Glastonbury organiser reveals drastic measure taken after crowd-crush fears

Metro

4 hours ago

As soon as the Glastonbury headliners were announced, attention turned to the possibility of a crowd crush, but organisers are one step ahead.
The festival was branded a 'ticking time-bomb' by a former executive as fans speculated Charli XCX's Other Stage set could get to unprecedented crowd levels.
In a bid to ease the strain of fans rushing to see their favourite acts, organiser Emily Eavis has revealed they have drastically cut the number of tickets.
Yes, if you thought tickets sold out even quicker for 2025, you were right — there were 'a few thousand' less up for grabs.
While on BBC's Sidetracked podcast, Emily said she wanted to 'make an impact on some of the busier times'.
'It'll be interesting to see just how that affects the dynamics on site,' she told hosts Annie Mac and Nick Grimshaw.
The 2025 map showed an increase in space around the Other Stage as well as introducing a new area, Dragon's Tail, to Shangri-La.
Emily said she had called a meeting with 250 staff members and asked if anyone felt it was overcrowded last year, but apparently nobody put their hand up.
'I was like, [that's] interesting because there's a lot of talk, some people think that it was,' the daughter of the festival's founder shared.
Last year saw Sugababes shut down West Holts while a secret set from Kasabian caused chaos at Woodsies – then there was Avril Lavigne, whose fans flooded the Other Stage area.
Emily's comments come after a source said to the Mail on Sunday: 'How has it [Glastonbury] survived this long without a major disaster?
'It's got to be a mixture of luck and a mixture of good will, the jewel in the UK's crown is actually something of a ticking time bomb.'
This year will see different routes and pathways encouraged to be used, all in a bid to ease congestion.
The Glastonbury app has played a huge part in the organisers' ability to anticipate fan movements, as many planned which artists they would see through the schedule function.
'The app was really accurate last year. People plan what they're going to see,' Emily said. 'We can see what they're going to see, which is really useful for us from a crowd perspective.'
Festival-goers have a tendency to follow the crowds, especially since the pandemic, so this year she is emphasising that there are plenty of alternative routes.
There are 'like 10 routes to anywhere', so there's no need to 'move in a herd', explore your own way towards the sets you wish to see. More Trending
The full lineup for 2025 has been revealed, with The 1975, Olivia Rodrigo, and Neil Young claiming the headline slots on the Pyramid Stage.
Other big names like Scissor Sisters, Doechii, Charli XCX, and more will perform across the weekend as well as some secret sets.
Speculation over who will take the stage as Patchwork has taken over the festival buildup and with only a few weeks to go, we'll find out soon enough.
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