With only a few days until Glastonbury festival gets under way, a new study from money travel specialists No.1 Currency has concluded that Glastonbury is the second most expensive festival in Europe. By working out the total cost and cost per day based on festival admission, cheapest accommodation cost, average cost of three meals per day and ten beers per day, the survey has thrown up some interesting results and backs up claims by some that in some cases festivals are becoming increasingly expensive past times.Many opting for cheaper alternatives at home (Green Man, Latitude, Bestival, Indietracks). While many revellers are seeking out other options abroad such as Primavera, Roskilde and Open’er festivals.
For example Glastonbury attendees on top of ticket costs will be forking out the most of all; a whopping £69 per day for their daily meals and beverages, with a pint of beer costing a wallet-sapping £4.50 – the most expensive of any of the festivals in Europe. On the other hand, savvy spenders heading to Poland for the Open’er Festival, will spend as little as £21 per day on food and drinks.
“The survey concludes that despite the travel involved music lovers looking for a bargain are better off heading to Slavic countries to make the most of their hard-earned cash. The Sziget festival in Hungary – where The Prodigy are headlining this summer – is the best for value festival, with a daily cost of around £50 or just under £400 for the whole eight days, followed by Open’er Festival in Poland at £52 and Exit in Serbia at £62 per day.
The most expensive festival calculated on a per-day-rate is Tomorrowland in Belgium, at £180 per day. With the highest admission, accommodation and meal costs, the weekend could set avid music fans back a pricey £541.47, but with legendary headline acts such Armin van Buuren, Carl Cox and Benny Benassi playing, the price tag is unlikely to put too many people off.
Roskilde in Denmark proves to be the most lavish for festival-goers, emptying the purse strings of £729.12 for 7 nights, 84% more expensive than Sziget which runs for the same amount of time. With food and drink averaging around £55 per day the overall cost can rack up to over £90 per day. However, with the Rolling Stones headlining, it’s a not-to-be-missed event for many.
And there’s more good news for festival addicts heading to the continent this summer, with the Pound 7.1% stronger against the Euro compared to 12 months ago, and 3.9% better off compared to the start of the year.
Table
Tomorrowland, Belgium
18-20 & 25-27 July
Admission
£196
Accommodation per night
£67
Others
£2.35
£8.23
Total
£541.47
Per Day
£180
Glastonbury, UK
25-29 June
Admission
£215
Accommodation per night
Included in ticket
Others
£4.50
£8.00
Total
£560
Per day
£112
Roskilde, Denmark
29 June – 6 July
Admission
£211
Accommodation per night
£6
Others
£4.00
£5.00
Total
£729.12
Per day
£91
Main Square, France
3-6 July
Admission
£95
Accommodation per night
£5
£3.29
£7.50
Total
£337.20
Per Day
£84
Unknown, Croatia
8-12 September
Admission
£106
Accommodation per night
£13
Others
£2.00
£6.00
Total
£387.50
Per Day
£78
Exit, Serbia
10-13 July
Admission
£100
Accommodation per night
£12
Others
£1.48
£3.71
Total
£249.72
Per Day
£62
Open’er Festival, Poland
2-5 July
Admission
£108
Accommodation per night
£4
Others
£1.20
£3.00
Total
£208
Per day
£52
Sziget Festival, Budapest
11-18 August
Admission
£205
Accommodation per night
Included in ticket
Others
£1.50
£3.00
Total
£397.04
Per Day
£50
Simon Phillips, Head of Retail for No1. Currency, comments: “Glastonbury is undoubtedly one of the biggest music events in the British calendar but with tickets selling out in minutes and at a huge cost, thousands of Brits have started to look further afield for their festival fix.
“Now there are festivals in most European countries and music junkies are only too happy to hop on a train or plane for the chance to see their favourite bands. But it isn’t just huge names like the Rolling Stones that are attracting Brits to Europe, it’s also the savings they can make on the cost of tickets, accommodation and food and drink. In fact, it can actually work out much better value to travel to a festival in mainland Europe than to stay at home.
“Not only does your cash go further in Central Europe, where food and drink in particular are relatively cheap compared to the UK, but Brits heading to festivals in the Eurozone this summer will enjoy the added bonus of a strengthening Pound.
“For example, exchanging £300 for spending money this year you’ll get €375, compared to €350 this time last year – which can pay for quite a few extra beverages.
“It is worth ordering and picking up your spending money in the UK before you head off to your chosen festival, as cash machines are usually limited and you don’t want to waste hours queuing instead of catching your favourite bands perform.”
What do you think is Glastonbury too expensive? Or is the experience worth the price?
