Book Now For Glasto

Those hoping to buy a ticket to this summer’s Glastonbury Festival in England will have to register their interest sometime during February.

Registrants must submit their contact details and a passport photo in order to have a chance of buying tickets when they go on sale April 6.

"I agree it is a tedious business, but people appreciate why we’re doing it," Glastonbury chief Michael Eavis told BBC News. He launched the registration procedure last year in an attempt to stop touts.

Each ticket will feature a photograph of the buyer and will not be transferable.

"We did it last year and it was perfect. The only thing is some of the photographs weren’t quite good enough so we’re sharpening up the pictures," Eavis explained.

Asked whether the process would start to put people off attending the festival, Eavis admitted: "You think it would, wouldn’t you?"

But the procedure did not deter about 400,000 people from registering for 137,500 tickets last year.

"I think most people who are really determined to come find a way, don’t they, or they try harder?" he said. "It’s only the people who are half-hearted about it that don’t pursue the chase for a ticket."

He added that he thought it was "absolutely essential" to beat the touts and, if he could not do so, he would rather not run the festival.

Registration, which does not guarantee a ticket, can be completed from February 1 to 29 at glastonburyfestivals.co.uk.

Tickets for the first festival, held in 1970 and attended by 1,500 people, cost £1. In 2005 tickets cost £125 and 153,000 people attended.