Glastonbury is now one of the most famous festivals in the world - but it has come a long way from its humble 1970s origins.
The Somerset-based event was initially organised by Michael Eavis. His daughter Emily now co-runs the festival, which welcomes more than 210,000 attendees at Worthy Farm.
Before the formation of Glastonbury Festival, the UK had musical events such as the National Jazz and Blues Festival and the Isle of Wight Festival. However, it was Led Zeppelin’s open-air concert at the 1970 Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music, where Michael drew inspiration to begin his own event, reports WalesOnline.
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The Bath festival was held in late June - and by September 19 of the same year, Michael was holding the first ever festival at Worthy Farm, Pilton. Around 1,500 people are reported to have been at the first ever Glastonbury, which was originally dubbed the Pop, Blues and Folk Festival.
What was the original Glastonbury Festival line up in 1970?
The original headline act for the Worthy Farm festival was T. Rex, originally known as Tyrannosaurus Rex, after The Kinks and Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders were replaced at short notice. The Kinks reportedly pulled out of the event after seeing it described as a 'mini-festival' in a newspaper.
At the time, tickets for the debut festival cost just what would be equal to £20 today. The rest of the line up included: Steamhammer, Quintessence, Stackridge, Al Stewart, Pink Fairies and Keith Christmas.
The 1970 festival was so popular that the following year Michael was able to attract huge acts such as David Bowie, Mighty Baby, Traffic, Fairport Convention, Gong, Hawkwind, Pink Fairies and Skin Alley. The 1971 event proved to be a key moment for what it would eventually become today.
Michael met Andrew Kerr and Arabella Churchill who had vital roles in developing the festival, introducing the famous Pyramid Stage, which was designed by Bill Harkin, and introduced the summer solstice date. Now, Glastonbury attracts hundreds of thousands festival goers and donates at least £2m of its profits to charity each year.
In 2023, Arctic Monkeys, Guns N' Roses, Elton John, Lizzo, Lewis Capaldi and Lana Del Rey will feature in one of the most star studded line-ups in recent history. You can find everything you need to know for Glastonbury 2023 here.
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