Glastonbury - how we’ll be keeping you safe at the festival

With just two weeks to go until the gates open at Glastonbury Festival 2025, excitement is building. Hundreds of thousands of people will soon be heading to Worthy Farm for five unforgettable days of music, arts, and entertainment. But while festival-goers are packing tents and planning who they will see, our teams are already hard at work – and have been for months – making sure everything runs safely behind the scenes.

We spoke to Jon Worsley, our Deputy Assistant Chief Officer here at Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, to find out what goes into keeping Glastonbury fire safe, what our teams are doing on the ground, and what festival-goers can do to help everyone stay safe.

A pop-up city the size of Southampton

Few events come close to matching the scale of Glastonbury. Each year, more than 200,000 people descend on a working farm in rural Somerset – that’s more than the population of Exeter, turning a patch of countryside into a fully functioning city almost overnight.

With that scale comes responsibility. Planning for this year’s event began all the way back in autumn 2024. Our role as a fire and rescue service is central to the festival’s licensing process, which is managed by Somerset Council. That includes reviewing and approving detailed plans, which cover:

•    Fire safety
•    Major incidents
•    Command and control
•    Crowd dynamics
•    Campsites and venue layouts

It’s a huge undertaking – and a vital one.

Planning, prevention and partnership

Each year, we build on lessons learned from the last festival and work closely with festival organisers, other emergency services, and local communities to make sure our plans are not only robust but also responsive to real-world challenges.

These plans also ensure that while our teams are on-site, we can still respond effectively to incidents elsewhere in the county. It’s all about balance: having enough resources at Worthy Farm, without compromising our day-to-day operations.

Meet the team behind the safety

In the run-up to the festival, and throughout it, a dedicated team of Business Safety Officers are on the ground inspecting venues, stages, and pop-up installations. These checks happen before the public arrives – and during performances – which often means late nights and long walks. From small market stalls to massive structures like the Pyramid Stage, our team covers it all.

And it’s not just about inspections. Our prevention and communications teams also work hard behind the scenes to get essential safety messages out to festival-goers, tailored to the unique risks of Glastonbury. These messages are shared via social media, via the media, and through direct engagement.

Fire safety in action 

In the lead-up to the festival, we’ve been busy on the ground supporting preparations. Our prevention team has been working closely with the gypsy and traveller communities who help set up the site each spring, offering safety guidance and support. Meanwhile, our Yeovil team has been touring Worthy Farm with a chip pan demonstration unit, delivering live fire safety training to traders, food stall operators, and event staff.

Once the festival is underway, we maintain a dedicated crew and a 4x4 fire appliance on-site 24/7, ready to respond to any emergency. We also work hand-in-hand with Glastonbury Festival’s private fire service to ensure the most effective response to any incident, whenever it arises.

Stay safe and soak up the magic

Glastonbury is a one-of-a-kind experience – and safety is what helps keep that magic alive. From emergency planning to prevention outreach, we are really proud to play a role in making the festival safe and enjoyable for everyone.

So, whether it’s your first Glastonbury or your fifteenth, take a moment to plan for safety too. Here are our top fire safety tips:

• Cook safely – Always use BBQs and stoves outside, well away from tents. Never use them inside.
• Carbon monoxide kills – BBQs in tents can cause deadly poisoning. Symptoms include headaches, dizziness, and nausea.
• Check before you cook – Inspect gas stoves and BBQs for damage or leaks before lighting them.
• Store fuel safely – Keep gas cylinders and petrol away from tents and vehicles.
• Mind your cigarettes – Always extinguish them fully and dispose of them properly – and never smoke in tents.
• No open flames inside – Use battery-powered tealights instead of candles.
• Van life – Make sure campervans and caravans are fitted with working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
• Check before you travel – there’s often queues to get in and out of the site. Do a safety check of your vehicle (oil levels, tyres pressure, etc), before setting off. Cars sat in queues can overheat if levels are incorrect.

And remember. If you see anything of concern while you’re at Glastonbury, or need to report a fire, please report it to a member of staff immediately.

We look forward to seeing you in the fields!