The simple days when you’d turn up to a festival with just a keg of beer and a tent are long gone. Festivals are a much more sophisticated affair these days – which means they can come with a much greater price tag.
Money.co.uk have put together an easy-to-follow guide to help you on your way…
Before you pack your bags and get your waterproofs on create a budget of how much you can afford to spend over the weekend. If you’re organised you can get away with spending very little, or if you want to splash out – make it an extravagant affair. Look at the festival website to see what’s on offer, these days you can splash out on everything from champagne bars to a dip in a hot tub.
The most important thing is to be honest with yourself about how much you can really afford to spend. If you can’t afford a big blow out, as tempting as it is to get carried away in the magic of a festival you must avoid popping bottles of prosecco on the first night. You’ll have no money left for the rest of the weekend so be strict with yourself and stick to your budget like glue.
Food frenzy:
Once you’re at the festival, buying food can be very expensive. Food vendors have to pay a huge amount for their pitch so they have to make their money back.
You can only take in one 500ml bottle of water with you into the main site, so buying water might stack up. Save yourself money by taking food with you and eat breakfast before you go in. Stock up on easy to carry snacks with you for the day. There is a large Waitrose really close to the Ferry Port to stock up on a few nibbles.
If you like a drink don’t forget to budget for alcohol because pints are likely to be pricey and you can’t take your own booze in with you. You’re allowed to take alcohol onto the campsite (no glass bottles) but not where the main stages are. Don’t try to sneak booze in – you will get searched, and you will be asked to throw it away.
The camp site is also quite a trek away from the main arena, so eat what you can before you go in and plan your meals for the day.
Crossing the Solent:
If you haven’t already you need to book your ferry. Ticket prices are much more expensive over the weekend of the festival. They still vary massively depending on whether you want to take your car and what time you’re willing to travel so do compare times and prices.
If you’d consider going as a foot passenger you could save quite a bit. Before you get there use a site like Liftshare which allows you to find a lift with people going to the same place. You can also take a bus from the ferry port to the camp site.
How much should I take?:
To help you budget we’ve worked out the average costs of attending from Thursday afternoon through to when you leave on Monday morning:
Standard Adult Camping Weekend Ticket = £208.20 (including booking fee) 208
Travel including Ferry Crossing and Parking= £90 – £117
Camping Gear = £50-£80
Food & Drink = £50 a day x 4 days = £200
Total spend (approx.) = £550 – £605
Don’t want to pitch your own tent?
If you aren’t keen on camping or find it too noisy they’ve even got you covered. There’s a whole range of camping experiences to be had – everything from ready pitched tents, to quiet zones and luxury VIP experiences.
If this is your big holiday for the year you might want to splash out a little, but remember to never book above your budget.
Other costs:
Plan into your budget the other costs you’re likely to have. Whether you’ll be shopping at the trade stands for fairy wings or treating yourself to a hot tub in the open air, it all adds up.
Luxury loos – for the weekend (cleaned after every use and have hot water) £32.50
Phone charging – £20
Hot Tub – £25 – £40
For more information visit https://www.money.co.uk/guides/how-much-do-festivals-cost-and-what-should-you-take.htm.
