'In my dad's 90th year to have him back will be very special...' Emily Eavis reveals importance of getting Glastonbury headliner
Emily Eavis was determined to book Neil Young as a Glastonbury headliner this year to mark her dad Michael Eavis' 90th birthday.
The festival creator reaches the milestone age on October 17 and his daughter Emily, 45, wanted to ensure she could get Young - one of her father's "favourite artists of all time" - to perform at the festival to celebrate his 90th year.
In an interview with Cosmopolitan, she said: "Neil Young is one of my dad's favourite artists of all time, and mine. We've sort of grown up with him. He played in 2009, and it was an incredible set, so getting him back has been a really important thing for us — and especially in my dad's 90th year to have him back singing all his beautiful songs will be something very special.'
The other headliners are The 1975 and Olivia Rodrigo and Emily picked Matty Healy's band to the top of the bill on the Pyramid Stage on Friday night because she wanted to "champion British rock music".
Emily decided on Oliva as the third headliner after being stunned by her 2022 performance at Worthy Farm.
The festival organiser added: "She came off the stage in tears. It was so incredible. When you see an artist who's so young storming through, it's really exciting.'
However, Emily - who is one of five Eavis children - admits she doesn't always get to see the bands and artists she wants to over the course of the weekend because of her responsibilities running the festival site.
She said: "I try my best, but it depends on what's happening on site at the time. But it is really important to watch because you're creating this huge show of artists, bands, and activities, and then if you miss them all, it's a bit gutting.'
The festival is being held for the 53rd time and it has changed a lot since it began in 1970, when just 1,500 people attended.
Now, 200,000 people, including more than 2,000 performers across over 100 stages, head to Pilton, Somerset, South West England, and Emily has taken measures to ease the overcrowding that caused some stages to be shutdown in 2024, including sets by Charli XCX, Avril Lavigne and the Sugababes, with one measure being to sell fewer tickets and another to create a new field called Dragon's Tail for partygoers in the late night area of the site who wish to take a break.
Emily said: "Crowding is something we're going to address.
"I think the issue was that people were moving in similar directions, so we're trying to spread the programming out by putting more high level artists on at the same time. Also telling people that there's 10 routes to anywhere; you don't have to go the one way you think you have to. There's also endlessly interesting things you can find that aren't at massive stages or with big crowds.
"I hope [the whole site] feels nice and roomy for people."
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