Glastonbury Festival will be taking a break in 2026

The music festival will take a fallow year, meaning the event will take a planned break allowing the farmland to recover and the natural environment to regenerate.

Glastonbury Festival takes a hiatus every five years to avoid causing irreversible damage to the grazing land of Worthy Farm.

"The fallow year is important because it gives the land a rest, it gives the cows a chance to be out for longer and reclaim their land," according to co-organiser Emily Eavis.

The concept is not uncommon among farmers. It originates from agricultural practices, where land is left untouched to improve soil quality and replenish its nutrients for cattle grazing.

Glastonbury's last official fallow year was back in 2018, however, the festival's organisers had to cancel two consecutive years in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID pandemic.

Now, Emily Eavis told the BBC that they're once again due an official fallow year.

"Sustainability and the need to live in harmony with the land has always been vital to Glastonbury Festival," the co-organiser said.

"And I think it's important because it just gives everybody a little time to just switch off."

Aside from the benefits the farmland reaps, the fallow year also offers a break for the community in Pilton, where the festival takes place.

The organisers have also implemented various initiatives to reduce waste during the festival, including a 'love the farm, leave no trace' pledge.

Among other initiatives are a ban on single-use plastic cups, plates, mugs and cutlery, alongside the prohibition of glass bottles, flares and Chinese lanterns.

"We are striving to leave as little an imprint on the land here as we possibly can.

"For me, Worthy Farm is what life here is all about," co-organiser Michael Eavis concluded.