We’ve been to many a family festival over the years. It’s something all of us look forward to in the summer. However, a rewarding weekend away like this can quickly cost us a significant amount of money.
Over the years we’ve noticed the cost of purchasing tickets and attending family festivals has increased inline with the evergrowing popularity. That said, there are still a number of ways you can save a significant amount of money at family festivals without comprimising on the experience.
Based on over a decade of festival attentance here’s the tips we reccomend;
1. Take Your Own Snacks
There is no such thing as a cheap snack at a festival. Let’s face it, you’d be lucky to find a packet of crisps for less than a couple of pounds, never mind anything substantial.
If you aim to take roughly enough snacks for all of your family members to cover each meal if you miss one, you should be absolutely fine. Things like cereal bars, fruit, or pre-popped popcorn would make an ideal between-meal snack, and can even be combined to make a light meal replacement if required.
2. Take Breakfast With You
Breakfast is just as important a meal at a festival as it is at home, and shouldn’t be overlooked. What could be better than a piece of fruit, breakfast bar, or carbohydrate filled breakfast of your choice to start the day?
A good breakfast will reduce the chance of family members becoming hungry late in the morning, which is exactly when those oh-so-tempting snack vans start calling out to you!
Another plus is that a well-balanced, vitamin-rich breakfast will help to alleviate any nasty after-effects of gin and wine consumed the night before.
3. Buy Festival Props In Advance
Plan your outfits ahead of the festival, and make sure to bring any props with you. Luckily for all of us, festival fashions don’t seem to change much over the years.
The same ‘home knitted’ striped floppy hat that sets you back around £30 could be picked up online or from your local market for a pound or two by comparison.
4. Bring Water Or A Waterbottle
There is no way of sugar-coating it: water is an absolute rip-off when bought from a festival stall. If it’s easy enough for you to transport it to your campsite, try to take at least two liters of water per person per day with you.
If the thought of packing and carrying so much water is too daunting, or not a sensible option, then make sure to take a refillable bottle. Most festivals will have water points dotted around for you to fill your bottle.
Not only will you be doing your bit for the environment, you will also benefit from having water literally on-tap whenever you need it. Be warned though, some festivals don’t allow you to take unsealed bottles filled with liquid as a method of preventing drugs from entering the arena. Check on their website before you leave home.
5. Cook Meals
Before you leave home, check the policy on cooking at the campsite on the event’s website. If cooking is allowed, then try to bring a BBQ or some other outdoor cooking stove and at least a day’s amount of evening meals.
If you are using fresh ingredients that can go off easily, be careful of trusting it after a day or so. Bearing in mind a price for a meal at a festival site (including a drink) is usually around £10, this tip can save you a lot of cash.
6. Prepare Your Clothing
Weather is almost as changeable at most festival locations as Lady Gaga’s costume during a set, so be prepared for all eventualities.
A jacket, coat, hat, or scarf bought at a festival might make a great keepsake, but you definitely don’t want to be purchasing one purely because you have overlooked a vital item. If this goes wrong, prepared to be royally ripped off as a result.
7. Bring A Portable Charger
Some bright spark businesspeople have identified a growing demand for device charging at public events. While they are most certainly solving a real problem, and it is a very sensible and commendable business idea, it is a cost you could be doing without if at all avoidable.
Make sure all of your essential devices are charged before you leave home, and if you have one then definitely bring a portable battery charger. If you don’t have one and are a regular festival-goer then perhaps it would be a good idea to purchase one.
A good one will cost you less than 5-6 charges at a commercial charge point, so it could be worth it. If you are going to a festival as a one-off, this may not be a viable option for you. That said, once you have one you will realise they are quite useful in everyday life.
If you have one, I would definitely recommend taking a ‘dumb phone’ with you, either as well as your primary phone, or along with it. If your normal phone breaks, or runs out of juice, you will at least have a method of getting in touch with loved ones at the end of the festival.
8. Buy Face Glitter In Advance
No festival is complete without glamming up, and lets be honest, is that even possible without face glitter? Put simply, buy this online or from a local shop before you go. Simple economics; buy it from somewhere it is in less demand.
9. Consider Your Transport
Naturally, we all want to do as much as we can to protect the environment. Sadly, the cost of public transport for a family is often a preventative to taking the train or bus, especially when traveling across the country.
If you do want to take the train, make sure you book ahead (at least a few months where possible) to take advantage of early fees. Bear in mind there may be a cost for onward transport if the destination station is not within walking distance, which will probably be the case.
If the cost of parking is included in the ticket or isn’t too expensive, it might be a better idea to take the family car if at all possible. Sometimes driving is a necessary evil that can’t be escaped from. An added bonus is that you can take more things with you, as long as the car park is near the campsite. Make sure you check ahead.
10. Bring Your Own Alcohol (Where Possible)
Naturally, a family festival holiday isn’t the same as a hen-do or a gap year festival trip, but that doesn’t mean alcohol won’t play a part, as least in moderation (or, quite possibly, not). Some festivals will let you bring your own alcohol into the arena (Glastonbury is a good example), but this is a rarity, and quite often there are other rules in place (no glass, breakables etc).
Check before you leave home to see what the rules are. Almost all festivals allow alcohol from home at the campsite, so if you are planning on a pre-sleeping bag nightcap make sure you bring it with you. Alcoholic drink prices at festivals are eye-watering at best.
As a rough rule, one round of drinks for your family could cost almost as much, if not more, than cinema tickets for the whole family! Honestly, buying a round of drinks from a festival bar is almost a life experience in itself and not one you’d want to repeat.
11. Don’t Forget Your Camping equipment
A great way to make a saving before you even arrive at the festival is to buy your camping equipment at the lowest cost possible. Naturally, if you already have all of the equipment you need this does not apply to you.
If you are attending a summer festival, you most unlikely to need an all-singing all-dancing four season tent, and can get away with a cheap supermarket job. All you really need is shelter. One small tent for adults and one for children will probably do the trick.
One area where you shouldn’t compromise on comfort, but can get a good price is with your sleeping bag and sleeping mat. A cheap foam roll mat has the best insulating properties, and is generally cheaper than an inflatable mattress, for example. For your sleeping bag, make sure you get good quality models from a cheap store where possible. You don’t need to buy the best, anything that is designed for two seasons should be sufficient.
12. Budget For Souvenirs
Wanting to take souvenirs back from a festival is perfectly understandable, and for building family memories it a great thing. This doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg though.
A lot of festivals give out limited programmes for free, or if not for a relatively small price. Festival branded clothing can be fairly expensive. Rather than pay the marked-up price at the site, buy it online before you even go.
Just because something wasn’t bought at the site, it doesn’t mean it isn’t a souvenir of the experience. The simple fact it was worn at the time they were watching their favourite band, in a seminal moment will be enough to attach a positive memory to it.
13. Shop Around (Even At The Festival)
Other than planning ahead, one of the best ways to save money at a festival is to shop around at the site. As food and clothing stalls have an effective monopoly at most sites you will most likely find that most items are similarly priced across all stalls.
However, if you are forced to eat on-site from a vendor, consider what you actually want to eat; a falafel might turn out to be tastier, more nourishing, and cheaper than a veggie burger for example, and vice versa.
I’d advise you to go on a fact-finding walk on the first evening, and start to spread the idea of the best option in your families minds; it’s far easier to be enthusiastic about a meal you’ve been anticipating than about a meals you feel is a compromise.
The same is true of clothing and accessories, as well as souvenirs. If you have to, or have decided to buy these items on site, make an event out of shopping around and exploring to find the best offers. These might be few and far between, but you never know.
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