Glastonbury cancels its fiftieth, with Thom Yorke and EOB on the bill

Glastonbury has cancelled this year's festival, its fiftieth anniversary, due at Worthy Farm from 24 to 28 June, because of the coronavirus. We are so sorry to announce this, but Glastonbury 2020 will have to be cancelled⁵, Michael and Emily Eavis said, calling it their only viable option. With the government's new measures this week and no knowing what comes next, they could not spend three months building the site with thousands of crew on the farm, even if things improve by late June. The 135,000 people who had paid a £50 deposit can carry it over to 2021, with the chance to buy a ticket guaranteed, or have it refunded.

The festival named its first acts only six days ago, on 12 March, as spring festivals and tours were already being halted. Kendrick Lamar had joined Taylor Swift and Paul McCartney as headliners, and on Emily Eavis's list Thom Yorke was bringing his Tomorrow's Modern Boxes show and Ed O'Brien was playing as EOB. That put two of Radiohead's five on one Glastonbury bill under their own names, and neither will now play it.