Glastonbury sells-out, sets new record

Tickets for Glastonbury next year have sold-out in record time, with 140,000 going in 1 hour and 40 minutes after opening yesterday (Sunday October 7) at 9am.

Organisers Michael and Emily Eavis issued a joint statement through Twitter, saying: "We're genuinely humbled by the sheer number of people who would like to come to the festival and we dearly wish we could have you all along. Sadly, that just isn't possible, which means a significant number of people have missed out- Demand simply outstripped supply."

This is despite Michael Eavis declaring festivals to be “On the way out” last year. That said, some other festivals had an incredibly tough time this year, with events from The Big Chill to Sonisphere cancelling, Guilfest announcing the end after 21 years and Vince Power’s Music Festivals PLC going into administration.

As previously reported, following pre-registration, fans were able to put down a £50 deposit per £205 ticket (plus booking fees), and purchase up to eight tickets for the event at Worthy Farm, near Pilton from 26-30 June next year. There were reported website crashes due to the overwhelming demand and the usual grumbles erupting across social media from fans unable to get in this year, with Glastonbury announcing that there will be a resale of any returned tickets in April next year.

Demand for the festival has risen in recent years, with the 2011 event selling out in four hours despite a temporary blip in 2008 when tickets didn’t sell-out until the first day of the festival, which featured a much discussed headline performance from Jay Z.

Headline acts for next year are yet to be announced, with fervent yet groundless online speculation throwing Arcade Fire, Radiohead, The Rolling Stones and Fleetwood Mac around as potential Pyramid Stage acts.

Generate Debate: Who do you think will headline next year? By saying that there was a feeling that people had “seen it all before” last year, was Eavis actually commenting on the lack of newer headline calibre artists that aren’t legacy acts on the reformation trail? Will festivals have a better year in 2013 due to the Glastonbury effect?