A new report has found that the traffic management at the 2025 edition of Glastonbury was the “most successful to date”.
With around 200,000 punters heading for the Pilton festival site every year, Glasto has frequently made headlines for the immense build-up of traffic in the Somerset area during the first and last days of the event.
In 2016, for instance, the council deemed that the congestion caused on the road had reached “unacceptable” levels, and those attempting to leave the site described the endeavour as “chaotic” after being stuck in queues for over 12 hours.
Last year, warnings were issued that those driving around the area could potentially be queuing for nine hours due to delays, according to SomersetLive, and the year before, National Highways urged motorists to plan ahead of time due to very slow traffic predicted around the festival (as per ITV News).
Now though, it appears that things are getting better for campers heading to and from Glasto, as this summer’s edition has been reported as “one of the most successful operations to date”.
Shared by the Glastonbury Scrutiny Committee at Somerset Council, the 2025 instalment was attended by roughly 210,000 people and traffic management was “delivered with a high degree of professionalism and collaboration”.
It also reported that the authority spent noticeably less money on staffing for the festival this year.
“Careful planning and coordination between Somerset Council’s Traffic Management team, festival organisers, and contractors ensured that over 210,000 visitors were able to access the site efficiently, with minimal disruption to local communities and road networks,” the findings read (via BBC News).
It also shared that by reducing staff and removing a shuttle bus service, less money was spent by the council on Glasto this year than in 2023 and 2024. Compared to the year prior, around £6,400 was saved, the equivalent of 23 per cent less.
This year’s instalment of the Worthy Farm festival saw The 1975, Neil Young and Olivia Rodrigo headline the iconic Pyramid Stage. Other performances came from the likes of Charli XCX, Wolf Alice, Rod Stewart, Doechii and Kneecap. This year’s edition also hosted surprise slots from Pulp, Haim, Lorde and Lewis Capaldi. Check out NME‘s review of Glastonbury 2025 here.
Music lovers will now have to wait until 2027 for another Glasto due to a fallow year in 2026. The last planned break came in 2018, before being forced to cancel both its 2020 and 2021 editions due to COVID.
Looking ahead to Glastonbury 2027, bookies are already taking bets on who could headline. Rumours include Sam Fender, Ed Sheeran, Rihanna and Little Simz.
Earlier this year, organisers confirmed that the next Glastonbury will take place between Wednesday June 23 and Sunday June 27, 2027. They also announced that they would be offering fans the chance to secure their place at the 2027 festival early via a charity prize draw.
Money raised from the competition will be donated to support the work of Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF UK), amid the current conflicts in Gaza and Sudan.
