| Glastonbury Festival 2009 | |
|---|---|
 Crowds heading from the Greenfields to Jazz World | |
| Date(s) | 24 June 2009 (2009-06-24) – 29 June 2009 (2009-06-29) |
| Location(s) | Worthy Farm,Pilton, Somerset,England |
| Previous event | Glastonbury Festival 2008 |
| Next event | Glastonbury Festival 2010 |
| Participants | Neil Young,Bruce Springsteen,Blur |
The2009 Glastonbury Festival/Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts was held from 24 to 29 June 2009.
In a similar way to previous festivals, tickets for the 2009 event required pre-registration (of a photograph and personal details) through the festival website.[1] Registration opened on 1 September 2008.
Tickets were able to be purchased via theSee Tickets website or by telephone. A limited number of tickets were available by promotion through theWestern Daily Press[2] and competitions run byGreenpeace,[3]eFestivals[4] andThe Guardian.[5]
Ticket lines opened on the morning of 5 October 2008, and customers were able to place deposits for tickets (£50) or buy them in full (£175). Tickets required full payment by 1 February 2009.
On 22 January 2009, atMidem 2009,Michael Eavis announced that 90% of the event's 137,500 tickets had been sold. He also stated that although headliners had not been confirmed, he was awaiting confirmation from the acts he had approached.[6]
Reserved tickets which did not have their remaining balance paid by the deadline were put back on sale on 2 February 2009 and it was announced the next day that the event had sold out, with the majority of reservations being balanced by 1 February deadline.[7] A re-sale of cancelled tickets was held on 5 April 2009 at 9:00 am. These tickets sold out by 10:15 am.[8]
In a December 2008 interview, co-organiserEmily Eavis stated that theTrash City arena would be expanded for the 2009 festival.[9] On 5 December 2008,Battersea and Wandsworth TUC announced that theLeft Field tent of the site would not be a part of the 2009 event.[10] A new area, namedWilliam's Green, occupied the same area.[11]The 2009 event saw expansion of theDance Village – including a3Ddisco – as well as the return of theG-Stage and thePussy Parlure.[12]Greenpeace used their area in the Green Fields to create anairport terminal building and miniature replica of the village ofSipson, which is threatened by theexpansion of London Heathrow Airport.[13][14]
As with previous events, the festival had atipi field where six people can accommodate one tipi for the shared price of £800.[15]A new hospitality area, surrounded by a 12 feet (3.7 m) wall, was created on the old cinema field between Lower Mead and Wicker Ground fields. This area includedPodPad camping.[16] The positioning of this area restricted pedestrian access to both camping and parking sites; pathways at previous festivals have led through this area.
The three main headline acts (Neil Young,Bruce Springsteen & theE Street Band andBlur) were announced in March 2009,[17] with the full line up being released on 25 May 2009.[18]
| The Rabbit Hole | ||
|---|---|---|
| Friday 26 June | Saturday 27 June | Sunday 28 June |
Secret Open Mic...til 6am | Secret Open Mic...til 6am | Egstremely Special Supergroup (gleaned from all over site) til 6am |
| The Bimble Inn | ||
|---|---|---|
| Friday 26 June | Saturday 27 June | Sunday 28 June |
Swiss FX | DJ Cindy Pink | Special Guests |
| Poetry&Words 2009 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Friday 26 June | Saturday 27 June | Sunday 28 June |
Helen Gregory (poet) | DJ Cindy Pink | Jude Simpson |
The news ofMichael Jackson'sdeath spread during the night of 25 June.[citation needed] Various tributes were made to him by performers throughout 26 June,[19] includingDizzee Rascal leading a crowd rendition of Jackson's hit"Thriller", andN.E.R.D frontmanPharrell Williams paying respects for Jackson in saying "It's the music, the music was so incredible", before adding that Jackson "changed music and the way people looked at music." Other performers to pay tribute to Jackson includedThe Streets,Hugh Cornwell,Lily Allen,Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip andGabriella Cilmi.[20] Within hours of his death, there were T-shirts for sale proclaiming"I was at Glasto 09 when Jacko died"[21] and shops announcing"Michael Jackson has died, 10% off everything."[22]
Several cases ofswine flu were reported during the festival. Two of these were students and one a 10-year-old child. The three infected festival-goers were isolated when symptoms presented and no further cases have been reported. Festival organisers had reportedly anticipated some cases of the virus with a spokesperson saying "...the figure of three in 177,000 people is regarded as very low."[23]
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