Glastonbury Festival's new licence increases capacity to meet staffing needs

Glastonbury Festival 2014

Wednesday 25th to Sunday 29th June 2014
Worthy Farm, Pilton, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 4AZ, England MAP
£210 (secured with a deposit) - SOLD OUT

Daily capacity: 177,500

Last updated: Wed 17th Sep 2014

Glastonbury Festival, is submitting a new licence application to the local Council next week that seeks to increase the capacity to raise the number of workers allowed on site, whilst keeping public capacity the same.

The application due for review next Wednesday by Mendip District Council's licensing board outlines the need for more staff, to future proof the event. They include people like security guards, litter pickers, stewards and volunteers to help keep the event running safely and smoothly.

Organsiers do not intend to increase the number of public tickets on sale to the general public which stands at 135,000, or up the 5,000 Sunday tickets for those living near the festival. But they do want to increase staff tickets from 37,500 to 63,000 over a ten-year period, making the total capacity 198,000 in 2024.

Festival organisers will also expand the staff ticket numbers this year depending on the need. One of the organisers Robert Richards spoke briefly to eFestivals to explain that they were primarily future proofing the licence for the next decade, saying, "With all the new regulations and things, the pressure is on us to have enough staff to pacify everybody. We are doing this to make sure we don't have to keep going back to the Council asking for additional numbers. We need to make sure that we can if need be, increase the staff capacity to meet the Festival's needs."

There are a whole variety of new regulations, and increasing demands put on the Festival. For instance these include the staffing of traffic marshalls to guide vehicles around the site, which the Festival didn't need five years ago. That's just one example of the extra people needed to meet improving standards and comply with new laws and regulations.

Richards also told us the new licence will see acoustic entertainment in some venues on the Wednesday and that is to meet the needs of more people arriving on the opening day, far more than there were when they last got the licence.

More people on site earlier also means longer working hours for more Festival staff and the need for more entertainers makes the Festival's request for more passes for staff and performers even more necessary.

It's all about keeping up the quality and provision of staffing to make this year's Festival run smoothly over five full days from Wednesday 25th until Sunday 29th June 2014 across over a 1,000 acres of beautiful countryside at Worthy Farm, Somerset.

There is likely to be a resale of returned tickets in the spring, and eFestivals will let ticket buyers know beforehand when the re-sale will be (sometime after registration closes on 20th April).

Anyone aged 13 or over (when the Festival starts) who wishes to buy a ticket must be registered. Registration requires providing basic contact details and uploading a passport-standard photo. Once the photo has been approved, registers are sent a unique registration number that will need to be quoted to book a ticket.

To register click here.

As usual eFestivals will bring you the very best-sourced rumours, allowing festival-goers to see who is playing long before the bands are formally announced - keep your eyes on the Glastonbury 2014 rumours, updated as we receive information. Help us to help you - if you hear of a band that's playing, please let us know.

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