How much is a Glastonbury ticket? The history of Glastonbury pricing
It's known as one of the most influential music festivals in the world, so it's no real surprise that tickets for Glastonbury are on the pricier side. That being said, the festival secures the biggest acts from around the world and welcomes legendary icons to their stages year after year, meaning a coveted ticket is more than worth the price tag.
But how much will a ticket set you back? And how has the price changed since the festival began?
How much is a Glastonbury ticket in 2023?
The cost for a full-weekend ticket for Glastonbury 2023 is £335, + a £5 booking fee.
How much has a Glastonbury ticket been over the years?
1970: £1
When Worthy Farm opened its doors to festival goers way back in 1970, it was known as the 'Pilton Festival'. The cost of entry? Just £1. Fun fact: the English rock band, T-Rex, headlined that very first iteration of Glasto.
1971: Free
The following year, the festival was moved to coincide with the Summer Solstice, and was renamed Glastonbury Fayre. Andrew Kerr and Arabella Churchill, who organised the festival, believed that other festivals in this era were too commercialised, so they decided that entry should be free. Hawkwind, Traffic, and David Bowie were among the artists in attendance.
Although many attended the 1979 event, the organisers made a huge loss so they decided not to go ahead with plans for the following year.
This was the year that the festival became Glastonbury Festival, the first under the direction of Michael Eavis. New Order, Hawkwind, and Taj Mahal were some of the acts that performed.
This year was incredibly muddy, with a record amount of rainfall recorded on the Friday. Van Morrison, Jackson Brown, and Judie Tzuke played this year.
1983: £12 (plus 50p for a programme)
Due to the local Government Act becoming law, the festival organisers had to obtain a license in order to open the gates to fans. Acts in attendance this year included Marillon, UB40, and Curtis Mayfield.
At the start of 1984, Michael Eavis defended five prosecutions that Mendip District Council brought against him, alleging the previous year's license conditions had been breaches. The licence for 1984 cost the organisers £2,000. The Waterboys, The Smiths, and Elvis Costello were among the acts in attendance.
1985: £16 (90p for a programme)
In 1985, Worthy Farm finally became too small for the size of the festival, so land was purchased from the neighbouring farm to allow for bigger stages and more fans. The size of the new site was a huge test for the organisers, but they managed to pull it off. Echo & The Bunnymen, Aswad, and Joe Cocker headlined.
1986: £17 (£1 for a programme)
Once again, the festival was bigger than it had been the year before, with bigger names and more fans partying the weekend away. The Cure, Madness, and Simply Red were among the artists in attendance.
1987: £21
This year's event's running was jeopardised by the council's initial refusal to grant a licence. This decision, however, was overturned in May. As a result, Elvis Costello, Robert Cray, and New Order made the trip to Somerset.
After a year's break – where the land was left to lie fallow – the festival returned in 1989. This year, the Police were brought in for the first time to help organise and plan the festival. The Wonderstuff, Elvis Costello, Van Morrison, and Pixies played, as did Suzanne Vega, despite previously receiving a death threat.
This was the year that the event became known as the Glastonbury Festival for Contemporary Performing Arts, a decision made to reflect the wide range of attractions on offer. Unfortunately, the mud wasn't the worst thing visitors contended with and the event ended with a confrontation between security and travellers who were looting the site. There were 235 arrests, and £50,000 worth of damages. The Cure, Happy Mondays, and Sinead O'Connor were all in attendance.
The disturbances that occurred in 1990 led the organisers to take a break in 1991. In 1992, Tom Jones appeared as a surprise guest alongside Carter USM, Shakespeare's Sister, and Primal Scream.
By mid-June, the advance-only tickets had completely sold out. The Orb, Lenny Kravitz, and Velvet Underground played this year.
Channel 4 televised the 1994 festival, allowing those who'd struggled to bag a ticket to at least see the main stage. Bjork, Manic St Preachers, and Orbital attended.
This year, the ticket demand was higher than ever before, and completely sold out within four weeks. Acts included The Cure, Oasis, and Orbital.
This year was dubbed the 'Year of Mud', due to torrential. The Prodigy, Radiohead, and Massive Attack all played.
1998: £80 including programme
Once again, the rain turned much of the festival into a mud bath. However, festival-goers still enjoyed themselves with Blur, Primal Scream, and Robbie Williams in attendance.
This year's event brought sunshine with it. Sadly, this was the year when Michael Eavis' wife, Jean, passed away. Acts in attendance included REM, Manic Street Preachers, and Fatboy Slim.
This year's event was gate crashed yet the festival infrastructure held up. Acts included the Chemical Brothers, Moby, and Travis.
Attendees enjoyed wonderful weather for the 2002 iteration of the event. After going on sale in February, the tickets sold out in mere weeks. Stereophonics, Coldplay, and Manu Chao all played this year.
2003: £105 including programme
After going on sale, tickets sold out in under 24 hours. It was widely acknowledged as the best year yet, with REM, Radiohead, and Moby all taking to the festival stages.
There was a huge overdemand for tickets this year, and the weather could have been better. However, the event was a triumph, and festivalgoers enjoyed sets from many acts, including Paul McCartney, Muse, and Oasis.
Another bad year of weather, with two months' worth of rain falling in just a few hours. Basement Jaxx, White Stripes, and Magic Numbers headlined.
Yet another year of rain was sweetened by the strong line-up, featuring acts such as the Arctic Monkeys, Bjork, and Shirley Bassey.
Following two years of bad weather, the sun finally shone on 2008's event. The line-up this year included Manu Chao, Massive Attack, and Groove Armada.
2009: £175
Michael Eavis declared 2009's event the best yet. With a line-up that included Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Neil Young, and Blur, few saw reason to disagree.
The 40th anniversary of the festival was enjoyed over the course of a sun-filled weekend. Acts in attendance included Gorillaz, Muse, and Stevie Wonder.
This event marked the last festival until 2013. All the tickets sold out on the same day, and hundreds of thousands attended. U2, Coldplay, and Beyoncé were among the
top acts this year.
After a year off, expectations were high. As to be expected, the event was a roaring success. Arctic Monkeys, The Rolling Stones, and Mumford and Sons all played on the Pyramid Stage.
This year marked the year of four headliners: Arcade Fire, Metallica, Kasabian, and Dolly Parton.
Forty-five years after the festival began, 2015 marked another record sell-out. Notable acts included Florence & The Machine, Kanye West, and The Who.
Another great year, Worthy Farm played host to incredible performances from acts including Muse, Adele, and Coldplay.
2017 was the year that David Beckham made a surprise visit to the festival grounds, where he opened the latest social housing development at Maggie's farm. Radiohead, Ed Sheeran, and the Foo Fighters were among those performing.
The last festival before the COVID pandemic hit, all tickets sold out in less than 36 minutes. Stormzy, The Killers, and The Cure headlined.
After two years of COVID cancellations, the legendary Glastonbury festival re-opened its doors in 2022. The impressive line-up included Billie Eilish, Paul McCartney, and Diana Ross.
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