GLASTONBURY 2013 - HISTORY PART 1

1970 (19th September)

 The first Festival was held on the day after Jimi Hendrix died, over a two day period and before long “word had got around”. It was the Blues festival at the Bath & West Showground that had inspired Michael Eavis to begin a festival of his own although on a smaller scale.
Acts included: Marc Bolan, Keith Christmas, Stackridge, Al Stewart, Quintessence
Attendance: 1,500.
Price: £1 including free milk from the farm.

1971 (20th - 24th June)

The Festival moved to the time of the Summer Solstice and was known as the "Glastonbury Fair". It had been planned by Andrew Kerr and Arabella Churchill who felt all other festivals at the time were over commercialised. It was paid for by the few who supported the ideal so the entrance was free and took a medieval tradition of music, dance, poetry, theatre, lights and spontaneous entertainment. It was in this year that the first "pyramid" stage was constructed out of scaffolding and expanded metal covered with plastic sheeting, built on a site above the Glastonbury-Stonehenge ley line. The musicians who performed recorded a now very rare album. The Festival is also captured "a la Woodstock" by a 1972 film crew that included Nick Roeg and David Puttnam. This film was called "Glastonbury Fayre".
Acts included: Hawkwind, Traffic, Melanie, David Bowie, Joan Baez, Fairport Convention and Quintessence.
Attendance: estimated at 12,000.
Price: free.

1978 (28th - 8th July)

This became known as the “impromptu” Festival. This happened with the arrival of travellers washed out from Stonehenge who were led to believe that a festival was taking place. After persuasive discussion, a free mini Festival did take place. There was little organisation and few facilities layed on but somehow it did not matter - the stage was powered by an electric meter in a caravan with the cable running to the stage.
Attendance: 500.

1979 (21st - 23rd June)

Now a three day event and was still referred to as the Glastonbury Fayre but with the theme of “the year of the child”.  Bill Harkin and Arabella Churchill were the instigators on this occasion and turned to Michael Eavis for financial backing.  He secured a bank loan against the deeds of the farm.  Special provision and entertainment was provided for children and it was at this event that the concept of the Children’s World charity was born which still exists today and works in special schools throughout Somerset and Avon Again, despite the numbers attending, the organisers suffered a huge financial loss and no one wanted to risk another festival in 1980. It was also this summer that Michael’s youngest daughter, Emily was born.
Acts included: Peter Gabriel, Steve Hillage, Alex Harvey Band, Sky and the Footsbarn Theatre. Attendance: 12,000.  Tickets:  £5.
 

 

 

 

1981 (19th - 21st June)

The name was changed to Glastonbury Festival and Michael Eavis took the helm running the event again. This was the first “Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament” festival. Michael helped positively towards the peace movement by holding the Festival at Worthy farm to benefit the Mid Somerset CND campaign. Michael had to convince National CND and said that with proper management the Festival could be turned into a profitable venture. Agreement was reached with National CND sending out information in their mailings, handling advance ticket sales and allowing the use of the CND logo. It was up to Michael to provide the money, arrange entertainment and organise the event, liaise with the authorities and organise market stalls etc.
It was this year that it was decided to build a new Pyramid stage. However, this time it was a permanent structure, doubling as a cowshed and animal food store during the winter months. It took two months to build the permanent Pyramid stage out of telegraph poles and ex-MOD metal sheeting. The CND logo was not present at this Festival, as it was too heavy to lift into position at the apex. Michael Eavis eventually handed over approximately £20,000 to a very grateful CND.
Acts included: New Order, Hawkwind, Taj Mahal, Aswad, Gordon Giltrap.
Attendance: 18,000. Tickets: £8.

1982 (18th - 20th June)

Again, there was CND involvement and it was this year that Western Region CND took control of the entrance gates and Mid Somerset CND took charge of all the information.
This year was a muddy year with lots of bad weather. In fact, the highest rainfall for a single day in 45 years was recorded on the Friday but it was also the year of the first laser show backed by Tubeway Army's "Are friends electric?".
Acts included: Van Morrison, Judie Tzuke, Jackson Browne, Roy Harper, Richie Havens.
Attendance: 25,000. Tickets: £8.

