Monday

The Festival went ahead after Michael Eavis successfully defended himself at Shepton Mallet Magistrates Court against five charges of breaching the site licence in 1983. With a new licence approved, the site expanded to include the Green Fields – current organiser Liz Eliot attended as a volunteer – and, for the first time, a designated parking area.

The Festival site grew by over 100 acres and now included neighbouring Cockmill Farm and the land at the end of the disused railway track. 1986 saw the arrival of dance music to Glastonbury when Malcome Haynes – the Organiser behind today’s Silver Hayes area – arrived with a van full of speakers and amplifiers.

The Festival continued to grow in 1986. Many people arrived without tickets, making it hard to record the exact number of attendees. The Cure performed their first Glastonbury headline show, and £130,000 was raised for CND and local charities.

Mendip District Council’s decision to refuse a licence was overturned in May, only weeks before the Festival. Joe Rush, founder of the Mutoid Waste Company, built the legendary ‘Carhenge’ from upturned wrecked vehicles. He then led a legendary night-long drumming session around it, establishing what would become one of the Festival’s late-night areas.

Despite the tactical year off in 1988, Michael and Jean’s battles with the local council continued. The 1989 Festival went ahead after police were invited into the organisation and planning of the event. The international flavour continued with Fela Kuti, Bhundu Boys, Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens, and Youssou N’Dour all appearing on the Pyramid Stage.

For its 20th anniversary, the Festival changed its name to the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts. A World Music Stage was revealed, as well as a line-up of over a thousand acts across 12 stages.

2010 marked Glastonbury’s 40th anniversary. From small beginnings, the Festival now hosted a tented city of over 177,000 people – larger than both Oxford and Bath. A second reservoir, holding two million litres of drinking water, was built to accommodate the crowd.