Glastonbury Festival is the UK's biggest music event, welcoming more than 210,000 people each year - which takes its toll on Worthy Farm and the local community. The festival's impact means organisers, Michael and Emily Eavis, regularly enforce 'fallow' years, meaning no visitors are allowed on-site.
The festival was first held way back in 1970, but was not near-annual until the early eighties. Now, Glastonbury is held almost annually apart from fallow years, taken at specific intervals. The years off are designed to help restore the site and grounds, allow for planning and the organisation of line-ups for upcoming years.
Almost every year, Worthy Farm, an active farming business, is subjected to significant wear and tear, with thousands of people occupying the area for several days. The fallow years mean organisers can restore and rejuvenate the area, ensuring that the land can recover from the environmental damage caused by the festival. This something key to the Michael and Emily's green ethos.
