Glastonbury and other big music festivals might be cancelled in 2021

Glastonbury and other big music festivals could be cancelled again in 2021 unless their insurance is underwritten due to the coronavirus crisis, MPs warned today.

Britain’s summer music events had the plug pulled on them this year amid the pandemic, with Glastonbury forced to axe its 50th anniversary edition.

Organisers of the event, where Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar were due to headline, said tickets could be rolled over until June 2021 for those who had already paid deposits.   

However, chairman of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee Julian Knight today warned there will be ‘no festival season next year unless insurance is underwritten in case of Covid disruption.’

Glastonbury and other big music festivals could be cancelled in 2021 unless their insurance is underwritten due to the coronavirus crisis, MPs warned today. Pictured: Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage in 2019

Pictured: Kylie Minogue performing at Glastonbury

Pictured: Stormzy  performing at Glastonbury

Britain’s summer music events had the plug pulled on them this year due to the pandemic, with Glastonbury having to axe its 50th anniversary edition. Pictured: Kylie Minogue (left) and Stormzy (right) perform at Glastonbury in 2019

He added: ‘The UK is the leader in the world in terms of music and arts festivals. The sector is worth £12 billion and supports many thousands of highly-skilled jobs as well as the financial lifeblood of the nation’s musicians. 

‘However, there will be no festival season next year unless insurance is underwritten in case of Covid disruption.

‘Will the minister firstly meet with me and MPs from across this House to see how this reinsurance can be put in place, and does the minister recognise, noting her answer to the previous question, that with a minimum lead time of six months, the reinsurance needs to be in place now before the likes of Glastonbury commit?’  

In response, culture minister Caroline Dinenage said: ‘Festivals are such a vibrant and integral part of our creative community and our economy, and I am well aware that many will take decisions very soon about whether they can go ahead next year, so this is a very urgent situation.

Glastonbury founders Emily and Michael Eavis confirmed the cancellation of the festival as the pandemic took hold in March, before those who provided deposits were required to pay the balance of their £270 tickets

 Glastonbury founders Emily and Michael Eavis confirmed the cancellation of the festival as the pandemic took hold in March, before those who provided deposits were required to pay the balance of their £270 tickets

Pictured: Taylor Swift, who was scheduled to perform Glastonbury on Sunday night in 2020

 Pictured: Taylor Swift, who was scheduled to perform Glastonbury on Sunday night in 2020

‘There is a sub group of my entertainment and events working group looking very specifically about how we can get festivals reopened and in the last few weeks I have met with representatives from festivals in Edinburgh and only yesterday from festivals on the Isle of Wight.’

Glastonbury founders Emily and Michael Eavis confirmed the cancellation of the festival as the pandemic took hold in March, before those who provided deposits were required to pay the balance of their £270 tickets.  

In a statement, they said: ‘We are so sorry to announce this, but Glastonbury 2020 will have to be cancelled, and this will be an enforced fallow year for the Festival.

‘Clearly this was not a course of action we hoped to take for our 50th anniversary event, but following the new government measures announced this week – and in times of such unprecedented uncertainty – this is now our only viable option.

Festivalgoers sit on a hill in the evening sunshine beside a large Glastonbury sign overlooking the campsite on the first day of the Glastonbury Festival in 2013

 Festivalgoers sit on a hill in the evening sunshine beside a large Glastonbury sign overlooking the campsite on the first day of the Glastonbury Festival in 2013

‘We very much hope that the situation in the UK will have improved by the end of June. 

‘But even if it has, we are no longer able to spend the next three months here with the thousands of crew here on the farm, helping us with the enormous job of building the infrastructure and attractions to welcome more than 200,000 people to a temporary city in these fields.’

Latitude Festival, which takes place in Henham Park, Suffolk in July, followed suit, announcing in April that the event would be cancelled. 

Leeds and Reading festivals, which take place over the August Bank Holiday weekend, decided to pull the plug on the events in May.

The festivals, which are two of the biggest in the UK music calendar, have already begun selling tickets for their 2021 event, with Stormzy, Post Malone and Liam Gallagher set to headline.

Other scrapped events included Download festival and the Isle of Wight festival.