Count down to Glastonbury with all the numbers you need to know
This week, thousands of music lovers from across the U.K. and beyond will flock to a farm in the southwest of England for the legendary Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts. But just how many?
Find out in this guide to Glastonbury — and all of its quirks — by the numbers.
210,000: Full capacity of the festival
The festival's current license allows up to 210,000 people on-site, including fans, staff and performers — but, this year, a few thousand fewer tickets have been sold, to avoid overcrowding.
The closest village of Pilton has a population of around 1,000 people. During the festival, though, the area becomes the seventh-largest largest city in the U.K. (more than double that of nearby Bath, which has a population of around 94,000).
1,200,000: Pints of beer stocked across more than 100 bars
Brooklyn Brewery's pilsner has been the official beer of Glastonbury since 2023, keeping festivalgoers well lubricated. This year, they are preparing more than 1.2 million pints of lager for a hot and thirsty crowd. That's equivalent to two standard-size swimming pools.
And that's despite Glastonbury's B.Y.O. standing, unique at British music festivals where bringing alcohol in from the outside is usually prohibited. At Glastonbury, if you can carry it, you can drink it, and it's not uncommon to see wheelbarrows and small trailers being pulled into campsites with a weekend's worth of supplies of food and drink.
120,000: Largest-ever crowd for one set
The headliners on the iconic Pyramid Stage traditionally attract the biggest crowds, and Elton John's 2023 farewell gig attracted more than 120,000 fans as he closed the festival. Paul McCartney pulled in more than 100,000 festivalgoers for his headlining Saturday night set in 2022.
4,000: Number of toilets
As well as standard portable toilets, the more than 4,000 toilets include the infamous 'long drops' — lockable, open-air toilets set up on high with a huge concrete gutter around 10 feet (3 meters) below (looking down not recommended) and 'compost loos,' with a bin of sawdust located outside to scoop and scatter over your business. There are also both men's and women's urinals for a speedy pee!
By contrast, there are scarce few public showers. Organizers instead recommend a 'good ol' fashioned stripwash and making do.'
3,972: Performers across 120 stages this year
This year's headliners are English indie rockers The 1975 on Friday, Canadian-American singer-songwriter Neil Young on Saturday and American pop star Olivia Rodrigo closing on Sunday. But if that's not your thing, there are 3,969 other acts to choose from.
35: Minutes it took for 2025 tickets to sell out
Tickets for this year went on sale in November 2024, more than 6 months before a single performer was announced, yet the general admission tickets sold out in 35 minutes. The resale round in April saw remaining tickets sell out in just 20 minutes.
1970: Glastonbury's birth year
This does not mean this week is the 55th edition though, as traditionally the festival takes a fallow year roughly every five years to allow the farmland to recover. The last official fallow year was 2018, but the festival's 50th anniversary in 2020 and the following year's edition were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
If you're considering making Glasto plans for next year, don't bother: 2026 is a fallow year.
1,000: Acres constituting the festival's site
This is equivalent to 500 soccer pitches or approximately 733 standard American football fields. That makes it the world's largest greenfield music and arts event.
1,000: Cows living on the farmland
The rest of the year, that is — the humans and the cows don't cohabitate during the festival. Worthy Farm, where the festival is held, is a working farm with 500 milking cows and 500 young stock. During the festival, organizer Michael Eavis sends the dairy cows for a short stay at the Glastonbury 'Moo-tel,' a large shed based away from the action, while the rest go off to graze further afield.
400: Food stalls
The more than 400 stalls go well beyond the traditional festival burger, offering just about every type of global cuisine you can imagine. Plus the Brits love a 'meal deal' (a combo of a main meal and a drink or side dish) and Glastonbury is no exception with 6-pound (roughly $8) meal deals offered across the site to keep things affordable.
30: Arrests made in 2024
Twenty-one of these were for drug-related offenses, but the festival retains a low crime rate overall.
8: Kilometers around the perimeter fence
A 'Super Fortress Fence' was installed in 2002. Before this, there were tens of thousands of gate-crashers every year. Some jumped the fence, while others tunneled under, 'Great Escape' style. Eavis installed the impenetrable fence after he was fined in 2000 for breaching licensing conditions.
5: Days the festival site is open for business
Ticket holders can get access starting 8 a.m. Wednesday to pitch their tents and bag the best spots. While there is entertainment and music over the first few days, the main stages start up on Friday morning and run through Sunday night. All festivalgoers must leave by 5 p.m. Monday, when the site officially closes.
5: Most headlining appearances of any band
Coldplay has headlined the Pyramid Stage a record five times. They first topped the bill in 2002, followed by 2005, 2011, 2016 and, most recently, 2024. Arctic Monkeys, Muse and Radiohead are among an elite group of artists who have headlined three times.
3: Banned items that may surprise you
Among the list of banned items you might expect, including narcotics, weapons and fireworks, are the less assuming Chinese lanterns, body glitter and gazebos. The first two are verboten because of environmental concerns — a couple cows have died from ingesting the remnants of a Chinese lantern! — while a sudden rash of gazebos would take up too much space in the busy campsites.
