Glastonbury 2021 cancelled: when is the music festival postponed until - and what happens if I have tickets?

Dates for the 2022 festival as organisers say they ‘are very confident’ they ‘can deliver something really special’

Glastonbury Festival has been cancelled for the second year in a row because of the coronavirus pandemic, organisers Michael and Emily Eavis have announced.

It had been hoped that the celebration of music and arts would be able to go ahead in 2021, after it was called off in 2020 on what would have been its 50th anniversary.

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The festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset was sold out for 2021 because so few people had asked for a refund from last year, when headliners Sir Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar were all due to perform.

Revellers watch as The Killers perform on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival 2019 (Photo: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)Revellers watch as The Killers perform on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival 2019 (Photo: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
Revellers watch as The Killers perform on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival 2019 (Photo: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)

Here is everything you need to know about it.

Why has Glastonbury been cancelled?

In December 2020, Emily Eavis told the BBC that Glastonbury organisers are “doing everything we can on our end to plan and prepare but I think we’re still quite a long way from being able to say we’re confident 2021 will go ahead”.

She added the festival lost “millions” in 2020 but that it would avoid bankruptcy “as long as we can make a firm call either way in advance” about this year’s event.

People gather to watch the sun set at Glastonbury 2014 (Photo: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)People gather to watch the sun set at Glastonbury 2014 (Photo: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
People gather to watch the sun set at Glastonbury 2014 (Photo: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Earlier this month, she dismissed speculation that it had been axed.

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But a statement from the Eavises said: “With great regret, we must announce that this year’s Glastonbury Festival will not take place, and that this will be another enforced fallow year for us.

“In spite of our efforts to move Heaven & Earth, it has become clear that we simply will not be able to make the Festival happen this year. We are so sorry to let you all down.”

In 2020, BBC Two, BBC Four and BBC iPlayer showed classic Glastonbury performances in full from some of the biggest artists in the history of the festival.

When is Glastonbury 2022?

The festival will now take place from 22 – 26 June 2022.

What should I do if I had a ticket?

In their statement, the Eavises said: “As with last year, we would like to offer all those who secured a ticket in October 2019 the opportunity to roll their £50 deposit over to next year, and guarantee the chance to buy a ticket for Glastonbury 2022.

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“We are very appreciative of the faith and trust placed in us by those of you with deposits, and we are very confident we can deliver something really special for us all in 2022!

Ticket deposits which were valid at the point of the 2021 Festival being cancelled can be automatically rolled over to a like-for-like booking for the 2022 Festival.

You will not need to do anything for your ticket booking to roll over however if you would prefer to cancel your booking and receive a full refund of your deposit (and coach fare if applicable) without incurring any cancellation fees, you can do so, up to 31 December 2021, using the online form here.

“We thank you for your incredible continued support and let’s look forward to better times ahead,” said the Eavises’ statement.

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For more information on tickets, refunds and cancellations, head to Glastonbury’s official website

Will other festivals happen?

As the summer festival season creeps closer, live music fans will be hoping such events will be able to return, after mass cancellations caused by Covid-19 blighted the calendar in 2020.

Glastonbury is the first big-name cancellation of 2021, and will likely set alarm bells ringing for those hoping to experience festivals come the warmer months. But will it be the last postponed event of the year?

Rob Da Bank, radio DJ and co-founder of the Bestival music festival, which was last held in 2018, said he is “optimistic” other events will be able to go ahead over the summer.

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He tweeted to say that he thinks “festival season will happen in the UK this summer”, adding that Glastonbury was forced to cancel because it is “such a mammoth beast to plan it ran outta time.”

Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee chair Julian Knight labelled the cancellation of Glastonbury Festival as “devastating”.

He added on Twitter: “We have repeatedly called for ministers to act to protect our world-renowned festivals like this one with a Government-backed insurance scheme.

“Our plea fell on deaf ears and now the chickens have come home to roost. The jewel in the crown will be absent but surely the Government cannot ignore the message any longer – it must act now to save this vibrant and vital festivals sector.”