Bill Harkin

Glastonbury Festival founder Michael Eavis pays tribute to Harkin, whose ideas were so unusual they took some time to sink in. “I liked the idea but was slightly wary of the reality, although was captivated by their childlike excitement,” recounts Eavis, the dairy farmer who turned a small concert on his property into the world-famous event, with the help of Harkin. A top-flight architect working for British Leyland car launches, Harkin first came to Glastonbury toward the end of 1970, following the first iteration of the event. The original stage was erected out of scaffolding and plastic sheeting and made its debut for the second edition of Glastonbury Festival, in 1971. Several versions of the Pyramid Stage have popped up over the years, one of which burned down shortly before the 1994 ...