One pair of tickets to Glastonbury 2023, complete with the chance to watch a set from the Pyramid Stage viewing platform, sold for £14,500 earlier today. As the festival sells out in minutes every year, and tickets cannot be resold, it was a very rare opportunity for the affluent among us to secure tickets by simply paying well above face value.
It was part of a series of ten eBay auctions run by The Trussell Trust to raise funds for their network of over 1,300 food banks across the UK. All of the auctions included a “once-in-a-lifetime” Glasto experience along with a pair of tickets and ran for one week, from last Monday until today.
The total from all ten auctions amounts to £116,436 with the cheapest pair of tickets sold for £10,200, which included the chance to watch a set from the Other Stage viewing platform. Other pairs of tickets included experiences such as pressing the fire button on Arcadia’s massive spider, which sold for £12,400, or a backstage tour of the West Holts stage, which sold for £11,202. The full list of final selling prices is below.
It’s expected the total amount raised for the charity will be slightly lower after eBay’s fees are deducted, which will be approximately 1.1% of the final selling price. There’s also the possibility that one or more auction winners will fail to make payment and the tickets may go to a lower bidder.
Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis confirmed last week that a raffle will also be held in the near future, meaning those of us without £10k to drop on tickets will still be able to take part – and of course, there’s the usual resale of cancelled tickets to look forward to in the months ahead.
Full list of auctions with final prices
- Entry for two to Glastonbury 2023 along with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to watch a set from the viewing platform of the legendary Pyramid Stage.
- £11,000 (first auction)
- £14,500 (second auction)
- Entry for two to Glastonbury 2023 along with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to watch a set from the viewing platform of the legendary Other Stage.
- £10,200 (first auction)
- £11,400 (second auction)
- Entry for two to Glastonbury 2023 along with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to introduce an act on the Cabaret Stage which lies within the legendary Theatre and Circus Field.
- £10,400
- Entry for two to Glastonbury 2023 Festival along with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to take part in the Festival’s famous opening ceremony parade. Winners would join performers in carrying one of the beautifully made fire lanterns and then have a front-row view of the fireworks and sculpture burn. Winners would also receive a free massage or therapy of your choice in the Healing Field. There are over 100 different healers to choose from.
- £12,835
- Entry for two to Glastonbury Festival 2023 plus reserved area in Maceo’s (Block9’s Crew bar) and a round of drinks
- £11,099
- Entry for two to Glastonbury 2023 along with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to push the ‘fire’ button on Arcadia’s legendary Spider.
- £12,400
- Entry for two to Glastonbury 2023 along with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to publish a dedication in the Glastonbury Free Press newspaper (which does not usually include small ads), printed on site on the Festival’s Heidelberg printing press, and receive the first copy of the paper off the press.
- £11,400
- Entry for two to Glastonbury 2023 along with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to take a backstage tour of West Holt’s backstage area and watch a set from the pit.
- £11,202
Tickets for Glastonbury 2023 sold out in minutes back in the autumn, but a resale of cancelled tickets will take place in the weeks ahead of the festival. Over £116,000 was raised by the Trussell Trust last week when they auctioned 10 pairs of Glastonbury tickets on eBay, each paired with a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ experience like watching a set from the Pyramid Stage viewing platform or pressing the fire button on Arcadia’s giant spider.
And yesterday, Glastonbury organisers announced a raffle to win one of another 10 pairs of tickets, again paired with special experiences. Each entry costs £10 with all money raised going to support the Disasters Emergency Commitee Turkey-Syria Earthquake appeal.
Recently, Royal Blood and Florence + The Machine have all been rumoured for a place on the line-up. But as it stands, only Elton John’s Sunday night headline slot has been officially confirmed. Meanwhile, a petition calls for the RMT’s “legendary leader” Mick Lynch to be given a spot on the line-up.
And in other news, Becky Hill has come very close to confirming she’ll be playing at Glastonbury this summer.
In an interview with ITV’s Good Morning Britain, she said: “I’m the first-ever female resident at Ibiza Rocks so that’s so cool. I’m currently working on my new album. All the music is written, we’re just getting it ready to release now. And I’m really hoping to be seen at Glastonbury this year, so fingers crossed”.
Guns N’ Roses basis Duff McKagan appears to have confirmed the band will be playing at Glastonbury after months of strong rumours they’ll be headlining the Pyramid Stage. With only Elton John officially confirmed, the bookies now have the banned pegged as joint favourites for the two remaining headline slots, along with Arctic Monkeys.
Glasto organiser Emily Eavis told Metal Hammer in 2021: “We had Napalm Death in 2017, and it doesn’t get much heavier than that! But I think Guns N’ Roses need to play here at some point don’t they?”
And back in January 2020, The Sunday Times said: “Guns’n’Roses headlining Friday night Glastonbury [is] looking increasingly likely” – just weeks before almost all of that summer’s festivals were forced to cancel when the pandemic broke out.
Beyoncé is also rumoured after announcing world tour dates which leave open the possibility of an appearance at Worthy Farm.
However, despite earlier rumours of Britpop legends Blur being on the line-up this summer, it’s now looking unlikely the band will be there after drummer Dave Rowntree said: “No one, as far as I know, from Glastonbury has approached us.”
Former Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora told media there’s a chance of a reunion gig at Glastonbury 2023 and The 1975 are rumoured to appear after the long-expected band confirmed tour dates which leave them free over the weekend of the festival. It would be The 1975’s fourth time at Worthy Farm, having previously played sets in 2013, 2014 and 2016, and while they’ve been rumoured most years since they now haven’t been on the line-up for five years, despite countless comments from band members and crew that they want to return.
Pulp are also strongly rumoured to appear on the Glastonbury 2023 line-up after announcing details of a reunion tour next summer – which includes space for a potential Glasto slot. The band were already deemed a likely contender by bookmakers, who in September were offering odds of 9/1 on Pulp headlining the iconic Pyramid Stage.
Meanwhile, Victoria Beckham has ruled out a Worthy Farm appearance as part of a Spice Girls reunion in a US TV interview – following years of speculation fuelled by her former band mates.
She told Watch What Happens Live: “I had so much fun being in the Spice Girls – but now, with everything else that I have got going on with my fashion and my beauty line, four children, I couldn’t commit to that. love the girls. I really, really enjoy singing Spice Girls when I’m doing karaoke, but I think I’d better leave it there.”
Arctic Monkeys were also rumoured to have signed a deal to headline Glastonbury 2023 when their UK tour sold out in minutes last year. A source told The Sun: “‘Alex Turner and the band are coming back to Glastonbury, and this time their set is going to be even bigger and better.
Image credits:
Anna Barclay
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