Glastonbury has brought many of the biggest and most well known names in music to the U.K.. As a result, it has established itself as a landmark festival over the last 50 years. The music culture in the U.K. would be drastically different without the festival. Fans were surprised that the future of Glastonbury was uncertain due to the financial devastation caused by COVID-19.
Festival organizer Emily Eavis and her father, Michael, are pleading for government assistance as events struggle to get insurance for next summer. Insurers were hit with claims of hundreds of millions of pounds when events were forced to close earlier this year. They are unable to afford another situation like that and therefore reluctant to provide cancellation coverage for events like Glastonbury.
However, event organizers cannot take on the risk of arranging festivals and other shows without insurance coverage. If forced to cancel, they could potentially lose millions.
Emily states, “The best solution would be for the government to offer direct financial support in the event of Glastonbury, and other events, being forced to cancel once they’re well into the preparations. If the government can share the risk by offering direct financial support, then it gives everyone the opportunity to move forward with the planning in the hope that things will be safe to run in the summer, and in the knowledge that backing is available if we’re simply not in a position to go ahead.”
The situation is dire as it not only impacts Glastonbury, but other events in the U.K. as well.
