With summer in full bloom, young people are likely thinking about what festivals they can attend on a budget. Despite many of the big festivals such as Glastonbury and Download having expensive weekend camping tickets, many others can be done on an affordable budget.

Here are my 6 top tips for attending festivals without spending a fortune:

1. Use young people’s travel cards

If you are travelling by train to a festival such as Glastonbury, and you are under the age of 30 or are travelling with a companion, there are a range of railcards that will save you a third of your rail fare. Great Western Railway (the company that runs special services from London Paddington to Castle Cary for Glastonbury), advises booking in advance to secure the cheapest fares. If you are travelling to a festival in London, such as The Mighty Hoopla, a little-known hack is that you can attach your railcard to your oyster card (if you have one) and save a third off your TFL fare. With rail strike action having been extended until November, if you want to play it safe, another option is to get a young person’s coach card and travel by coach. Glastonbury has partnered with National Express to save people the stress of train travel.

2. Volunteer to get free tickets

Several of the big festivals such as Glastonbury, Leeds, Reading and The Mighty Hoopla run volunteering schemes for locals in exchange for free tickets for the duration of the festivals. These schemes include shifts for jobs such as security, litter picking, first aid, catering and welfare checking. The ticket packages are for the duration of the festival so festival goers who apply need to make themselves available for the entire festival.

3. Avoid expensive merchandise

Many of the bigger festivals, such as Glastonbury and Isle of Wight will have their own merchandise available, including merchandise of the artists headlining. Merchandise for a top headliner can begin from £30, reaching £80 and beyond. A top tip from festival goers is to wait until the last day before buying anything. Vendors will be keen to sell their leftover stock, so expect knock-down prices right up until the festival’s closing time.

4. Use a power bank and share it among friends

Power banks are a lifesaver when festivals are outdoors. A 25800mAh power bank from Amazon costs £24.95 with free next-day delivery. If you are feeling friendly, you can offer a full charge to a fellow festival goer in exchange for some food, drink and company for the duration of the festival. A power bank that is well-kept can last a decent amount of time, so it is worth buying one to take to festivals and beyond.

5. Take your own food and drink

An insider tip from a family member who caters at Glastonbury is to take your own food and drink to avoid the high catering costs. Light food such as protein bars and porridge pots are perfect for keeping your energy up. Festivals like Glastonbury allow you to take your own alcohol in. If you are travelling in a group of five or more, bulk buy your food and drink to help save money.

6. Share tents

It’s usually impractical to buy a tent for every single person when travelling in a big group. So, why not split the cost of camping products from specialist stores such as GoOutdoors, Millets or Mountain Warehouse instead? A six-person tent on GoOutdoors is currently on sale at £170. This comes to roughly £28 when split six ways, making it far more affordable and practical if you’re not a regular camper. Festival goers have been known to abandon their tents at the end of a festival or dispose of them carelessly. Since you’re buying less, you will have less to dispose of. For this reason, the option of sharing a tent also favours the environment.

Festivals can still be enjoyed despite the cost-of-living crisis. Hopefully, these tips will help you to have a fun-filled summer as you visit some of the best festivals the UK has to offer.

DISCLAIMER: The articles on our website are not endorsed by, or the opinions of Shout Out UK (SOUK), but exclusively the views of the author.

Glastonbury money saving tips summer UK Festivals