GLASTONBURY

FESTIVAL
Attendance
"The first festival at Worthy Farm was the Pop, Blues & Folk
Festival, hosted by Michael Eavis on Saturday 19 September
1970, and attended by 1,500 people." ¹ In 2022 this number
rose to 210,000 attendees.

Location

The Glastonbury festival is located in a small dairy farming

village with a lot of open fields. This is a prime location for a
festival because there is a lot of space for both the stages
and tents that people live in.
Furthermore, the festival began here because the original
organizer was a milk farmer and giving away free milk was a
part of the attraction.
Site
Advantage:
Benefit of the site is the low population in the vicinity. The nearest town, Glastonbury, has a
population of less than 10,000 so disruption to a large population is avoided.
Disatvantage:
Limitation for a site this large is that it is not near a major transport route. The nearest
motorway (major highway) is around 27km away.

Impact
Economic:
In 2017 the festival spent over US$8 million with local companies (Glastonbury Festival,
2017).
A 2007 study showed that the average person spent about US$180 on-site and roughly the
same off-site in the local area.
Each year the festival raises US$1.35 million for charities.
Social:
Crime is low, but present with 188 crimes reported to police in 2017, with 71 people arrested
compared to 40 in 2016.
Each year the festival has a ‘health focus’ and in 2015 it was blood donation leading to an
increase in blood stocks in the area.
Environmental
Although around two thirds of the visitors arrive by car, causing traffic congestion and air
pollution.
Noise pollution: some individuals have claimed that the festival can be heard over 8km
away.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glastonbury_Festival
2. https://www.geographycasestudy.com/case-study-glastonbury-festival/