Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis has responded to the latest batch of rumours suggesting the 2021 festival has been cancelled, with a simple Twitter reply saying: “Not cancelled yet!”
Earlier this morning, a Twitter account named “Glastonbury 2021 vs Covid” claimed the festival had been cancelled, with one 2020 headliner booked for 2022. The anonymous account was set up earlier this month, describing themselves as “an undercover Glastonbury insider”. Just two days ago, the same account decried a story in The Sun declaring the festival cancelled as “nonsense”.
UPDATE 11:55AM: Emily Eavis has now also posted this: “Appreciate lots of rumours are flying around online and in the press, but there’s no change to what I said in the BBC interview last week. We’ll let you know through official channels as soon as we have an update (which won’t be until the new year).”
The anonymous Twitter account had previously claimed “state of play discussions” would take place today, and then posted this statement at 9:55 AM this morning: “I’m afraid it’s true. Official statements to be drawn up in due course but there is no Glastonbury 2021. Crucially, ticket holders get to retain their tickets. One 2020 headliner provisionally in agreement to headline 2022.
“The festival will express their regret and sadness at the necessity to do this whilst also looking forward to 2022. The welfare of the staff who would be working from March onwards, as well as the punters, is paramount.
“Devastating news, however, we would hope that 2022 is nailed on. And what a party that will be. I should add that I’m not on the payroll of Glastonbury Festival itself, but work in close partnership on the production side – therefore I do not officially speak for them.
“There are some great ideas for an alternative broadcast event. All far too early in their infancy to be anything worth getting excited for”
Not cancelled yet!
It took only a little over than an hour for Emily Eavis to decisively quash the rumours. There’s still a huge degree of uncertainty around next summer’s festivals as the pandemic continues to unfold, but for now, at least, Glastonbury is not cancelled.
Glastonbury’s 50th-anniversary edition in 2020 would have been headlined by Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar had it not been forced to cancel back in March.
While the cancellation was officially confirmed at 11am Wednesday 18th March, the news leaked the day before after Eavis family members shared the news on their personal social media, which was then supported by sources known to eFestivals and Stagedoor FM.
Earlier this week Emily Eavis told the BBC that they are doing “everything we can” to ensure it takes place next year.
She said: “The hard part is understanding exactly what we’ll be planning for, and what impact that will have on what we’re able to do. But right now I’m not sure there’s anything we could do that would completely ensure we can welcome 200,000 people to spend six days in some fields in June 2021.”
Eavis also told them that if Glastonbury can’t take place in its traditional form, the organisers will consider inviting artists to perform on the farm for a series of livestreams.
Image credits:
Emily Eavis: Anna Barclay
Glastonbury sign: Anna Barclay
Glastonbury Free Press sign: TheFestivals
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