Introducing 2025's poet in residence, John Berkavitch

17th June 2025

We’re pleased to announce that Glastonbury’s official poet in residence for 2025 is John Berkavitch. The former UK Slam Poetry Champion is a neurodivergent artist, acclaimed for his spoken word-dance theatre shows, slick delivery and thought-provoking performances: “I have always strived to make work that challenges perceptions of what live literature can be,” he says.

Having first performed here 20 years ago, John is no stranger to the Festival, and we are thrilled to welcome him back to the fields. “I am incredibly excited to be returning to the farm this year with a personal mission to bring poetry to as many people as possible,” he says.

Below you’ll find “Here’s To You, Glastonbury” John’s excellent first poem for the Festival. 

Catch him in the Poetry & Words tent in Threatre & Circus on Sunday at 4.18pm. And to find out more about John Berkavitch, click here.

Here’s to You, Glastonbury

Here’s to anyone who’s been wearing Hi Viz for the last few weeks.
And here’s to all those who never stop doing those final few tweaks
Here’s to the builders, and the chippies and the scaffs and all the crew,
To the unskilled and the hippies and the grafters here’s to you.

Here’s to the plant drivers and the tractors and those guys on cherry pickers
And anyone that works at heights that’d make you wet your knickers,

Here’s to the sewers and the makers
And the crafters and the painters
And the fencers and the traders
And the ones who just work later
And the kitchen staff and caterers
The washers-up and bakers,
Steady-handed masking tapers
And that gang that hangs that apparatus.
Here’s to the teams that cladded all the bars
And the ones that put in the big steels
Here’s to those two people who made 
those massive leaves in that one kids’ field.

Here’s to the sparks and electricians who did all the cables and the wiring,
Here’s to the late night lighting teams, whose work is so inspiring,
To the people that make the massive sculptures and the team that did the DJ tree,
Anyone who worked extra late to get things done behind the scenes,
To all the folks who painted fronts, hung things up or tied things down,
The projectionists and stage designers who helped to build this crazy town.

To the trades people with traditional tools carving weighty wooded mushrooms,
To the man who makes the windchimes and the windmills and the wood looms,
To the wicked willow weavers with their wonderful dexterity
To the helping hands from holy lands who span holistic therapies,
To all the roadies moving cases, all of the stage managers,
To the sound techs on the open mics who are making pros of amateurs,
To the person who put in all those poles, to the one who built that stage,
To the heroes who hung a hundred streamers, bits of bunting, lights and braids,
To anyone who has stretched a tent, to achieve optimum tension,
To anyone who hung hessian over all that heras fencing,

To the people who put the hammocks up, my god you are angels,
To anyone who set up chairs, built a bench, put up tables,
To anyone that laid the track, turned a screw or hammered a nail,
Tied a rope, hammered a peg, held a board or stretched a sail,
Hung a light, sewed a flag, used a brush or power tool,
The buggy drivers, toilet painters, security and campsite crews,

To all the bar staff, all the sculptors, and the guys who made that massive head,
Or the giant robot insects, or the seaside pier or pyramid,
To the what must be 200 people who painted every single bin,
To the clean-up crews who do the loos, you really put the effort in,
To the food vendors and recycling collectors,
Stewards and the litter pickers,
To anyone who brought their sequins, brought their face-paint, brought their glitter.

To all of you who gave your time to really make this party,
The fire-breathing, manic pixie, yogurt-weaving, planet-fixing,
Total dream of magic stitching, Tofu-eating wokerati,
Thanks to all these people. For all they did and do
And thanks to those who stay behind to be part of the clean-up crew,

See this is a festival that was built from actions,
And every action is an act of love,
It would be for nothing if not for you,
So here’s to you, for showing up.