Festival
What’s the cheapest way to buy festival tickets?
The only way to get a festival ticket guaranteed is to buy it early. Make sure if there is an early bird offer then take this too and if the tickets are too expensive to buy straight away you can use deposit schemes when they are on offer with the site. Always get your tickets from the official sties.
A whole festival package is usually cheaper than just an element of it. Festicket allows you to book full packages for music events including general or VIP admissions, travel packages, with accommodation and transfers which are all cheap and less hassle for you!
If the festival is abroad, book your plane tickets early too, if you leave this till the last minute then it can often result in prices way above the initial budget.
How do you save money on food and drink?
Food is extortionate at festivals; although there is a large range of foods it is better to bring your own. Make sure that everything you bring will not perish in hot weather and that everything is light as the walk from the car park to where you pitch your tent can be huge! A barbecue might be nice idea with the feel of the outdoors but make sure that the meat is kept next to an ice block and eaten in the first few hours of getting there!
There is a festival supermarket that may work out cheaper if you cannot pack everything you will need for a few days.
Carry a bag with a few snacks in so what if you do get hungry you don’t get tempted by the stands!
Carry a water bottle around with you so that you can fill it up around the site from the taps. Don’t take glass with you as this is often forbidden.
What one item would you advise festival-goers to pack?
The most essential thing to pack for a festival is an open mind: you’re going to see lots of strange things and it’s best to just go with the flow.
Hand sanitizer! Believe me you will be happy you did!
Which country has the cheapest festivals?
Poland is great for cheap festivals compared with the rest of Europe. On the Festicket website a weekend ticket with camping for the award-winning Tauron Nowa Muzyka in Katowice is just £39. Taking over a disused coal mine, fans can see the likes of Skream and Squarepusher with a pint of beer that costs less than £1.50.
Poland also has another award-winning event, OFF Festival, with The Smashing Pumpkins, My Bloody Valentine and many more performing in 2013. Three-day tickets with camping start from just £50.
Any general festival money saving tips?
· Withdraw cash before you get there
· Insure your valuables
· Take the bare essentials
· Get free tickets by volunteering at a festival
· Travel to the festival at less convenient times
· Find the free food at places like Glastonbury’s Hare Krisha tent
· Buy festival essentials in the winter for the cheapest prices
· Take back your cardboard pint cups, many festivals offer money back if you return them
· Take a spare pre-charged phone battery or solar phone battery charger to save on phone charging costs at the event
Daniel Fahey- Festival guru