Glastonbury Festival stands as one of the United Kingdom’s largest and most iconic music events. Each summer, the Worthy Farm site in Somerset transforms into a sprawling landscape packed with hundreds of thousands of music fans and camping tents.
Returning this June, the festival will feature an incredible lineup, including headliners The 1975, Neil Young, and Olivia Rodrigo. Tens of thousands of attendees will journey to the small village of Pilton, while millions more tune in from home as the performances are broadcast live on the BBC.
But just how many people pack into this vast 900-acre site nestled in the Vale of Avalon? The official capacity is a staggering 210,000 people—equivalent to more than two packed Wembley Stadiums.
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To put this into perspective, for five days in June, Glastonbury becomes the largest “city” in Somerset, far surpassing the populations of nearby Bath (101,000), Weston-super-Mare (82,000), and Taunton (68,000). It is also the fourth-largest city in the South West region, behind Bristol (467,000), Plymouth (264,000), and Swindon (233,000).
This 210,000 figure doesn’t represent just ticket-holding fans. The total breakdown includes:
- Public Tickets: Sold to the general public in official ticket sales.
- Local Sunday Tickets: Reserved for residents within a set radius, allowing entry on the festival’s final day.
- Staff, Complimentary, and Performer Passes: Covering all personnel, from artists and crew to security, medical teams, volunteers, and traders.
Is Glastonbury the biggest music festival worldwide? The answer is complex. While many tout Glastonbury as the largest, determining the “biggest” festival globally is tricky due to varying formats. Some festivals offer free entry, others span multiple venues, and some count total attendance across several days instead of peak capacity.
Worldwide, large music festivals such as Austria’s Donauinselfest, Morocco’s Mawazine, and Canada’s Montreal International Jazz Festival also claim to be among the biggest by attendance and area.
Historically, Glastonbury’s attendance peaked higher than today’s official capacity. Before the installation of the £1 million “super fence” around 20 years ago, gatecrashing was common, pushing numbers above 300,000 in the 1990s.
However, after a series of unruly festivals, local residents voiced concerns about the impact on their communities. At a 2002 council meeting, the event was described as “a war-zone” and a “very real threat to public order.” As a result, Mendip District Council initially refused to renew the festival’s licence.
Festival founder Michael Eavis appealed the ruling, and the licence was ultimately reinstated, securing Glastonbury’s future. For over two decades since, it has continued to deliver world-class music and unforgettable experiences in Pilton.