Glastonbury would have been inspired by Black Lives Matter – Emily Eavis

Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis has said that this year’s festival would have been inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement had it gone ahead.

The Somerset event had been due to celebrate its 50th anniversary this weekend, with Sir Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar all headlining the Pyramid Stage.

However, it was axed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Eavis, daughter of Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis, told the NME magazine: “There are so many issues at the moment and I know that we would have been continuing our campaigning on climate change and expanding our work banning the use of plastic across the site.

“We have also been very inspired by Black Lives Matter and working as a festival in the fight against racism, so that would have been prominent in our plans too.”

She said her family planned to spend the weekend at the festival’s Worthy Farm site and would be tuning in to the BBC’s replacement coverage.

She said: “We will be having a very quiet weekend down here on the farm, watching some of the sets on the TV, reminiscing on the 50 years, and probably shedding the odd tear for what might have been.

“What an incredible ride though, it really has been a fairy tale 50 years. You couldn’t make it up.”

BBC will mark the cancelled festival by airing classic performances, including by Adele, Beyonce and David Bowie, across the weekend.