The Glastonbury Experience

21/06/2020

Glastonbury 2020: When it's happening, how to watch, full line up and everything else you need to know

We might not be packing the tent, or choosing our favourite festival outifts this year, but plans are in place to be able to get a taste of the Glastonbury experience from home.

This year's golden anniversary celebrations of the world-renowned musical festival might have been been postponed to 2021, but we will still be able to enjoy some of the highlights of the past 50 years from the comfort of our front rooms.

The BBC has announced its broadcast plans for the weekend when this year’s Glastonbury Festival would have taken place - Friday, June 25 to Monday, June 29 - with a host of classic sets being made available across TV, radio and online.

Festival organisers have also said they are working with their areas and stages to make sure people can enjoy a slice of the Green Fields, the South-East Corner, Theatre & Circus, Kidzfield, Silver Hayes, Left Field. You will be able to see updates from them here.

21/06/2020

The Glastonbury Experience

The origins of our own Glaston Centre Ltd are in 1978 when a Dutch couple, Willem and Helene Koppejan, bought retail properties at the foot of Glastonbury High Street, which they converted into a complex of shops and function rooms called The Glastonbury Experience. The shops had an 'arts and crafts' focus originally, although over the years this was to change, reflecting Glastonbury's development as a centre for contemporary spirituality. Willem, sadly, was to die before the couple's dreams were fully realised.

In 1987, Helene met Barry Taylor, a management and financial consultant with a strong interest in spirituality. Around this time, a group of people were inspired with the vision of re-creating Glastonbury as the great centre of learning, teaching and spirituality that it had been in the Middle Ages. This time however it would be a centre appropriate to the 21st century. It was decided that the GE was the ideal base. Over the next few years the Library of Avalon, the Isle of Avalon Foundation, the Bridget Chapel, and the Goddess Temple were established and based in the GE. At the same time, a number of our other ideas were explored including a Pilgrim Reception Centre and a Sanctuary.

In 1992 Barry and Helene set up a charity, The Glastonbury Trust, whose objects were to benefit the public through the advancement of religion and education. In 1997, they made an agreement that in the event of either of their deaths, the ownership of the Glastonbury Experience would pass to the new charity.

In 1998 Helen died, and the ownership of the GE, free of all borrowings, was transferred to Glastonbury Trust Limited. This transfer was made free of conditions but with the wish that, as far as possible the objects that had guided the GE so far should be continued. These were defined as: To set up a centre offering help, guidance, teaching, training and healing on all aspects of spiritual growth and ecological awareness.

The Glastonbury Trust has continued with these objects by financially supporting charities within the GE and in the community as a whole. The most important recent support has been to the Red Brick Building complex. The Trust now concentrates upon fund raising and grant making and, as far as possible, is not directly involved in initiating or managing new projects.

Parallel with this has been the development of the not-for-profit company Glaston Centre Ltd. Inspired by the same vision, it started by setting up the Glastonbury Pilgrim Reception Centre in 2007 and from there has developed into supporting and sponsoring a wide range of community projects within Glastonbury. The original centre was in the High Street and not the GE, but was supported by the Glastonbury Trust. It now has offices at 8 Market Place, part of the GE, and has a Research and project that is working closely with other organisations in order to develop these services.

21/06/2020

The Glastonbury Experience

– BBC Two, BBC Four and BBC iPlayer will show classic Glastonbury performances in full from some of the biggest artists in the history of the festival, including Adele (2016), Beyoncé (2011), David Bowie (2000), which will be the first time that performance has ever been broadcast in full on television, Coldplay (2016) and Jay-Z (2008).
– BBC iPlayer will become the home for Glastonbury lovers, with a brand new pop-up BBC Glastonbury channel, bringing viewers back-to-back iconic sets and highlights from past festivals. BBC iPlayer will also allow viewers to relive classic moments whenever they want, with over 60 historic sets available to watch on-demand. This, plus all the coverage from across the BBC’s TV channels, live and on-demand, means iPlayer is the place for Glastonbury fans in June.
– BBC Radio highlights will include a series of special shows from Jo Whiley on BBC Radio 2 from Monday 22nd June. Plus, Lauren Laverne will be joined in her BBC Radio 6 Music morning programme (8.30am-12pm) by Emily Eavis on Friday 26th June.
– BBC Sounds will be the place for top audio highlights, bringing together the biggest moments from across BBC Radio, over 20 archive performances and ‘All Day Glastonbury’ curated collections of back-to-back sets, allowing listeners to dive in for hours of great moments from Glastonbury over the years.

From Thursday 25th to Monday 29th June, when the 50th anniversary of Glastonbury Festival was due to take place, the BBC will be bringing the spirit of Glastonbury to viewers at home with The Glastonbury Experience across BBC Television, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio and BBC Sounds

Some of the BBC’s best loved presenters including Clara Amfo, Edith Bowman, Jo Whiley, Lauren Laverne and Mark Radcliffe will host four days of programming on BBC Television and BBC iPlayer, dedicated to Glastonbury, and revisiting some of the festival’s most iconic and memorable moments and performances from over the years.

Lorna Clarke, Controller, BBC Pop says: “Glastonbury Festival has for decades been a huge moment in the BBC’s music calendar, thanks to Michael and Emily’s magical creation. Even though Worthy Farm can’t be full of thousands of music lovers this year, the BBC will celebrate with four days of memories and archive footage across TV, BBC iPlayer, Radio and BBC Sounds, to give our audience a taste of the festival in their own homes.”

Emily Eavis says: “There are so many memorable sets being played across the BBC over what would have been our 50th anniversary weekend. Personally, I’m looking forward to a weekend of reflecting on the history of our festival and going back to some classic performances from David Bowie, Adele, REM, Beyoncé, The Rolling Stones, Jay-Z, Billie Eilish and lots more. Me and my dad will definitely be watching!”

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21/06/2020

21/06/2020