As Glastonbury takes a break, more cultural events should consider doing the same

This week, the Guide magazine would normally be sending you news from Worthy Farm, the home of the Glastonbury festival. However, this year is different. For the first time since the Covid pandemic stopped the festival for two years in a row, Glastonbury is not happening. The reason is that the festival is taking one of its planned 'fallow years'. This means the farmland where the festival is held gets a chance to recover from years of people camping, walking, and dancing.

It also gives the festival organisers a rare chance to rest and plan for the future. And, it stops people from complaining about the chosen headliners being the 'worst ever' for another year. For people who have been to Glastonbury many times, a fallow year is always a mix of good and bad feelings. The last one was in 2018. This year, it feels like a lucky escape because the festival would have taken place during a very dangerous heatwave.

More importantly, these fallow years often work very well. When the festival returns the following year, it usually feels more energetic. There are often new stages, better music line-ups, and the people running the show are well-rested.

In fact, I think Glastonbury's fallow period is so successful that other events might benefit from copying it. This might not apply to other festivals, which need people to come every year to make enough money. But many other cultural organisations could use a break sometimes.

For example, could Eurovision, which has seen falling viewer numbers and faced many arguments, take a year off? This could help resolve political disagreements, encourage countries that boycotted it to return, and fix its voting system, which can be easily manipulated. Or could the Star Wars franchise, facing audience indifference and tiredness from too many films and TV shows, pause its endless expansion of the universe?

For some pop stars, taking a year off could also be freeing, especially when constant new content is expected. Taylor Swift, after being very popular for a long time, seems to be having a short, welcome break from releasing music. Her only contribution in 2026 was a song for the Toy Story 5 soundtrack. Some critics called it a return to form after the disappointing 'The Life of a Showgirl', a rushed release made to please fans and the 'content machine'.

Perhaps Charli xcx, who is still busy with endless touring, movie roles, and announcing new albums after her last release, could also use a fallow year. Adele, for example, has shown how valuable it is, both for business and personal well-being, to step away from the spotlight regularly.

Taking a break would also help solve problems caused by being seen too much. Consider Romesh Ranganathan, a talented comedian who has become a joke because he appears on TV so often. The best way to deal with this is a fallow year.

TV dramas, which used to be produced every year, now seem to follow a similar pattern of long breaks, although these are usually because production takes much longer than before. Still, I wonder if 'The Bear', a show we used to praise for releasing new seasons on time, might have benefited from a fallow period, given the less impressive results of its later seasons.

There are also many reality TV shows that could benefit from a forced, long holiday to improve their ethical standards or simply to refresh their tired formats. It is unlikely that many shows, film franchises, or artists can realistically take a year off for rest and renewal. Fan demand, financial pressures, and people's need to earn a living usually prevent this.

Glastonbury is unique because it is a not-for-profit festival. Its founders have other sources of income, and many of its employees have other jobs. This situation is hard to copy elsewhere. Still, in our culture of constant activity, there is value in taking time for reflection and renewal.