Glastonbury could be forced to shut down if the festival cannot take place next year.
Michael Eavis has warned that Glastonbury could face bankruptcy if the festival is unable to take place next year. Speaking to The Guardian today (25 June), Eavis said “We have to run next year, otherwise we would seriously go bankrupt… It has to happen for us, we have to carry on. Otherwise it will be curtains. I don’t think we could wait another year.”
Co-organiser Emily Eavis emphasised that much of the live music industry would be in the same boat if festivals were unable to take place in 2021. “[Glastonbury would be in a] very serious situation if we had to cancel next year’s event,” she said. “But then the whole live industry will be hanging in the balance if we have another summer without festivals, and we don’t know what level of government support there will be for this industry.”
However, Eavis also said she was remaining optimistic. “We’ve navigated choppy waters so many times. This festival has always evolved and found ways to survive, and I’m confident that we will again. Mutate to survive!”
Michael Eavis suggested that a possible solution to ensure the festival takes place in 2021 would be to partner with Melvin Benn, the promoter behind Reading and Leeds, Latitude and Wireless, among others. Benn is developing a testing scheme that would allow festival-goers on-site once they were proven to be coronavirus-free. However, Eavis said that would be a “last resort”.
The 2020 edition of Glastonbury Festival was due to take place this weekend but was cancelled due to coronavirus.