The Glastonbury Festival has introduced a new booking system featuring an automatic queue to streamline its ticketing process. Starting with sales on 14 and 17 November, fans must be online before ticket sales begin. Once the sale starts, users will be randomly assigned a place in line, eliminating the need to refresh the page continuously.
This approach is similar to systems used by major events like Taylor Swift and Coldplay concerts, which aim to reduce website traffic load and make the process quicker and less stressful for buyers.
To participate, fans must register in advance, as in previous years. Tickets for the 2025 festival will cost £373.50, with an additional £5 booking fee. Buyers at the front of the queue can purchase up to six tickets, allowing groups to attend together.
While the festival has not yet announced its line-up, high demand is expected as 2025 will be the last opportunity to attend before the festival takes a “fallow year” in 2026. Previous tickets sold out within an hour, emphasizing the popularity and competitive nature of the booking process.
The announcement of this new queue system was posted on Glastonbury’s website on 5 November, leading to mixed reactions among fans. Some users on social media expressed worries, citing issues they’ve encountered with similar systems in the past, like disconnections during payment.
Others viewed the new system as a “backdoor ballot” that reduces the benefits of persistence, as random assignment may lessen the advantage of those willing to wait and repeatedly refresh the page.
Some fans, however, welcomed the change, noting that it favors those who are organized and prepared. They appreciated the reduced need for constant refreshing, with one user remarking that the new system would at least prevent wasting an entire morning trying to buy tickets.
This shift was also seen as a more inclusive approach, potentially giving all interested fans a fairer chance to purchase tickets, regardless of technological advantages or persistence.
Glastonbury has also issued guidelines to ensure a smooth experience with the new system. It warns fans against using multiple devices or tabs, which may trigger anti-bot software and reduce their chances of success. The system flags such behavior as suspicious, so users are encouraged to stay on a single device or tab during the purchasing process to avoid any issues.
Once at the front of the queue, fans will have 10 minutes to enter their details and complete the payment, which requires a minimum deposit of £75 per ticket. Tickets are only confirmed after this deposit, ensuring genuine transactions. The phased ticket sale approach will begin with combined ticket and coach packages on 14 November at 6 pm GMT, followed by general admission tickets on 17 November at 9 am GMT.
As the ticket sale days approach, fans remain divided in their opinions on the new system, with some awaiting the outcome of the first sale before passing final judgment. Ultimately, Glastonbury’s new booking approach aims to provide a smoother, more inclusive experience, though fans’ true opinions will likely depend on their success in securing a ticket.
