BBC News
By Mark Savage
image captionBecause of its scale, work on Glastonbury s site must begin earlier than most festivals
Music festivals are still possible this summer, despite the cancellation of Glastonbury, says the head of the Association of Independent Festivals.
Paul Reed said Glastonbury is a different beast to most festivals and most likely ran out of time due to the size and complexity of the event .
Smaller events could still happen if the government ensures organisers can access cancellation insurance, he said. For most festivals, the cut-off point is more likely the end of March.
On Thursday, Glastonbury organisers Michael and Emily Eavis called off their festival for the second year in a row because of the coronavirus pandemic.
A festival season is still possible this year despite yesterday s cancellation of Glastonbury due to Covid, according to industry insiders.
The chief executive of the Association of Independent Festivals, Paul Reed, said the UK s largest festival was a different beast and its cancellation did not mean other smaller events could not go ahead.
But he said there is only hope for smaller events if the Government ensures organisers of music events can access insurance to protect against losses as a result of Covid.
On Thursday, Glastonbury organisers announced that the 2021 festival has been cancelled because of the pandemic.
The music festival s co-organiser, Michael Eavis - who curates the lineup with his daughter Emily - said he was so sorry to have to cancel the event for the second year in a row.
Friday, January 22, 2021
The sad news of Glastonbury s cancellation came yesterday, but there s a little bit of hope for fans.
Thanks to the pandemic, the festival was cancelled for the second year in a row.
However, Michael Eavis has talked about the possibility of a Glastonbury event in September - but on a much smaller scale.
He remains hopeful that something could still happen to mark the 50th anniversary.
With great regret, we must announce that this year’s Glastonbury Festival will not take place, and that this will be another enforced fallow year for us. Tickets for this year will roll over to next year. Full statement below and on our website. Michael & Emily pic.twitter.com/SlNdwA2tHd