0: Number of plastic bottles sold on-site
Glastonbury banned single-use plastic in 2019, installing more drinking water fountains around the site and encouraging festivalgoers to bring reusable bottles — for water or some other liquid of choice, of course.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
18 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Call The Midwife 'to end after 15 series as the cast of long-running BBC drama begin to film final scenes'
Beloved BBC series Call The Midwife will reportedly come to a close with its 15th series this year. The heartwarming show first aired in 2012 and has since put out 14 series, totalling to more than 100 episodes following the nurses and nuns in Poplar. A Christmas special for this year has already been announced, with the cast currently at work filming for series 15 to air next year. However, according to The Daily Star, the season will be the show's last, as bosses want the popular drama to 'go out on a high'. A source told the publication: 'After years of drama and countless births, Call The Midwife is coming to an end. The team have decided it's time to draw the show to a close and bow out. 'This is the last we'll see of these much-loved characters. Storylines will tie up a lot of loose ends. It's a bittersweet time for the cast and crew. They're all sad it's coming to an end, but they want to make sure the show gets the ending it deserves.' However, the insider teased that there could be a special return episode one day in the future, saying: 'The writers are also open to the idea of reviving Call The Midwife for a special one day in the future. It's a case of never say never.' Earlier this year, the show's creator, Heidi Thomas hinted the longstanding drama may take a break from production in the future. She told Radio Times in February: 'Those of us who are most invested with the show, cast and producers alike, who have been there since the beginning, it is our lives. 'I don't believe Call the Midwife will ever end. But I do think we might take a break at some point.' The screenwriter added that there was an 'ongoing conversation' each year where they discuss if there is an 'end point' to the show and what they want to 'work towards'. 'So if we do take a break, it will be with a view to looking at other aspects of Call the Midwife,' Heidi explained, before hinting that a spin-off may be on the cards too. In May, the BBC confirmed a two-part Call The Midwife Christmas special is being prepared and will be set in Hong Kong and the East End. It will be followed by eight new hour-long episodes from January 2026 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The new instalments will launch into 1971 and the nurses will tackle several issues including 'premature birth, placenta previa, kidney cancer, tuberculosis and slavery'. At the start, senior members of the Nonnatus House staff head to Hong Kong on a mercy mission. While they're away, the younger midwives are left to help the local community alone. Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter) experiences a huge change in mindset and the 'energy reverberates throughout series 15'. What's more, the women's liberation movement is in full swing and several ladies burn their bras outside of the convent. In another treat for viewers, a Call The Midwife film is also set to be produced and will be based in 1972. While a prequel series is also in the works for next year and will dive into the streets of Poplar during World War Two. Speaking about the prequel, Heidi said: 'The opening of new doors at Nonnatus House feels profoundly emotional, and yet just right. 'I have never run out of stories for our midwives, and I never will. But having wept, laughed, and raged my way from 1957 to 1971, I found myself yearning to delve into the deeper past.' She reflected how the East End during the Blitz was 'extraordinary' and 'filled with loss, togetherness, courage and joy'. Heidi added: 'The bombs fell, the babies kept on coming, and the Sisters kept on going.' The writer teased what was in store for the prequel and said: 'There will be so much in the prequel for our wonderful, loyal fans, including the appearance of some familiar (if much younger!) faces. 'As the classic Call the Midwife series moves further into the 1970s, it also seems the perfect time for our much-loved regulars to take a short break from Poplar and test themselves in an unfamiliar landscape. 'The rise in hospital births, and changes in the NHS, have clipped their wings, and this is their chance to take flight and work out what really matters. 'Whilst the location of the film remains top-secret, I can say it is going to look absolutely fantastic on the big screen!' Beeb boss Lindsay Salt described the show as a 'jewel in the BBC's crown'. While executive producer Dame Pippa Harris added: 'In an increasingly competitive viewing environment not only have our loyal fans stayed with us for 14 years, but they've been joined by a new, younger generation who have also fallen in love with our characters and the challenges they face. 'Emboldened by this warmth and enthusiasm, now feels like the right time to expand our world and take our nuns and midwives onto the big screen with our movie, and back in time with the prequel!' More information about the upcoming film and prequel series are set to be released later in the year.
