JUNE | COVER FEATURE
to Mendip Council’s chief executive Stuart Brown the
other day, and he said if people around here really knew
how much activity is down to the festival they’d never
believe it.
“Up to 15 miles from here there’s businesses feeling
the effects of it, and he [Brown] says wherever he goes
there’s someone making a good living because of the
Festival. The benefits are incalculable: the taxis, the
shops… and then there’s the cultural aspect.”
Indeed, Glastonbury was declared the ‘most shared’
event of 2017 by EE, proving its free-wheeling cultural
ethos has translated seamlessly into the 21st Century.
But all this activity is underpinned by Glastonbury’s
legendary charitable policy, of which Oxfam, Greenpeace
and WaterAid are prominent beneficiaries. For Eavis
however, it’s the local ventures that he likes to roll his
sleeves up for: “The things I really enjoy doing are those
that benefit the area. I donated land and stone for a local
social housing project, which I lease for nothing. It’s been
going about 14 years, and they’re beautiful stone houses.
The village are very supportive. We quarry our own
stone. It’s local stone and local houses for local people.
You can’t beat it. And it means young people, and kids
Glasto gives back
Since 2000, each year Glastonbury Festival has
paid more than £1m to charities and local good
causes. Local projects previously supported by
Festival income include:
•
Building the new Pilton Working Men’s Club
•
The completion of a housing project
providing housing with affordable rent for
offspring of villagers who cannot afford
Pilton prices
•
Renovating the Glastonbury Abbey Tythe
Barn in Pilton and establishing the Pilton
Barn Trust
•
Building the original pavilion, football pitch,
tennis courts in Pilton Playing Fields
•
Rebuilding of the Pilton Playing Fields
Pavillion
•
Renovation of the child’s play area in the
Pilton Playing Fields
•
Recasting the damaged medieval bells in
Pilton Parish Church
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come to the village, which gives it a character.”
Despite the magnitude of this ‘Glastonbury Effect’,
the festival is no stranger to opposition, yet Eavis looks
back on his court battles with nostalgia: “I had to work
a big charm offensive to keep the Festival going after
various licensing threats. I’ve been up against mayors
and people wearing silly wigs, while I’m standing there
in my shorts and sandals. And there’s nothing silly about
that is there?!” he jokes.
“It took 35 years of really hard work, and all those
objections. But we’re there now, and I must admit I did
enjoy that period. The court cases were good fun, and
well reported. It was a ‘David and Goliath’ thing, and I
was David. It was tough at times though… and I deserve
the two trains in my name now,” he chuckles. “But I
didn’t lose any money during that time, which was good.
And I did like winning those cases.”
As well as new acts, there are many new structural
additions to look forward to this year. “We come up with
new stuff all the time,” says Eavis. “Rock ‘n roll is a bit
flaky on its own, so we’ve introduced a lot of other stuff
to the Festival that makes it different and gives it a heart
and soul.”
Eavis mentions a new treetop stage in The Wood
where Shakespeare will be performed nightly. “We
worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company, who are
taking over the stage, and doing bits and pieces. It’s been
great fun.”
Other new elements for 2019 include: a re-jig of the
Shangri-La area, with Earache Records confirming a
‘proper stage’; a new ‘hidden gem’ micro-venue called No
Average Groove; a newly-designed Sonic Stage; a bigger
Block9 area – double the size no less; and a new 60-metre
Victorian Pier created by long-standing Festival artist
Joe Rush.
Michael and Emily have done a bang-up job again
then, but Glastonbury’s founding father is still highly
motivated: “It’s important to keep going and prove you’re
still there,” he says. “They say to me: ‘Your daughter’s
doing it now isn’t she?’, and I say: ‘Is she?’. She’s fantastic,
Emily is. She doesn’t like the public facing stuff so much
but she’s great with people one-to-one. She’s very clever,
and is good at handling me, and we get on really great
most of the time. We bounce ideas off each other.”
The full realisation of these ideas will be laid bare
when 135,000 people head to Glastonbury Festival on
26-30 June to experience 135,000 unique event journeys.
Now which train to book?