People travel from all over the world to experience this five-day festival of performing arts. The first festival took place on a farm in a small village called Pilton, which is near the town of Glastonbury in Somerset, UK. It was held in September of 1970 and was called Pilton Festival - approximately 2,000 people attended. The man who created the festival, Michael Eavis, was inspired by a nearby festival he had visited. The following year, a man named Andrew Kerr wanted to organize a "fair in the medieval tradition" around the summer solstice. Michael Eavis was happy to host the event. A stage shaped like a pyramid was built and 12,000 people attended. There was not another festival until 1979. 

There have been festivals held on most years since 1981 and all the profits are given to charities. It is now formally known as the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and is set in 700 acres of farmland. There are around 25 different stages, fields, and tents where music, theatre, comedy, dance and lots more is all performed.

In 2006, people had to travel to Ibiza in Spain. The site at Pilton in Somerset was having a break so that the land could recover. The festival now takes a break every five years, to give the land, local people and the events' organisers a break.

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