The Guide #249: As Glastonbury has a year to sleep, this is why the most-loved culture should be down tools | Culture

Meevery other year This week’s book arrives in your inbox from Worthy Farm, home Glastonbury Festival. Not in 2026 though: for the first time since the Covid pandemic, which disrupted two consecutive years of the festival, Glasto is not a show. The reason? It has kept in its poor years, allowing the dairy farms where the festival has a chance to recover from a decade of camping, stomping and moshing. It also gives its organizers a rare window to recharge their batteries and prepare for the future of the festival, and its critics a year later to declare its directors “very bad”, again.

For those who go to Glasto for a long time, it is always painful last year – the last one was in 2018 – but this year it feels like a bullet has been fired, because the event would have arrived in the middle of the terrible heat (my face, and many others, would have turned a shade of beetroot that was not seen). Also, last year usually works well: when the festival comes back the following year, it’s reinvigorated, with new stages, strong lineups and well-rested people running the show.

In fact, I would say that Glastonbury’s season is so successful that others would do well to follow their lead. Perhaps more than any other festival, which has a lot of money and benefits, it requires the performers to travel every year in order to survive. But of course some cultural institutions can do and rest from time to time. They can Eurovision, flatlining in the votes, and to face conflictstaking advantage of a year off to settle political disputes, lobby the boycotting countries and look to improve his easy voting system? Or Star Wars, suffering from the attention of the audience and its fatigue very full a series of movies and TV shows, the first hit in the universe’s ever-growing universe? Don’t worry LucasFilm, the audience will still be there when you return; they waited decades for originals and sequels in the past.

For some pop stars — in an age where it’s always expected, even desired — a year off can be liberating, too. Taylor Swift, after a long period of fame seems to have a little time, welcome, singing at least (the beautiful wedding that is about to keep her out of the public eye). His only contribution in 2026 was the musical Toy Story 5, which was heralded by critics as a return to form after the disappointment of The Life of a Showgirl, in a hurry, an exciting release on the machine which made Swift’s career worse (not to mention the speculation about possible stress). Maybe Charli xcx, still on a grueling post-Brat self-promotion tour (endless touring, six movie titles, a new album announced…), could do with a smooth year. Adele, for one, has shown the benefits – both commercially and in terms of personal well-being – are always falling on exposure.

A year without cultivation can also solve problems caused by excessive self-expression. Take Romesh Ranganathan, a comedian who is far more talented than he is often given credit for, but who has become famous for his regular presence on television. (Review by Ranganathan the latest gameThe Guardian’s Rhik Samadder wondered if the comedian’s “auto email responses are a copy-paste of the word YES”.) The best way to combat that? Yes, an unlimited year.

The television show, which used to be completely dedicated to the annual events, now seems to work in different ways – although, the long break between the races is not necessary for everyone to take time; that’s it production takes longer than before. However, there are exceptions to this new trend, and I wonder if The Bear, a show we’ve praised for keeping time year after year, could have done with less time next time, based on the lack of its future seasons (although I hear. good things about the fifth and final episode of the show, which arrived on Disney+ today). And lord knows there are plenty of shows in the fast and loose world of reality TV that could do with an extended, extended vacation, either to strengthen character traits, attitudes and behaviors or simply to revive old characters. (Be honest, do you think the Love Island series is currently airing?)

This is all a bit of a guess, of course. Few shows have disappeared, film promoters and actors can only book a year to rest and renovate: the demand of the fans; price sharing; and the most important thing is that people want to earn their living, tell them something. Glastonbury is a complete exaggeration in this regard: the festival is not profitable; its founders have different methods of obtaining cattle; and many of his employees have other jobs away from the festival. It is an experience that cannot be matched anywhere else.

However, in our 24/7, self-sustaining culture, there is something to be said for pausing for reflection and renewal. That’s why I’m going to come back with the rest of the letter when I’m about to go to bed myself, and focus on my other big passion: dairy farming… OK, OK, OK – I’ll be eating cornflakes while I search on my phone.

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