1983 (17th -19th June)

1983 called for a licence to be obtained for the event since the introduction of the local Government Act became law, giving local authorities the power to regulate such events by stipulating the conditions.  Mendip District Council issued a Public Entertainment Licence which set a crowd limit of 30,000 and went into considerable detail about access roads, water supply, hygiene and so on.  It was also the first year that the Festival  had its own radio station, Radio Avalon. £45,000 was eventually raised for CND and local charities.
Acts included: Marillon, The Beat, UB40, Curtis Mayfield, King Sunny Ade.
Attendance: 30,000. Tickets:  £12. Programme price:  80 pence.

1984 (20th -22nd June)

In January 1984 Michael Eavis successfully defended 5 prosecutions bought against him by Mendip District Council alleging contravention of the previous years licence conditions. All five charges were dismissed after a day long hearing at Shepton Mallet Magistrates Court. The local council then announced that the licence for 1984 would cost £2,000. The licence numbers were set at 35,000 and for the first time specific car parking areas were designated with stewards employed to direct the traffic. Messages were also broadcast on the radio to advise people not to turn up unless they had purchased a ticket in advance. 1984 also saw the start of the Green Fields as a separate area within the Festival. £60,000 was raised for CND and other charities.
Acts included: The Waterboys, The Smiths, Elvis Costello, Joan Baez and Ian Drury. Guest speakers included Bruce Kent, the chairman of CND and Paddy Ashdown.

Attendance: 35,000. Tickets: £13. Programme price: 80 pence.

1985 (21st - 23rd June)

By 1985 Worthy farm was considered too small to accommodate the Festival so the neighbouring Cockmill farm land was purchased to enlarge the site by a further 100 acres. The sheer size of the newly enlarged site meant that communications were stretched to the limit - the ultimate test for any organisation. With tractors the only possible means of towing people off the site in seriously bad weather. Michael Eavis was pleased that, “we have had the mud bath and proved we can still cope with the conditions”. £100,000 was raised for CND and local charities.

Acts included: Echo & The Bunnymen, Aswad, Joe Cocker, Style Council and The Boomtown Rats.
Attendance: 40,000.Tickets: £16. Programme: 90p.

1986 (20th - 22nd June)

Again, this was a bigger Festival than the preceding year’s event.  Due to the growth there were additions to the farm office, communications, welfare and medical teams.  The Theatre and Childrens Areas moved to new homes, the first Classical music tent was introduced and the market areas  relocated  from the top of the site. £130,000 was raised for CND and local charities.
Acts included: The Cure, Madness, Simply Red, The Housemartins, The Waterboys, Pogues and Level 42.
Attendance: 60,000. Tickets:£17. Programme: £1.

1987 (19th - 21st June)

The council’s decision to refuse the licence was overturned in court only in May.   1987 saw the introduction of the Womad  stage to the Festival. £130,000 was raised for CND and local charities.
Acts included: Elvis Costello, Robert Cray, New Order, Paul Brady, Michelle Shocked and Van Morrison.
Attendance:  60,000. Tickets:  £21.

1988 - no festival

The Festival did not take place as a decision was taken to have a fallow year to regroup and review the problems associated with the increase in size.

1989 (16th - 18th June)

Again there were once again complications with the local council over the granting of the Festival licence. The Police were bought into the organisation and planning of the Festival for the first time. Donations of £100,000 were made to CND.
Acts included: The Wonderstuff, Elvis Costello, Van Morrison,  Pixies and Suzanne Vega who appeared despite a prior death threat.
Attendance: 65,000. Tickets:  £28. Programme price: £2.

1990 (22nd - 24th June)

The festival took the name of the Glastonbury Festival for Contemporary Performing Arts for the first time, to reflect the diversity of attractions within the Festival.  It was the twentieth anniversary of the first Festival but unfortunately ended with a confrontation between the security teams and travellers who were looting the emptying festival site.  This resulted in 235 arrests and £50,000 worth of damage to property and hired plant.
1990 was the first year that a professional car parking team was employed to encourage the best use of space.   Donations of  £100,000 were made to CND and other local charities.
Acts included: The Cure, Happy Mondays, Sinead O’Connor and World Party.
Attendance: 70,000. Tickets: £38. Programmes:  £3.