UK Public would rather go to Glastonbury than Wembley

Latest research undertaken by PRS for Music, reveals that if given the opportunity, the UK public would rather go to Glastonbury music festival than the FA Cup Final.

The results of the survey, which was taken by 2,000 people across the UK, also show that if given the choice between going to: a Michelin star restaurant, a weekend shopping spree in London and the FA Cup Final, the public would still pick Glastonbury. However, the festival polled in second place of the choices the UK public would take, finishing behind a weekend away on a tropical beach.

The research follows on from the recent announcement by PRS for Music, that UK fans spent £1.45bn on gigs in 2009, which is up 4% from the previous year. £275m of the total gig spending was spent on festivals, a rise of £50m from a year previously and a sharper increase than any other area of live music.

In 2009, Glastonbury’s popularity continued to manifest itself as the largest Greenfield festival in the World. With a sell out of over 137,500 tickets, the modern festival is of striking disparity to the very first back in 1970.

Held on the 19th of September, 1970, one day after the death of Jimi Hendrix, the first Glastonbury festival had an attendance of 1,500 at an entry cost of £1 which included free farm milk.

Most Desired Weekend:

Position	Option
1.	A tropical beach
2.	Glastonbury festival
3.	Michelin star restaurant
4.	The FA Cup Final
5.	London shopping spree

Source: PRS for Music

Commenting on the results, Ellis Rich, chairman of PRS, said: “Festivals like Glastonbury offer music lovers, from all around the world, the chance to embrace fully the beauty of live music. While the major festivals continue to blossom and attract record crowds, their groundwork pave the way for smaller, boutique festivals, which in turn offer fantastic opportunities to musicians to perform in front of a music-loving crowd.”