The Big Topic: Why the hype of Glastonbury is bigger than any headliner
There isn’t another festival that sells out in a matter of minutes without announcing a single artist who is performing, but Glastonbury is no ordinary festival. This year, the demand was so high that the ticketing system collapsed.
For British music fans, Glastonbury is portrayed as the mecca and a place that everybody should visit at least once in their lifetime. Having attended the festival this summer, I concur. It does live up to the hype surrounding it, and there’s an irresistible magic in the air across Worthy Farm.
The coach packages for the festival went on sale on November 3rd and sold out within 23-minutes. Meanwhile, the second batch of tickets went on general sale on Sunday morning, and they were all snapped up after an hour. In fact, the only reason it took that long was because of a “technical problem” due to demand.
In a statement, festival co-organiser Emily Eavis said: “Although we are thrilled that so many of you want to come to next year’s Glastonbury, we’re sorry that a huge number of people missed out on a ticket this morning – because demand far outstripped supply.”
She added: “Thank you to everyone who tried to buy a ticket. Your loyalty to this festival is deeply appreciated. There will be a ticket resale in spring 2023, so if you didn’t get one, please do try again then.”
Interestingly, it hasn’t always been this way, and over the last decade, demand has soared through the roof for Glastonbury. For example, in 2002, it astonishingly took eight weeks for a sell-out, and in 2009, it somehow took four months.
However, since the 2009 event, which Bruce Springsteen headlined, every festival edition has sold out almost immediately. The rush to buy tickets has become a bigger selling point for potential festival goers than any artist could ever be, and the whole pantomime provides better marketing than money could ever buy.
In recent weeks, Glastonbury has been chastised for increasing ticket prices to £335, which is a significant hike from last year. However, the change in pricing hasn’t affected demand for tickets, and the Somerset festival has proved itself to be cost-of-living proof.
One of the reasons for the increasing demand for Glastonbury coverage is the success of last year’s event. After two years away due to the pandemic, it returned in triumphant style in 2022 for its 50th anniversary, which included a historic set courtesy of Paul McCartney. Furthermore, the wall-to-wall coverage across the BBC on radio and television makes Glastonbury seem the only place to be.
Getting a ticket for Glastonbury is now a form of social currency enhanced because of the lottery element, and most people who tried to buy tickets failed. For this reason, some are attending for the wrong reasons rather than for a love of live music and festivals, but, instead, because social media has enforced Glastonbury’s hype, making it unmissable.
Despite my cynicism about the intentions of some Glastonbury ticket buyers, it’s a utopian paradise and the jewel crown in the calendar of British music. Even though the festival is yet to announce a single act for 2023, everybody knows they’ll produce a line-up of the highest calibre and live up to the lofty expectations set by the masses. If Glastonbury didn’t deliver every year, this excitement wouldn’t thrive, and tickets would still be available.
