Could the 2018 Glastonbury Festival fallow year be revoked? According to organiser Michael Eavis it might well happen – provided a certain band reforms.

The festival takes a fallow year every sixth year in order for the land on Worthy Farm – where the festival takes place – to fully recover from having nearly 200,000 people party there every year. The festival’s organisers had already confirmed that 2018 will see no Glastonbury Festival “in order to give the farm, the village and the festival team the traditional year off” but it seems festival boss Michael Eavis is “already regretting” the decision.

Speaking with The Guardian, Michael Eavis said that while the year off was confirmed, “there’s one band I want to re-form – if they re-form, I’ll change my mind”.

While remaining tight-lipped as to who that might be, he added: “It’s not One Direction.”

His daughter, Emily, said that the time off would give them the opportunity to develop some new concepts. Both the Park Stage and the Block9 dance areas were conceived after the 2006 break.

“It gives us a chance to reflect and everybody has a chance to recover and come back with fresh ideas,” she said.

They also confirmed that, in addition to returning in 2019, acts had already been booked for the Glastonbury Festival’s 50th anniversary in 2020.

“Half a century,” he said. “It’s an incredible feat, actually. We’ve been through so many struggles to get here.”

Eavis also confirmed that a new festival, The Variety Bazaar, was likely to happen in 2021 and away from Worthy Farm. Describing it as “last big gamble of my life”, he said: “We have no plans to stop doing the festival here, but we want to try something in another location away from the farm. It’s still very much in the planning stages, but we’ve got to be brave enough to have a go.”