Glastonbury Festival renames the John Peel Stage

Christine and the Queens © Michelle Helena Janssen
© Michelle Helena Janssen

After almost 20 years, it will now be known as the Woodsies Stage.

Alongside announcing the remaining headliners for this year’s Glastonbury Festival, Emily Eavis has revealed that the John Peel Stage will be renamed Woodsies. In an interview with The Guardian, Eavis said that the new title was part of the festival’s aim to name the stages after the fields they’re in – such as West Holts and Silver Hayes. She also said that it was not related to a petition circulated last year calling for the stage to be renamed after sexual abuse allegations against Peel resurfaced.

The petition was launched by a festival attendee in relation to the fact that Peel had married a 15 year old girl when he was 25 – which was legal in Texas at the time when it happened, in 1965.

The newly christened Woodsies Stage will be headed up by Christine and the Queens. Prior to being rebranded as the John Peel Stage in 2004 – in tribute to the late Radio 1 DJ – it was known as the New Band Tent.

Today, Glastonbury has announced Arctic Monkeys, Guns’N’Roses and Elton John as additional headliners for the festival. The music event has recently come under fire for its lack of female headline acts. In the interview, Eavis attributed this to a “pipeline” issue in the industry. “We’re trying our best so the pipeline needs to be developed,” she said. “This starts way back with the record companies, radio. I can shout as loud as I like but we need to get everyone on board.”

Glastonbury Festival returns to Worthy Farm from 21-25 June.

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