling the virtues of the festival to add to all the others out there.,, Cheers!

[@lobbymccawker2083]

Glastonbury seems like a total rip off.

[@JimDriver]

Glastonbury is a great festival but it’s also a relentless money-making enterprise!

[@stephenolney6942]

Too many people there

[@JimDriver]

If you were earning £850 from every single person there (a figure I recently heard!) , you might not thin k so!

[@marcus-t1v]

terrible line up this year

[@raymondbonington9355]

Squeeze were there not even filmed by the beeb ,

[@JimDriver]

Yes, I know,!The bands who play, work out a seperate deal with the BBC for coverage (the Rolling tSones famously only allowed half their set to be broadcast)and many don't want to be filmed at all. Or, they are are on a stage that isn't televised, such as the Acoustic Stage…

[@JimDriver]

Much more up-to-date line-up than in previous years, a sign that Emily Eavis has taken over completely, I think. Personally, there wasn't much for me to enjoy on TV this year but that's more a sign of my advanced age than a criticism… 😀

[@happyface1724]

I got a friend there he said they are chargin £20 for a lost mary vape!

[@JimDriver]

Hopefully, it encouraged them to stop vaping! 😀😉