The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly known as Glastonbury, is a five-day performing arts festival held near Pilton, Somerset, England, in most summers. Billed as the largest greenfield music festival in the world, it has become a major event in British culture. In addition to contemporary music, Glastonbury hosts dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret, and other arts. Leading pop and rock artists have headlined, alongside thousands of others appearing on smaller stages and performance areas.
Founded by dairy farmer Michael Eavis in 1970 after being inspired by an open-air Led Zeppelin concert, the festival takes place on 1,500 acres of farmland. It attracts around 200,000 people and requires extensive infrastructure for security, transport, water, and electricity. Inspired by the hippie ethos and the counterculture of the 1960s, Glastonbury retains vestiges of these traditions in areas like the Green Fields, the Stone Circle, and the Healing Field. Most festival staff are unpaid volunteers, helping the festival raise millions of pounds for charity organizations.
