The cost of living crisis may be biting hard but what is almost certainly Britain’s most expensive music festival – costing up to £325 a person for only one afternoon and evening’s entertainment – doesn’t seem to be having any problems shifting tickets.
Soho House festival, taking place in Gunnersbury Park, west London, on two separate days, 6 and 8 July, has already sold out its first day, and its well-heeled clientele can look forward to sets from the likes of DJ Pete Tong, Kelis, Tom Grennan and Sugababes. To be fair, that hefty price (the event only runs from 2pm until 10.30pm) includes unlimited food and drink.
The outdoor music festival season has kicked off this month with a number of events but really gets going in June, with the biggie, Glastonbury, whose headliners this year include Arctic Monkeys, Guns N’ Roses and Elton John – taking place on 21-25 June.
There are scores of events in July and August, including Latitude in Suffolk (20-23 July), where the lineup includes Pulp, Paolo Nutini and George Ezra, and Reading and Leeds (on 25-27 August, with big names playing including Billie Eilish and Sam Fender), before things finally wind up at the end of September.
The good news is that if you don’t have a spare £325 knocking about, there are dozens of cheaper and free events around, some of which have pretty good lineups.
Here we round up some of the options and talk to regulars about the insider tips that can cut costs.
Cutting ticket costs
Glastonbury might have sold out in a flash as usual but with lots of events jostling for attention this year and people tightening their belts, special offers are virtually guaranteed as summer nears.
So monitor ticket websites and sites such as Festival Flyer, check festival online forums, and keep an eye out for flash sale emails.
Meanwhile, Tickets for Good partners with festivals such as Tramlines in Sheffield, Parklife in Manchester and Truck in Oxfordshire to provide free and heavily discounted tickets to NHS staff, medical students and charity sector workers, plus their friends, with plans to extend eligibility further.
“In addition to the people already listed, anyone who has received a cost of living payment is welcome to sign up for our waiting list. Tickets will be made available to them very soon,” says Steve Rimmer, the chief executive and co-founder of Tickets for Good, which has so far saved more than 200,000 people an estimated £6m. For most tickets, recipients will only have to cover the booking fee, which costs £2-£3.95 a ticket.
For those who aren’t eligible for schemes such as this, it can pay to plan ahead by securing early bird tickets, which are often cheaper, while some festivals offer payment plans allowing people to spread the cost. Group ticket deals (for example, six for the price of five) are also sometimes available.
Our picks of free (or almost free) events
• Africa Oyé in Sefton Park, Liverpool, on 17-18 June. Free entry, and a lineup that includes Seun Kuti & Egypt 80.
• Festival Too, a free, unticketed event held in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, over three weekends: 24-25 June, 30 June-1 July and 7-8 July. The lineup is due to be announced soon.
• Coventry’s Godiva festival in War Memorial Park on 30 June-2 July. At the time of writing, day tickets started at £8, with concessionary prices available to those who qualify. Acts playing include Melanie C, Rudimental, the Enemy, Ella Eyre and the Selecter.
• Leigh folk festival in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, on 22-25 June. Almost all the events are free, with the exception of some ticketed concerts. Acts playing include She’koyokh and Emily Portman & Rob Harbron.
A more affordable option
Festivals hosting big names have become too pricey for many people.
Glastonbury tickets have gone up from £265 plus a £5 booking fee in 2019 to £335 plus a £5 booking fee for the 2023 edition, while a weekend ticket to Reading will typically set you back £289 once you have added on the fees.
However, filling the gap are good-value tribute act festivals such as Rockstock in Stockport (27-28 May – £20 for two days) and Festwich in Prestwich, Manchester (29-30 July – £24 for two days).
While the bands may not be the real deal, it is a cheap opportunity to enjoy familiar songs and get into the festival spirit.
“I think some people are generally sceptical about tribute bands,” concedes Chris Tominey from Iffy Clyro (a Biffy Clyro tribute band). “I was never keen on the idea myself but when you go to a show, you realise quite quickly that the vibe is amazing. The standard of bands is incredibly high.”
Combine a festival and a holiday
By looking farther afield, you can condense the cost of a festival and a holiday into one.
“People think travelling abroad for events is expensive but I’d say the UK is worse,” says Bekah, known on TikTok as Festival Styled (@festivalstyled). She has garnered a big following by sharing her experiences, including price breakdowns for her trips abroad.
She books her trips using the Skyscanner search engine and tries to plan several months in advance and opt for one weekend abroad during a month rather than a few nights out in the UK. “Try hostels and go to cheaper places in Europe. I love Poland and Latvia,” she says.
Make use of social media
If you are into a specific genre of music, there are sometimes ways of getting free tickets. Maria Jones from Aberdeen is a trance music fan, and over the years she has kept in the know with labels, artists and venues by signing up to newsletters, following people on Twitter and listening to podcasts focused on the genre.
“It is worthwhile following all your artists and interacting with them on Twitter and creating these opportunities for yourself,” Jones says. She recalls a time when she was scrolling through Twitter and stumbled across a tweet offering free VIP tickets for the first 20 retweeters to an event in London. She ended up being one of the recipients.
Stand out from the crowd
Jones recalls: “I ended up getting dressed as gothic Minnie Mouse for [dance music festival] SW4 in London, and that led to DJ Gareth Emery noticing us from the stage and giving us VIP passes.”
She recommends checking Twitter every now and again during events as they sometimes tweet out opportunities for perks while the event is happening.
Meanwhile, smaller websites and publications are often looking for feet on the ground when it comes to events. Jones has offered to cover events for publications and blogs in return for a press pass, giving her access to the event and an opportunity to meet artists.
There and back
Getting to and from festivals can sometimes be challenging and costly. Travelling by coach is often the cheapest option, although be prepared for a longer journey. Check if your event has an option to add a coach journey on to your ticket. Big Green Coach usually collects attenders from designated spots to transport them out to the festival fields and back home again at a reasonable price.
The right clobber for the right price
Festival-friendly outfits often have a high turnover on secondhand sites and at charity shops, so check their selections regularly and you may be able to grab a bargain.
If it’s a multi-day event, there’s camping equipment to consider. You may be able to borrow some from a friend, family member or neighbour. Check out sites such as Facebook Marketplace and keep an eye out at Lidl and Aldi, as they sometimes run summer special deals on tents, camping chairs and everything in between.
Work while you’re there …
If there’s a festival you would like to go to but really can’t afford, it may be worth checking if there are any work opportunities, although in some cases it may be too late for this year. “It’s possible to get work assisting with setting up the site, bar work, artists and performers, traders, site takedown, litter picking, etc,” Louise Sheridan says. “I get a free ticket in return for working some shifts.”
Sheridan gets access to events by volunteering with CND, which is involved with festivals such as Glastonbury and Shambala. “Other charities that also offer volunteer places in return for working shifts include Oxfam (stewards) and WaterAid.”
Meanwhile, some festivals run schemes where you can get cash for returning items such as plastic cups. Last year, GALA Festival in Peckham Rye Park, south London, gave customers £1 for every plastic cup returned, which resulted in some attenders making a sizeable amount by collecting ditched cups.
Ditch the booze
Not buying alcohol will obviously cut your costs hugely. Maria Jones says it’s not necessary to enjoy a night of good music, and highlights another benefit: “If you’re sober, when people go to get drinks, you can keep moving forward to the front.”
