Why is Glastonbury Festival not happening in 2026? Hiatus for iconic festival explained
The massive annual festival will not be back for 2026 and here's why
Glastonbury Festival is an annual music pilgrimage for thousands every year, but 2026 is going to be very quiet at Worthy Farm.
Emily Eavis, the organiser of the weekender, has announced that 2026 will be a "fallow year", meaning the festival will be rested and back in style in 2027.
So The 1975, Neil Young, Olivia Rodrigo and hundreds of others will be making sure this weekend is one that no one will forget anytime soon.
As the festival prepares to take a hiatus, here's why the festival is taking a break in 2026, and why it's so important.
Why is Glastonbury Festival not returning in 2026?
Emily Eavis confirmed back in June 2024 that 2026 will be a "fallow year" for Worthy Farm, where the annual festival is held.
Fallow years are planned breaks and an agricultural practice that allows the farmland to grow uninterrupted, giving it time to replenish the nutrients in the soil and for grass to grow for cattle grazing.
Appearing on BBC's Sidetracked podcast, Emily explained to Annie Mac and Nick Grimshaw that the farm needs time to recover.
"We are due a fallow year. The fallow year is important because it gives the land a rest, and it gives the cows a chance to stay out for longer and reclaim their land," she said.
"I think it’s important, I think it gives everybody time to just switch off and the public as well. It is a lot, isn't it? Then you kind of go away for a bit and it feels lovely when you come back. And I think it’s quite good not [to] seem to be cashing in."
Typically, the fallow years take place every five years of the festival. The last official fallow year was 2018; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both the 2020 and 2021 festivals were cancelled, so it's been rebooted from then.
Speaking to the BBC ahead of this year's festival, Emily added that the fallow year is also a benefit to the local area of Pilton, Cornwall, as it gives them time to rest as well.
Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Tilly Pearce is a freelance TV journalist whose coverage ranges from reality shows like Love Is Blind to sci-fi shows like Fallout. She is an NCTJ Gold Standard accredited journalist, who has previously worked as Deputy TV Editor (maternity cover) at Digital Spy, and Deputy TV & Showbiz Editor at Daily Express US.
