Background

The movement originated in the free festivals of the 1970s such as the Windsor Park Free Festival, the early Glastonbury Festivals, Elephant Fayres, and the huge Stonehenge free festivals in Great Britain.
Later events included the Castlemorton Common Festival, a huge free and illegal event which attracted widespread media coverage and prompted government action. Some legal festivals, such as WOMAD, continue to be held in a variety of countries, including the UK.