Glastonbury Festival: Encyclopedia II - Glastonbury Festival - Organisation

Glastonbury Festival - Organisation

The festival is organised by local farmer and site owner Michael Eavis (through his company Glastonbury Festivals Ltd), who has hosted the event since its inception. More recently, the Mean Fiddler Organisation, now controlled by Clear Channel, a US-based media conglomerate, have taken a 40% stake in the festival. The Mean Fiddler contract is a rolling one reviewed every five years. Each year a company joint owned by Glastonbury Festivals Ltd and Mean Fiddler Plc is created to run the festival, with profits going to the parent companies. Glastonbury Festivals Ltd donates most of their profits to charities.

In an interview on his 70th birthday, in October 2005, Eavis voiced concerns over the Clear Channel take over, and amid rumours that his daughter, Emily, would be taking an increasing role in the organisation, Eavis stated that he wishes to carry on organising the festival until he has to retire ^[6].

Several stages and areas are managed independently, such as The Left Field which is managed by a cooperative owned by the Trades Union Congress ^[7], and a field run by Greenpeace ^[8].

With the exception of technical and security staff, the festival is mainly run by volunteers. Stewards are organised by the aid charity Oxfam and the bars are organised by the Workers Beer Company, sponsored by Budweiser, who recruit teams of volunteer staff from small charities and campaign groups. In return for their help, typically around 18 hours over the festival, volunteers are paid in free entry, transport and food, while their charities are given donations by the organisers.

Catering, and some retail services, are provided by various small companies, typically mobile catering vans. The camping retail chain Millets, and many independent shops, set up makeshift outlets at the festival. Additionally many charities and organisations run promotional or educational stalls, such as the Hare Krishna vegetarian food stand. Network Recycling manage refuse on the site, and in 2004 recycled 300 tonnes and composted 110 tonnes of waste from the site ^[9].

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Organisation", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki