The Glastonbury Festival's total capacity in 2005 was 153,000

The event is not taking place this year but organisers are already working out how to accommodate more people in 2007.

Half of the increase will go to fans and the other half to festival crew.

Operations manager Melvin Benn revealed the plans at the launch of a new "genteel" festival, Latitude, offering art and literature as well as music.

And festival founder Michael Eavis told the BBC News website the site would expand by 100 acres into neighbouring fields to accommodate the increase.

THE GROWTH OF GLASTONBURY 1970 - 1,500 people 1971 - 12,000 1982 - 25,000 1986 - 60,000 1998 - 100,500 2007 - 173,000?

Any extra profit would go to charity, he said.

The annual rush for Glastonbury tickets has reflected the festival's growing popularity in recent years.

All 112,500 weekend tickets sold out in less than three hours last year, with many fans missing out in the scramble.

The total capacity in 2005 was 153,000, including passes for staff, media, artists and locals.

Mr Benn, managing director of Mean Fiddler Festivals, said: "We are going to grow the festival. I'm anticipating growing it by up to 20,000 people next year."

It would give the festival its largest legal attendance - but in 2000, an estimated 200,000 people turned up, half of whom were gatecrashers.

Mr Benn is credited with saving the festival after taking over security and organisation in 2002 when the gatecrashers jeopardised its future.

Mean Fiddler, which also runs the Reading, Leeds and Homelands festivals, now owns 40% of Glastonbury.

'Less manic'

Mr Eavis, who started the event on his Somerset dairy farm in 1970, is still in charge of the creative side.

Mr Benn said he was not trying to recreate Glastonbury at Latitude, which will take place in Suffolk on 14-16 July.

The new event will host poetry, comedy, politics, film and cabaret as well as bands such as Snow Patrol, Antony and the Johnsons and Mogwai.

Mr Benn said he was seeking to emulate the "genteel, less manic feel" of his favourite European festivals.

"I want to be able to wander from books to music to film in the way you can in your own sitting room," he said.