History of Glastonbury Festival, who owns it and does it make money? All you need to know about world famous music event

Next week will see around 200,000 people descend on the picturesque Somerset village of Pilton - population around 1,100. The world famous Glastonbury Festival gets underway on Wednesday (June 25), with Pyramid Stage headliners The 1975, Neil Young and Olivia Rodrigo set to wow the crowds on Worthy Farm.

But the slick, sunshine-baked (in recent years anyway) festival, beamed around the world by the BBC and watched by millions, has not always boasted such high production values.

And plans for a festival in the Somerset countryside didn't really start at Worthy Farm, either. No, the seeds of what grew into the Glastonbury Festival were actually sewn a few miles from Pilton - at the Bath and West Showground. It was there in 1970 that Michael Eavis saw Led Zeppelin perform at the Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music - and hatched a plan to host an event on his own farm.

So it was, in September of that year, around 1,500 music fans descended on the sleepy village to enjoy the Pop, Blues & Folk Festival farmer Eavis was putting on. Admission cost £1 and famously, included free milk from the Worthy Farm cows.

That first bill included headliners T Rex - who turned up on the farm in a purple velvet car - alongside the likes of Steamhammer, Keith Christmas and Stackridge. It lost money, but music lover Michael was hooked - and Glastonbury was born.

In 1971, the Pop, Blues & Folk event was rebranded the Glastonbury Fair, under the guidance of Andrew Kerr, who designed and put on the festival alongside the likes of Arabella Churchill - granddaughter of Sir Winston - including designing a 'pyramid' stage on a spot picked by dowsing and following mythical ley lines. The stage was a scale replica of the Great Pyramid of Giza and was designed and built by Bill Harkin out of scaffolding and corrugated iron sheets.

It was home that year to the likes of David Bowie - who returned decades later - and Melanie, Hawkwind and Family. Again, it lost money - but was filmed by David Puttnam and Nicolas Roeg, who later released Glastonbury Fayre, which has become a seminal historical documentary.

Fears over the financial future of the event, and constant disagreements over organisation, meant the event was not officially held again until 1979, primarily driven by Churchill and marking the Year of the Child.

The loss-making nature of Glastonbury continued, but in 1981, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament came onboard and helped boost attendance and the profile of the event. From there, it thrived, until the late 80s and in 1990, when problems with drug-dealing and un-ticketed attendees hit crisis point, with the festival genuinely under threat.

That was until 1992 with the introduction of the first incarnation of a 'super fence', along with the banning of uninvited New Age Travellers - a controversial move with some festival veterans, but one deemed vital in the survival of the event.

And so it proved - 1992 was a success, and in 1994, Glastonbury was beamed into UK homes for the first time, with Channel 4 covering the main stages. That year also saw legendary sets from the likes of Orbital and the Levellers, whose Pyramid set attracted an estimated 300,000 people, the largest in the festival's history - many of them without tickets.

There was another battle over licensing for Glastonbury in the mid-90s, following continued breaches of the fence bringing thousands on to the site, but it survived, and continued to garner mainstream coverage and acclaim, with the likes of the Guardian and the BBC coming on board.

In 1999, tragedy struck Glastonbury, with the death of Michael Eavis' wife, Jean - his behind-the-scenes partner in organising the event for many years. The pair had vowed to stop hosting the festival when they retired, but after Jean's death, Michael turned his attention to it and continued, with the growing support of daughter, Emily, who has since gone on to oversee the bulk of the administration and planning.

This century has seen Glastonbury go from strength to strength, seemingly growing in popularity with each passing year. It donates millions to charity each year, sells out in minutes, and attracts some of the world's biggest performers, including the likes of Beyonce, Sir Paul McCartney and even Taylor Swift - although her headlining performance was a victim of Covid in 2020.

Who owns Glastonbury Festival?

Initially, it was solely run and owned by Michael and Jean Eavis. However, as the years progressed, the event had to become more 'formalised', with Glastonbury Festivals Ltd (GFL) eventually incorporated in 1992.

It is still in the Eavis family, with Michael and Emily listed as directors. Interestingly, Athelston Joseph Michael Eavis' occupation is still listed as 'farmer' on the company register, with Emily a 'promoter' - and he transferred his shares in the company to her last year as part of the handover of the event to the next generation.

Does the Glastonbury Festival make money?

Technically, yes, Glastonbury makes a profit. But it gives away the vast majority of the money it makes. For example, in the financial year to March 2024, Glastonbury made pre-tax profits of £5.9 million, with overall revenue at £68.4m.

Over the same period, it gave away £5.2m to charitable causes - and in June last year, spent £3.7m buying land. A spokesperson for the event has also spoken of how the festival lost "millions" during the Covid pandemic - and has since been replenishing hugely-depleted reserves.

So while punters may moan about the price of admission - £378.50 in 2025 - it is certainly not lining the pockets of the organisers. And when compared to the average ticket price for a big show or festival, Glastonbury is positively cheap.

The Isle of Wight Festival - three days with camping, costs £289.95 for 2026, while Download is £305, again for three nights camping. Glastonbury is five days and includes things like a programme and, let's be honest, is just huge in comparison.