Festival season is here, with hundreds of thousands of music lovers set to head to city centres, parks and farms across the country from now until September. That’s if you’ve been able to get a ticket.
Demand is the first barrier for the most popular events, but even if you’re first in the queue, price is potentially a bigger issue. As with everything, ticket prices have continued to rise.
Last year Glastonbury was £355. This year those who managed to get a ticket were forking out £18.50 more at £373.50. The Isle of Wight Festival has increased by £15 to £285 this year and even one-day events can go past £100. However, if you’re flexible or willing to put in some graft, then you can cut these prices –potentially getting in for free!
Volunteer at a music festival
Let’s start with the freebies, which are available to volunteers. Most major UK festivals, small and large, offer free spots for those who’ll work. That could be pouring pints at a bar or checking tickets at the gates, through to staffing help desks or litter picking. In return for a shift each day, you’ll get free entry and often a food token. If it’s a camping event there’s usually a separate secure area to stay, too.
On day festivals you can usually be done by 8pm so you can enjoy the headline performers. At longer events, you’ll hopefully be able to switch shifts so you can see your favourite acts. Just be prepared to get there early for training and to work at least one night. Some will require you to stay on a day or two after to operate the clean-up.
You will have to part with some cash upfront, but as long as you turn up for your shifts you’ll get that refunded after the event – though watch out for some small admin fees that won’t be returned by some organisers.
Of course, some of these ships have already sailed. You’ve no chance of Glastonbury this year, or even the big-name dayers from the likes of Charli XCX and Stevie Wonder. But you can still pick up a free ticket to Leeds, Latitude and Boomtown, as examples.
Where do I start?
Many of the opportunities come via charities, so you’ll also be helping to promote and raise funds for those causes. Ones to check include Oxfam, WaterAid, Charity Concierge and My Cause UK. Others come via commercial businesses, like Festaff and Hotbox Events. See their websites for details and application forms.
Where to find cheaper tickets
But for those who don’t want to work for their ticket, or don’t have the time to commit to extra days off, all is not lost. I’d suggest you look for cheaper tickets at fan-to-fan resale sites such as Twickets and Tixel. The closer you get to an event, anyone who has to offload their ticket could get desperate and start listing it at a lower price. With Twickets you can even bid what you’re prepared to pay.
If you’re really flexible, I’d also keep an eye on seat-filling sites including Central Tickets and Show Film First, which list cheap or free tickets for non-sold events a few days before they happen, for a small admin fee.
You might also be able to pick up local tickets via sites such as Groupon and LivingSocial, though I haven’t seen as many of these in recent years as I used to.
Failing that, and you have to pay full price, you can get around 5% back on Ticketmaster gift cards purchased from apps such as HyperJar, Cheddar or JamDoughnut, which would at least cover some of those booking fees.
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