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Glastonbury’s small-scale September gig axed

Emily Eavis has confirmed Glastonbury’s September event will no longer go ahead.

After the Worthy Farm festival’s main event was cancelled for a second year this summer, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there were talks of a small-scale event later in the year.

However, Emily – who organises the music extravaganza with her father Michael Eavis – has taken to Instagram to confirm that the September gig has been axed “for a number of reasons” and they are instead focusing on their Worthy Pastures camping experience.

She wrote: “Three days until we open the @worthypastures gates and it’s looking so lush on the farm. We’ve decided not to go ahead with the September gig idea for a number of reasons, so we’re putting all of our energy into the campsite for now! See you in a few days… #landroverrides.”

Michael had previously admitted he would love to be able to put on an event to celebrate the inauguration of the festival, which first launched on September 18, 1970, after they were forced to postpone the Somerset five-dayer’s 50th event.

He said: “I would like to do something in September. I would like to do something smaller somewhere around the anniversary date of when we started, which was the 18th of September 1970. I would like to consider possibly doing something around that time.”

And when quizzed on whether they’d ask major acts to perform at such an event, he said: “Yes, but I do need to get reassurance from the ethics people.”

Michael and Emily announced in January that the rescheduled 2020 festival – which would have been the event’s 50th anniversary – would not go ahead this year, due to the continued spread of coronavirus throughout the UK and the restrictions that are in place to fight the respiratory illness.

A statement released via the official Glastonbury Twitter page read: “With great regret, we must announce that this year’s Glastonbury Festival will not take place, and that this will be another enforced fallow year for us.

“In spite of our efforts to move heaven & earth, it has become clear that we simply will not be able to make the festival happen this year. We are so sorry to let you all down.

“As with last year, we would like to offer all those who secured a ticket in October 2019 the opportunity to roll their £50 deposit over to next year, and guarantee the chance to buy a ticket for Glastonbury 2022.

“We are very appreciative of the faith and trust placed in us by those of you with deposits, and we are very confident we can deliver something really special for us all in 2022!”

“We thank you for the incredible continued support and let’s look forward to better times ahead.

“With love, Michael & Emily.”

The decision to call off the festival for a second year in a row came despite the best efforts being made to get fans at Worthy Farm and the artists on stage, which would have included headliners Taylor Swift, Sir Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar.