Festival denies 'last-ever' rumors

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Claims that this year's Glastonbury music festival will be the last have been denied by a spokesperson.

Reports in the British press on Friday, quoting Emily Eavis, the daughter of Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis, had suggested the 2008 edition of the legendary festival could be the last.

"I... feel we should ply everything into this as if it be the last," Emily Eavis, who is now involved in running the event, said in an interview with mobile phone Web site Orange World.

But a spokesman for the festival said Eavis' comments had been taken out of context.

"The festival has been running for 38 years and we take each one as it comes," he told CNN.

When asked about the festival's future in the Orange World interview, Eavis said: "It's a risky, risky business and it would be nice to think, to know, that it could go on forever (but) I don't know if that's possible."

Glastonbury takes place on 900 acres of land in Somerset, southwestern England and has previously starred luminaries such as David Bowie, Brian Wilson and Van Morrison.

This year's headline acts are Jay-Z, The Verve and Kings of Leon.

The first festival in 1970 was held the day after Jimi Hendrix died, attracting just 1,500 people. Early Glastonbury festivals were renowned for their free-spirited and relaxed ethos but in recent years critics have complained of the festival becoming too commercial.

Last year organizers sold 137,500 tickets in less than two hours, eventually selling out all 177,500 despite a $290 price tag. Buyers were also required to register their details online so tickets could be printed with their photograph to deter forgeries and ticket scalping. E-mail to a friend

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