Glastonbury Festival organiser Michael Eavis has urged UK festival-goers to vote to remain in the European Union.

This year’s Glastonbury Festival takes place on the weekend following the Eurppean Union referendum in the UK, which takes place on 23 June. The event runs officially opens on Friday morning when the first music starts to happen – but fans traditionally converge on the area up to two days in advance. And some concern has been expressed that a significant number of votes might be lost to the campaign to remain in Europe, among the 175,000 who attend the festival.

“The people coming to our festival have to make sure they vote,” Eavis told the Observer newspaper. “The result of this referendum strongly affects their future – they’ve got to ensure that they are part of it... We have said it till we are blue in the face: if you come, vote.”

And Eavis left no one in any doubt as to how he would be voting, as he encouraged the Glastonbury community to vote to stay in Europe.

“I’m deeply for ‘In Europe’,” he said. “In with both feet. It’s not for my sake – I’ve nearly finished; I’ve been on the go at this for 50 years – it’ for them.

“I think most people who come to our festival are reasonably intelligent,” he added. “And as such they must realise that our future must be as part of this European ideal.

“I can understand the OAP – with a little house in Margate and picture of the Queen on the mantlepiece – wanting it to be Little England again. I accept all that. But it’s the past: that’s just rainy old windswept `margate talking. This referendum is about the future, in which we have to be part of the bigger picture, a continent of opportunity, languages, colours, excitements and exchanges.”

This year’s festival includes Coldplay (pictured), who are headlining for the fourth time, Electric Light Orchestra and Muse among its headliners, with P.J. Harvey headlining the Other Stage on Sunday.

Those who are travelling to the festival from other parts of the UK that might require leaving before Thursday morning – when votes can be cast – have the option of registering to vote by post. The festival organiser has set up a site to help people with information about how to register for the postal vote. The deadline for postal registration is June 3.

Eavis also makes the case as a farmer that to leave the EU would be a disaster for British agriculture.