Who is Emily Eavis? Glastonbury organizer says festival almost shut down as her father wanted to pull the plug in 1990s

Emily Eavis, the driving force behind the world-renowned Glastonbury Festival, has opened up about a pivotal moment in the festival's history.

On June 10, 2024, in a BBC podcast, Sidetracked, Emily disclosed that the festival faced imminent closure in the 1990s, as her father and co-founder, Michael Eavis, considered "pulling the plug". She said:

"My parents were always like, This is the last one."

Glastonbury Festival is a five-day contemporary performing arts music festival held near Pilton, Somerset, England, in most summers. It was first held in 1970 on Somerset farm, owned by Sir Michael Eavis. The festival also hosts dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret, and other arts.

Emily Eavis is a co-organizer of the Glastonbury Festival and the youngest daughter of its founder, Michael Eavis, and his second wife, Jean.

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All about Emily Eavis

Emily Eavis, daughter of Glastonbury Festival's founder (Image via Getty)

Emily was born in 1979 and grew up on Worthy Farm, Somerset. She attended Wells Cathedral School and started a teaching degree course at Goldsmiths University, London.

Following Jean's death in 1999, Emily left her studies and joined her father in organizing Glastonbury Festival. In 2015, Emily told Creative Review that she was born to be "co-organizer". She stated:

"I suppose my role has been evolving very gradually for about 20 years. It's kind of at its maximum capacity now – it's full time every day of the year."

Emily Eavis is now overseeing all the major stages at Glastonbury. This includes tasks like booking bands, organizing eye-catching installations, and working closely with multiple artists and designers to give the festival a fresh feel every year. She does all of this alongside her husband, Nick Dewey.

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Emily Eavis unveils 1990s shutdown scare of Glastonbury Festival

During a recent Sidetracked podcast, Emily revealed that the 1990s were particularly challenging for the festival. Further saying that her parents frequently told her that this would be the final one they would organize. However, people thought it was a "stunt" to sell tickets, but it was their "genuine" decision. She revealed:

"Everyone thought it was some sort of stunt to sell tickets, but it wasn't. They were genuinely like, 'Well, we probably won't do another.'"

Emily further told BBC's podcast that they evaluated and decided annually whether or not to continue the festival for another year. Moreover, she revealed that the shift in tide happened after the family bore the loss of Jean, Michael's wife in 1999. This was the time when Michael told Emily to keep the festival permanent.

"My dad was like, 'Oh, I think I might need the festival now.' Because they were going to retire and go on long cruises and things like that. My Dad was like, 'Listen, let's keep it going.'"

Emily Eavis further stated that she supported her father during that time and now looks back in disbelief at how long she has been involved. Emily said:

"I was like, 'Yeah, I'll help you'. Never did I think I'd still be here a few decades on."

Sir Michael Eavis, now 88 years old, remains involved in organizing the festival, though less actively than in the past. His daughter handles the entire festival dealing. In an interview with Thought Economics in 2023, Emily was asked how she dealt with the succession, to which she suggested that it was "gentle" and they are no "typical business types". She commented:

"Succession has been a very, very gentle process. If we'd have written a business plan and stuck to that, it would have been a disaster. We're not a typical business, we don't have a board of people that are involved, every decision is pretty much me and my Dad."

Revealing the fallow year of the Glastonbury Festival in a recent BBC podcast, Emily suggested that the fallow year, which will be in 2026, is "important" as it can give the cows to reclaim their land. She shared:

"The fallow year is important because it gives the land a rest, and it gives the cows a chance to stay out for longer and reclaim their land. And I think it's quite good not to be seen to be cashing in."

This year's Glastonbury Festival will start on June 26, 2024. Emily Eavis revealed that day-one headliners include Dua Lipa, SZA, and Coldplay. Marina Abramović will also perform on the main stage.

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Goldsmiths awarded honorary fellowships to Glastonbury organizers Sir Michael and Emily Eavis in 2016.