11 ways to save money on festivals

The cost of going to a music festival in the UK has surged following the pandemic.

For example, the cost of a weekend ticket to Glastonbury is £335 this year, an increase of £55 compared to what festivalgoers had to pay for last year's event – and that's before you factor in the cost of getting there and food and drink.

With festival season in full swing, Which? rounds up 11 tips to save you money on tickets, travel, camping and more.

1. Save money on getting there

Train

If you decide to take the train, make sure you book your tickets in advance – you could save up to 76% on a journey from London Euston to Manchester. You can often set alerts for when these tickets go on sale – typically 12 weeks before the trip. 

You could also consider buying a railcard – it costs no more than £30 a year and could pay for itself with the money you save on your journey to the festival. There are nine railcards available, with discounts varying from a third to 50% off.

There are a lot of other hacks on our guide to getting cheap train tickets, including splitting your ticket and making the most of loyalty schemes. 

• Find out more: return tickets to be scrapped on some routes

Coach

It may be cheaper to get a coach to the festival – and it's easier to take more luggage. For example, popular routes such as London to Manchester can cost as little as £7.95 with Megabus – but the journey takes five hours, compared to just two hours on the train. 

There are additional student discounts available – for example, students can save an extra 10% at Megabus with a Totum card. 

Alternatively, you may be eligible for a Coachcard with National Express. This works in a similar way to a Railcard; you can save a third on fares and there are three options available: Young Persons Coachcard, Senior Coachcard and Disabled Coachcard. They cost £12.50 a year plus £2.50 for postage and packaging.

Drive

If you do end up driving, try and car share where possible. 

You should also shop around for the cheapest fuel – generally, larger supermarket chains offer the lowest forecourt prices. 

It's worth checking which petrol stations are the cheapest locally before you fill up. Websites such as PetrolPrices.com can help, and some sat nav apps such as Waze display live prices for stations nearby and on your route.

• Find out more: how to save fuel and other money saving driving tips

 2. Search for ticket discounts

Lots of festivals offer early bird tickets that are cheaper than the general ticket price. However, you’ll often have to secure your ticket up to a year in advance and put down a non-refundable deposit. 

Some sites also offer group ticket deals where you can get six tickets for the price of five. For example, The Mighty Hoopla festival at Brockwell Park in London was selling its 2024 earlybird group weekend tickets for £550 – which is £91.69 per person. That's a saving of £46.50. 

Meanwhile, Tickets for Good partners with festivals to provide discounted tickets for NHS staff, medical students and charity sector workers. You can save money on The Cambridge Club Festival in Cambridge, KITE festival in Oxfordshire and The Secret Garden Party in Huntington. 

You may also be able to snap up a last minute ticket on a resale platform – just check the organiser's policy on resale tickets and who they recommend you buy from. 

For example, an Isle of Wight day ticket for the Friday is on sale through Ticketmaster for £104.50, however we spotted a resale ticket for the same day, also for sale on Ticketmaster for £80.50. 

• Find out more: how to get a refund from a ticket seller

3. Volunteer for free tickets

If you don’t mind a bit of work, you can sign up to volunteer at a festival and still have time to catch plenty of acts.

Oxfam UK runs a scheme where you can be a volunteer steward for festivals including Glastonbury, Reading, Latitude, Wilderness and WOMAD.

Volunteers are required to work three 8-hour shifts over the course of the weekend, but also enjoy free camping and a meal voucher per shift. 

Although many of these applications have now closed, it’s worth bookmarking the page for next year’s season if you’re interested.

• Find out more: best ways to save money

4. Find free festivals

You don’t have to burn a hole in your wallet to enjoy live music and entertainment in a muddy field. There are plenty of free family-friendly events yet to take place around the UK.

For example Notting Hill Carnival is an annual celebration of Caribbean culture with music, dancing and parades on the streets of West London. It runs for three days over the August bank holiday and the Sunday is especially for families.

If you want some stunning views, check out the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta running from August 10-13. After dark, the balloons light up to music plus there are fairground rides, model aircraft displays and a music stage.

