No music festival ticket is more highly sought after than by those who annually make their pilgrimage to Glastonbury, the largest greenfield festival in the world. Now officially known as Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, famed as much for it’s mud as for it’s music, those 135 000 fans who clamour for tickets have no doubt, along with over 1000 performers, that in June each year Glastonbury is the place to be – and to be seen.

Through stories, reminiscences and photographs this book traces the festival’s history from it’s origins in 1970 when it attracted just 1500 people, through the turbulent years of riots, fence-hopping and anarchy, up to the present day.

Photographs from each festival year are accompanied by revealing and amusing commentary from the artists and backstage workers who kept the festival rolling despite all the obstacles thrown in their way.

Behind all this is the remarkable story of one man’s vision. The heartbeat that has kept the festival going and growing belongs to Michael Eavis whose own contributions to this book provide a fascinating insight into the realisation of a personal dream for a people’s festival, a dream now shared by millions around the world.

Whether a seasoned festival campaigner, an irregular or future Glastonbury pilgrim, this book is for you.

John Bailey began taking photographs over 35 years ago. His first book was published in 2009 and since then he has written and photographed several landscape studies of places as diverse as the Isle of Skye, and the Mendip Hills near his home in Somerset. John Bailey also has a deep interest in popular music: his The History of Skinhead Reggae, 1968-1972 was published in 2012. Both interests have combined in this, his seventh book.

Published October 2013

HG


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