The Sun
32 minutes ago
- The Sun
Four dumped Love Island stars revealed as mass dumping rocks the villa
LOVE Island has revealed which four islanders have been dumped from the villa. Tonight's nail biting episode saw Maya Jama enter the sleepover villa, where she had some big news for Helena, Dejon, Emily and Remell. 5 5 5 In a shock twist, Maya told them that they have to decide if they want to stick in their current couple or recouple with a bombshell. 'Having some time away has allowed you to explore new connections, but are these connections stronger than what you have with your current partner?' she said. The foursome then had to decide whether they head back to the villa alone, or with one of the newcomers, Giorgio, Will, Poppy and Caprice. In the end, only Helena decided to recouple and opted to go back with Giorgio. Dejon decided to stick with Meg, despite kissing Caprice during his time at the sleepover villa. Remell hesitated but chose to stick with Alima, even though he told Poppy earlier he felt different with her and they shared a snog. That left Emily, who opted to stay with Conor- unaware of his growing connection with Megan back in the main villa - over new boy Will. As a result of Helena's decision, Shea found himself single and a text back to the original villa broke the news. The four islanders going home were Shea, as well as three of the bombshells: Poppy, Caprice and Will. While Helena was the only one to recouple, she has admitted she is still pining for Harry. Chatting with Emily before having to make her decision, she told her she was attracted to Giorgio but was still thinking about Harry. Earlier in the evening, it had looked like Remell and Dejon might be swayed by the new girls too. During a game of Truth or Dare, Dejon dared Remell to kiss an islander of his choice and he plumped for Poppy. Poppy then kissed Dejon after being dared to smooch the person she's most attracted to other than the person she chose. 5 5 When Dejon was later dared to kiss the Islander he's most attracted to, he locked lips with Caprice and they both rated the smooch 10/10. When quizzed by Dejon who he would chose between Alima and Poppy, Remell paused for a few moments and then opted for Poppy. asks Remell who he would choose between Alima and Poppy if there was a recoupling and he hesitates but says Poppy. And in a subsequent talk with his pal round the firepit, Remell went on to confess: 'I'm loving the chats with Poppy, flirty, chill…I don't want to leave with regrets which is why I'm giving Poppy the time of day.' Dejon responded: 'You've got to look long term… whoever you see a long term future with, that's the one you pursue.' On his own love triangle after snogging Caprice, Dejon said: 'What me and Caprice have could be something good, but what me and Meg have is something special.' Later that night, Remell pulled Poppy for a chat. 'I've been comfy around you, it's the first time in the Villa that I've felt like this so it's telling me something," he told her before they snogged again. So it came as something of a shock when he eventually chose to stick with Alima instead.
Times
44 minutes ago
- Times
Rent-a-bike thieves are nature unto themselves
I often get the Merlin app out on my dog walks in our local park — you'd be amazed at the variety of birds in south London, from the occasional woodpecker to an army of rose-ringed parakeets. But there's a relatively new urban hoot-hooting sound in town: the rhythmic call of the stolen Lime rented bikes make a repetitive cry once an artful dodger — it's usually a child — begins to ride without paying. I saw one being taken for a spin the other morning, two shrieking schoolgirls somehow on one bike, the passenger getting a backie on the wheel arch. Lime bike pilfering is the petty crime no one seems to care about in London. They're just background singers in our soundscape. I fear more for the safety than the unlawful behaviour of these kids, since none of them seem to wear helmets. But then I saw a schoolgirl steal someone else's rented bike. The poor bloke, on his way to work, had paused his ride, dismounted and turned his back for a second to retrieve a ring he'd dropped. He tried, awkwardly and heroically, but failed to catch the bike poacher as she sped off, the getaway vehicle weaving in and out of rush-hour traffic. • England ride Lime bikes to Oval with West Indies stuck in traffic In Australia, helmets are a legal requirement and Lime bikes have them attached in the front baskets, which makes a change from the discarded takeaways left in the UK ones. Could the caring, sharing, eco-conscious, globally successful e-bike hire company not attach helmets to the British bikes? I seem to be having a middle-aged pop girl summer. So far I've seen Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan and Beyoncé. I'll see rapper Doechii in August. I've been going to gigs fairly consistently since the age of about 14 but I don't remember anyone dressing up as the person they are about to see on stage. This is not a grumpy old woman complaint. It was glorious to see the young 'uns in yuck-green tops and big frilly knickers for Charli and ironic pinks for Chappell. The joyful commitment to cowboy boots and stetsons for Beyoncé's performance in sweltering London was impressive, to the point of being quite moving. I honestly love my job but there's a special satisfaction in putting on my automatic out-of-office response when I go on holiday. I get a lot of cold-call, copy-and-paste emails from PR companies and can't find time to reply to all of them. Since the answer to the vast majority is 'no thank you', it would be unproductive in any case. It does feel hugely impolite to ignore them so I have experimented with efficiently curt, negative responses, only to be met with the dreaded follow-up 'While I have you…'. So the OOO setting satisfies politeness: everyone's at least getting a response — around 530 people during a recent eight-day break. Their non-bespoke request is getting a non-custom-made reply. It's an egalitarian relationship between inboxes where no human time has been wasted. There are still some codes of conduct. You can't switch your holiday setting on mid-conversation. Though I have a sneaking respect for those capable of this OOO smackdown. I got one the other day that just said: 'Hello there, Sorry I missed your message. I'm wild swimming in Wales.' A new height for rubbing your nose in it. Searching the internet for a good price on a new shower, the algorithm threw showers for dogs at me, for the algorithm knows that I am a dog owner with solid hygiene standards. But it turns out that these are not niche products. Even John Lewis sells one, 'for a more relaxed experience' for your dog. It's an 'anatomically shaped' (me neither) showerhead with settings for paws and body made by Hansgrohe. Yours for only £157. How on earth have we lived so long without it? Lesley Thomas is Weekend editor Janice Turner is away