And for some comedy, the Edinburgh Fringe runs in the Scottish capital from August 4-28. While many shows are ticketed, there are daily street performances that won’t cost a penny and are suitable for all ages.

• Find out more: cheap and free things to do over the holidays

5. Rent your tent

See if you can borrow or rent your camping equipment rather than buying new.

Fat Llama allows people to rent out their stuff, so you may snap up a bargain. When we looked we saw a three-man tent for £5 a day available to collect from London, and camping chairs for £3 a day. 

If you do have to buy equipment, make sure you get the best value. We’ve tested the best tents, camping chairs and cool bags.

And if you do need to buy anything, remember to use cashback sites to get extra money. TopCashback is offering up to 13.2% cashback on Go Outdoors purchases. You could also use a cashback credit card – some pay as high as 5%. 

• Find out more: best cashback and reward credit cards 

6. Bring your own food and drink

Most outdoor camping festivals allow you to bring your own food, and some may even let you bring alcohol, so it’s worth checking the terms and conditions before you travel. 

For example, Glastonbury does not restrict how much alcohol you can bring in, although glass bottles are forbidden. With the bars charging ‘London prices’, according to its website, bringing your own booze could save you a small fortune.

For food, make sure you shop around for the best price – Aldi? has been voted the cheapest supermarket by Which? for 12 months in a row. 

Wherever you choose to shop, see if you can order the food to a supermarket near the festival using click and collect – it may save you lugging it around and it means the food will be fresher for longer.

• Find out more: how much could you save switching supermarkets?

7. Set a daily budget

To help budget when you’re at the festival, try and set a daily budget. You can separate your money into food, drink and activities. 

You should also take out all the cash you need beforehand, as the ATMs on site may charge a fee. However, remember to keep this money on you rather than leaving it in the tent. And it's worth noting your festival may be 'cashless' so it's worth taking a card with you as well. 

• Find out more: best budgeting apps

8. Bring a portable phone charger

Gone are days where you’ll leave your phone at home, as plenty of festival goers want to take videos and photos throughout, as well as find their lost mates. 

Many festivals have charging stations with secure lockers, but you’ll have to pay a fee to use these. We’ve tested the best portable chargers and the best cheap power banks – with some available for under £20, which could save you money in the long run. 

You may also be able to get free charging at the festival. For example, this year at Glastonbury festival Vodafone will provide free charging facilities – but expect queues. 

• Find out more:  best portable power bank chargers

9. Save on festival outfits

There are plenty of ways you can shop around for clothes without it costing the earth. You could use second-hand reselling platforms such as Depop, eBay and Vinted as well as traditional ways like charity shops and car boot sales.

And those who have smaller feet may benefit from buying children’s wellies and trainers. You don’t pay VAT on children’s clothes or shoes, so there’s great savings to be made if you’re a size 5 and under.

There are plenty more tips in our ways to save money on clothing story, including ‘swishing’ and renting your clothes. 

• Find out more: best and worst places to shop second-hand

10. Collect paper cups

Fancy earning a pound or two when you’re there? Many festivals have a cup deposit scheme where you pay a small deposit on the cup when you buy a drink at the bar. This means if any festival goers have ditched their cups, you can return them and collect the deposit for yourself. 

For example, at Reading festival every cup and bottle sold in the arena has a 10p deposit including in the price. Collect 10 and take them to the cup recycling stations for some ‘cold hard cash’, according to its website.

There are also reverse vending machines on the campsite – return your bottles in exchange for a voucher to spend at the Co-op site at the festival. The bottles collected at the festival are then recycled to create bottles for Co-op’s own-brand bottled water.

• Find out more: 47 ways to make money

11. Protect your valuables

According to comparison site Go Compare, festival goers on average take three gadgets with them, and a quarter of those surveyed (27%) said they would leave them in their tent. 

A travel insurance policy can protect your valuables for trips in the UK and abroad against loss or theft, so it could cover you at the festivals you plan to attend.

To avoid any issues, make sure you keep valuables on you and don’t leave them unattended.

The festival you’re attending might also have a locker facility to rent, which can be handy if you need to bring a laptop or tablet for whatever reason. 

• Find out more: best and worst travel insurance

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