A limited Glastonbury Festival will return in September with up to 50,000 people able to enjoy a special one-off event at Worthy Farm.
Organisers were forced to cancel plans for the long-awaited five-day festival in June due to the Covid pandemic, which also saw the 2020 event axed.
But Emily and Michael Eavis have now been granted permission to hold a two-day concert on September 17 and 18 after applying to Mendip District Council.
The licence allows for the Pyramid stage to be used on a maximum of ‘two consecutive nights’, with live music permitted between 4pm and 11pm.
However, the one-off event will not have provisions for on-site camping for the 40,000 fans and 10,000 staff who could be in attendance.
Organisers say festival-goers could instead use hotels, B&Bs and campsites, but local residents have expressed concerns over high numbers of visitors to the area.
A limited Glastonbury Festival will return in September with 50,000 people able to enjoy a special one-day event at Worthy Farm
Organisers were again forced to cancel plans for the typical five-day festival in June due to the Covid pandemic, which also saw the 2020 event axed
Sam Phripp, the council’s chair of licensing, said: ‘We hope that, Covid-depending, this event will be a success, and we look forward to welcoming music lovers back to our corner of Somerset this autumn.
‘With a view to Covid-19, of course, any event would have to be Covid-safe, and @MendipCouncil will work with other organisations and the organisers to make sure that’s the case.’
The licence allows for up to 40,000 attendees and 10,000 staff members to be on-site – but there will be no provision for camping at Worthy Farm.
This concern was presented to the licensing sub-committee by local resident Joanna Benner, who also relayed worries over traffic in nearby Pilton.
Caroline Griffiths, who also lives nearby, said she and other residents ‘haven’t had any meaningful contact’ with organisers, adding: ‘There is an element of fear and futility in the community. ‘
She said: ‘Suppose my daughter gets married and has her wedding reception on the day this happens. The noise would destroy her special day.’
Others raised concerns about the crowd size with only a fraction of the normal site open, but Glastonbury Festival insisted its application was ‘entirely proper and comprehensive’.
The licence was granted by Mendip Council a week after the proposals were debated on May 12.
The licence only allows for the Pyramid Stage to be used, with no camping permitted on-site despite a potential 40,000 fans and 10,000 staff being in attendance
As per the conditions, Mendip Council said the Worthy Farm concert could take place over a maximum of ‘two consecutive nights’
Festival organisers announce ‘epic’ five-hour livestream featuring Coldplay will take place in May
Glastonbury will hold a scaled down virtual replacement for the music festival on Saturday with artists including Coldplay set to perform.
The festival’s 50th anniversary extravaganza, originally scheduled for 2020, has been cancelled for the second consecutive year amid health and safety concerns regarding the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
Speaking to Radio 2 presenter Dermot O’Leary in March, Emily Eavis revealed they will be replacing the main event with a five hour special filled with a roster of special guests, to be held at Somerset’s Worthy Farm and available to stream at just £20 a ticket.
Pictured: Chris Martin of Coldplay
The livestream event will also give festival regulars an opportunity to revisit some of the venue’s popular landmarks, among them its legendary stone circle.
She said: ‘Since last March we have been working on our first global ticketed live stream event. It’s taken a long time to get to this point, and we’re pleased to announce today that on the 22nd of May we’re going to be streaming an incredible line up of artists, all from Worthy Farm.
‘We’re taking you through a five hour journey during an evening at Worthy Farm with artists, so it’s going to be like the festival but without people.’
It allows ‘multi-artist, live music concerts’ to be delivered on the Pyramid stage, though no information about line-ups and ticketing has yet been released.
However, the September event could see those who were unable to headline the main stage in 2020 finally perform.
Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar had been due to perform in the coveted spot on the Pyramid stage for the sold-out 50th anniversary event.
Tickets from the 2020 festival had rolled over to 2021 before this year’s Glastonbury was again cancelled in January.
It is unclear whether current ticketholders will have priority access to the proposed September concert.
According to the Mendip Council decision notice, the event is proposed to take place on September 17 and 18 between 2pm and midnight.
The conditions read: ‘The event will be delivered over a maximum of two consecutive nights, (Friday and Saturday) on one weekend in a calendar year to be agreed a minimum of 120 days in advance of the event date.’
It was added that a maximum capacity of 50,000 would include ‘all staff, traders, performers and crew.’
It is unclear how much of the two-day period Glastonbury will use for their proposed event.
The possibility of a September event was first reported in March, when Glastonbury co-organiser Emily Eavis confessed she was seeking permission to hold a concert.
She said on Instagram: ‘For those asking for an update on our plans later this year.
‘We have put an application in for a licence for a concert at the farm in September (around the time we’d usually do Pilton Party).’
It comes as the Eavis’ prepared for their scaled-down virtual ‘Live at Worthy Farm’ event on Saturday, which will see artists such as Coldplay and Jorja Smith perform.
The livestream concert was announced in March for £20 a ticket, with Ms Eavis later extending the five-hour special to also play on Sunday, May 23.
It will also give festival regulars an opportunity to revisit some of the venue’s popular landmarks, among them its legendary stone circle.
She said: ‘Since last March we have been working on our first global ticketed live stream event.
‘It’s taken a long time to get to this point, and we’re pleased to announce today that on the 22nd of May we’re going to be streaming an incredible line up of artists, all from Worthy Farm.
‘We’re taking you through a five hour journey during an evening at Worthy Farm with artists, so it’s going to be like the festival but without people.’
MailOnline has contacted Glastonbury Festival for comment.