Queen will not be appearing at Glastonbury Festival, and according to guitarist Brian May, the decision has nothing to do with scheduling or musical direction.
In a new interview with the Daily Mail, May made it clear that long-standing disagreements with the festival’s leadership have firmly ruled out any future appearance at Worthy Farm. “I wouldn’t do Glastonbury next year because of the politics of the people who run it. Unless that changes, I won’t do it,” he said.
Queen have never played Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage, and May’s comments reinforce a position he has maintained publicly for several years. The guitarist has repeatedly cited his opposition to festival founder Michael Eavis over wildlife issues, specifically badger culling.
Expanding on his stance, May said: “They like killing badgers, and they think it’s for sport, and that’s something I cannot support because we’ve been trying to save these badgers for years, and they are still being killed for years, so that’s the reason we’re missing out on it.”
Eavis, a dairy farmer, has previously defended the practice as a measure to combat bovine tuberculosis in cattle. In the past, he has criticised May’s campaigning and once described the guitarist as “a danger to farming.”
May is a long-time animal rights advocate and a co-founder of the “Save Me” animal welfare organisation, which campaigns against fox hunting and badger culling. His opposition to Glastonbury dates back several years and has been echoed in multiple interviews.
In 2023, May again ruled out any involvement from Queen at the festival, stating: “Michael Eavis has frequently insulted me, and I don’t particularly enjoy that. What bothers me more is that he’s in favour of the badger cull, which I regard as a tragedy and an unnecessary crime against wildlife.”
The issue has also drawn attention beyond the music world. In 2018, Eavis’ support of the badger cull prompted actor Peter Egan to lead calls for music fans and animal rights supporters to boycott Glastonbury.
