Better booking hopes as festival tickets go on sale
Tickets for the Glastonbury Festival were going on sale today with organisers and music fans hoping for an improvement on last year’s booking system.
Festival founder Michael Eavis, who hosts the music extravaganza on his fields in Pilton, Somerset, said steps have been taken to avoid a repeat of the problems facing eager fans in 2004.
The £125 (€182.50) tickets are expected to sell out within hours, even though it has not yet been confirmed which acts will perform.
Last year’s booking process turned to chaos when the online ticketing website crashed and phone lines were jammed by callers trying to get their hands on the tickets.
In a statement on the festival’s official website, Mr Eavis said this year’s arrangements would solve those problems.
He said: “Last year buying Festival tickets was very difficult and a lot of people were disappointed.
“The same number of tickets will be available for us to sell this year so if the worldwide demand for tickets is similar to 2004 unfortunately there will again be more people disappointed than successful.
“We have spent a lot of time looking at different ways of selling Festival tickets to reduce the problems that people had last year.
“We considered many radical options, but have decided that improving our existing system is the best way forward.”
Mr Eavis said the new online system had been “tested and retested” to avoid last years’ problems.
He has also doubled the amount of operators taking bookings over the telephone.
He added: “By having the sale on Sunday, I am assured the problems that the telephone exchange faced last year will not be repeated.”
Ticket sales will be restricted to two per person and there is a maximum of two tickets per telephone call.
Mr Eavis said people turning up would have to show photographic identification matching the name printed on their ticket.
He said: “I really think this is a positive move forward to stop unscrupulous people and companies touting tickets.”
Mr Eavis promised those lucky enough to get tickets would have a “festival to remember”.
The full line-up for this year’s festival which runs from June 24 to 26 – has not been confirmed but Kylie, New Order, the White Stripes and Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson are rumoured to be performing.
Tickets go on sale at 9am at www.aloud.com or by calling 0870 1652005.
