Today in history: On September 19, 1970 – Michael Eavis hosts the first Glastonbury Festival.

 

In 1970, Michael Eavis, a dairy farmer in Somerset, England, hosted what would become the very first Glastonbury Festival, originally known as the "Pilton Pop, Blues & Folk Festival." Inspired by attending a Led Zeppelin concert, Eavis decided to create his own event on his Worthy Farm fields. The inaugural festival took place on September 19, 1970, the day after Jimi Hendrix’s death, giving it an added layer of cultural poignancy. Unlike the massive global phenomenon it is today, the first Glastonbury was a modest affair. Tickets were just £1, and the price included free milk from Eavis’s cows. Around 1,500 people attended, gathering for a lineup that featured acts like T. Rex (who replaced The Kinks as headliners), Al Stewart, and Quintessence.

Though small in scale, the first Glastonbury Festival set the tone for what would become a landmark in British counterculture and music history. It was more than just a concert; it was an experiment in community, freedom, and alternative living, heavily influenced by the hippie and peace movements of the late 1960s. The relaxed, rural atmosphere and focus on music, spirituality, and togetherness captured the imagination of attendees and planted the seeds for future growth. Over the decades, the festival would expand into a world-famous event, but the spirit of that first gathering, simple, communal, and rooted in idealism, remains at the heart of Glastonbury to this day.

See also: Today in history: On September 19, 1983 – Saint Kitts and Nevis gains its independence.