In a whirlwind of anticipation, tickets to next year’s Glastonbury Festival have sold out in under an hour, leaving thousands of hopeful attendees disappointed. The rush to secure a general admission spot at the world-famous music event began at 9am on Sunday morning, with standard tickets priced at £360.
57 minutes later, however, festival organisers took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to announce that sales were now closed:
“Tickets for Glastonbury 2024 have now sold out. Our thanks to everyone who bought one and we’re sorry to those of you who missed out, on a morning when demand greatly exceeded supply. There will be a resale of any cancelled or returned tickets in spring 2024.”
Tickets for Glastonbury 2024 have now Sold Out. Our thanks to everyone who bought one and we’re sorry to those of you who missed out, on a morning when demand greatly exceeded supply.
There will be a resale of any cancelled or returned tickets in spring 2024.
— Glastonbury Festival (@glastonbury) November 19, 2023
The news left a large amount of empty-handed queuers disgruntled about the stressful buying experience, which requires navigating a holding page that refreshes every 20 seconds and teases ticket availability.
This year’s sale faced a brief delay of two weeks, a decision made by organisers to accommodate individuals who were not aware their initial registrations had expired. The window was reopened from November 6th to November 13th, allowing fans a second chance to secure their spots for the Somerset-based event, which is due to kick off in late June of next year.
The heightened anticipation surrounding Glastonbury 2024 revolves not only around the rapid ticket sales but also the promise of a stellar lineup. Festival organiser Emily Eavis hinted at a “really big” female US singer headlining, sparking rumours that Madonna could be topping the bill at Worthy Farm next year.
Eavis, who faced criticism for the all-male headliners in 2023, has since shut down the speculations in an Instagram post, insisting:
“We are working on the line-up day and night at the moment, but it’s still changing every day. The story about our confirmed headliners is untrue. As always, we love your enthusiasm and guesswork – but accurate news on headliners will be with you sometime in the new year.”
The rise in demand for Glastonbury admission has been a growing trend since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic: last year’s festival saw around two and a half million people vying for 210,000 tickets. Meanwhile, ticket prices have increased to £355 (plus a £5 booking fee), up from £335 in 2023 and £285 in 2022.