How to get into Glastonbury Festival if you missed out on tickets

Thursday (14 November) evening will end in jubilation for some and heartbreak for many more as general sale tickets for Glastonbury Festival 2025 go on sale.

Last year, around 2.5 million people competed for 210,000 tickets.

No headliners have been confirmed as of yet, but Eminem, Rihanna, and Bruce Springsteen are rumoured to be among them.

Demand is expected to be higher than ever as the event takes a year off in 2026.

The Independent has put together this handy guide of tips and tricks to give yourself the best odds at landing those coveted tickets; however, if you’re in the millions who didn’t manage to get their hands on one, there are some other ways to get into Glastonbury – and no, we’re not talking about jumping the fence.

Glastonbury has a whole section of its website dedicated to the jobs you can do in return for a festival ticket.

NB: “In some cases you would be required to pay for the ticket in advance, and would be reimbursed after completing the required hours.”

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Every year a whole host of organisations ask for volunteers to join them at the festival in return for free access. Normally people are required to work three eight-hour shifts for their ticket; though, this may vary depending on the organisation.

Oxfam leads a 2000-strong team of volunteers to the festival. Their roles include stewarding, campaigning and volunteering at pop-up charity shops on-site. As well as your ticket, you’ll get secure camping, a meal voucher for every shift, hot showers, toilets, tea and coffee, and phone charging.

Festaff also employs a number of volunteers at Glastonbury (as well as festivals across the company).

According to their website, “Festaff positions usually involve working as part of a team of like-minded volunteers on some light & enjoyable tasks such as stewarding in the campsite, wristbanding and/or scanning tickets as patrons arrive at the event, front of house bar staff, campsite information point teams, or similar general assistance roles.”

Check the Glastonbury website to see what other charitable organisations are involved.

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Dr Chris Howes leads a team of some 1,500 medical staff into the festival each year. If you have medical, paramedic or first-aid qualifications, you can apply to join his team here.

NB: The website notes that applications to join Festival Medical Services if accepted will not necessarily mean you will be selected to work at Glastonbury.

For all clinical applications, you will require proof of qualification/s, a photo (passport style) and a credit/debit card to pay a £25 non-refundable three-year membership fee.

General admission tickets will go on sale at 9am GMT on Sunday 19 November.

Tickets will cost £373.50 + £5 booking fee, of which a £75 deposit (plus coach fare if booking a ticket + coach travel option) is payable when booking in November, with the balance payable in the first week of April 2024.

Tickets will be sold exclusively at glastonbury.seetickets.com.

These are recruited from local carnival clubs, parent teachers associations, sports clubs, and voluntary groups. The Festival says it has trained thousands in this way and has a waiting list of organisations hoping to raise funds through this route.

Peace and environmental groups run the Festival’s property lockups. Check if your local branch is involved if you’re part of a group like this.

Samaritans and other charities also provide volunteers to the Festival, and the best way to find out if your local non-profit is involved is to check with them.