11 Cheap UK Festivals for Less than £50
Festivals can be ex-pe-nsive. I’ve just forked out £250 for Glastonbury – craziness!
It’s totally going to be worth it though. I know that already.
So, thanks to these times of austerity, I thought I’d have a scout around and find the best of the cheap UK festivals for the more budget minded among us. Here are some of the cheapest festivals in the UK, all less than £50.
Top Cheap UK Festivals
1. Forbidden Forest
To be confirmed for 2023
£40
There’s no mystical creatures in this forbidden forest but people who’ve been have said there’s definitely magic. For two day only, this year’s 2nd-3rd of July, this Derbyshire location transforms into a hotbed for house, techno and bass music. Tickets start off at £15 but even on final release the max price they reach is £40 so it’s an affordable day away no matter when you book your ticket.
2. Winter Social Festival
To be confirmed for 2023
£49.50
Festival season doesn’t stop with Bestival at the start of September – you know that right? The Social Fest in Maidstone takes place towards the end of the month and brings with it a heady mix of dance music. Tickets come in at £49.50 with access to The Kent County Showground, but the music played transports you to summertime in Ibiza.
3. Neighbourhood
May 27-28, 2023
£25
A newbie to the festival scene, this Manchester event is already causing ‘a bit of a stir’. Over just one day (nearly my birthday!) it draws in over 100 artists to perform in 11 different city venues. Tickets start at £25 and that’ll get you into the gigs of international acts as well as more local ones as they perform in some iconic Mancunian venues like The Albert Hall and the O2 Ritz.
4. Groove Cairngorm
Cancelled for 2022
£25
It may be cold in Scotland but things are heating up in the Cairngorms’ music scene. The mountain range hosts the UK’s first snow sports festival at the end of February (sorry, going to have to wait a while for the next one to come round). You can slide, ski and board down Aviemore during the day and listen to bands like Basement Jaxx and LaFontaines at night. Passes to the Scottish festival are £35 and you can add a mountain pass to that for an extra £25.
5. Dot to Dot Festival
May 27-28, 2023
£12
Come the last weekend in May you want to get yourself to Bristol, Nottingham or Birmingham where the best, yet-to-be-discovered, talent gets a chance to showcase their music. Early bird tickets start at just £12, which means that for the price a London cocktail you could be hearing emerging acts before they hit the big time.
And then you can be one of those annoying people that’s all like, ohhh, I liked their first album so much better. Blah blah.
6. Eroica Britannia
August 5-6, 2023
£30
Dancing definitely isn’t the only kind of workout you can get at a festival… At Eroica Britannia, after a weekend of awesome acts, attendees can bike the beer away on what’s known as ‘the most handsome bike ride’. Tickets to the 3-day Buxton event cost only £30 and get you in to see acts like Norman Jay NBE and ABC across the June weekend, although you’ll have to pay a bit more to enter the ride.
7. Folk by the Oak
July 16, 2023
£45
Forget your troubles, pack the happiness vibes and pick up the party at Hatfield House, Hertfordshire. Here, for one glorious summer day on the 17th July, you can enjoy the best in charming, folksy music and get stuck into the arts and crafts. Try wood churning and chocolate decorating before filling yourself up on artisan bakes. It’s one of the quirkiest cheap UK festivals around.
8. Tramlines Festival
July 23, 2023
£46.20
For northerners, it’s all about Tramlines at the end of July. Located in Sheffield, the event spans over 70 city venues and 5 stages where you’ll hear top acts like The Libertines and All Saints. Tickets currently cost £46.20 for the full weekend.
9. Enjoy Music Festival
Cancelled since 2017
£35
Chase and Status and Primal Scream are headlining this Aberdeen event for 2017. For £35 you can see them along with other popular acts in Hazelwood Park on Saturday the 3rd of June. There are also workshops, amusements and retro tents to keep you busy for the day.
10. Mostly Jazz, Funk and Soul Festival
£45
The clue’s in the name with this event. Taking place in Birmingham’s Moseley Park from the 7th to 9th of July, you can listen to sounds of the sax and enjoy a heavy dose of hearty tunes. Single day passes cost £45 and go up from there for the whole weekend pass.
11. Up//Side\\Down
Cancelled for 2022
Up//Side\\Down Festival is a new small festival with a 50% female line-up and a sustainable ethos. Taking place on Shaken Oak Farm, Oxfordshire, on the 26th-27th July 2019 a ticket is only £52 + fees. Centered around community, sustainability and equality, Up//Side\\Down provides a stripped-back, grass roots experience steeped in core festival values: fields, friends and fantastic music.
Also, they’ve pledged to keep the line up 50/50, to try and balance out the ludicrous imbalance of gender on typical festival line ups.
Any more cheap UK festivals I’ve missed? Let me know!
Nice festival and awesome pictures.
Awesome list! I need to go to more festivals, but I’m always put off by the extortionate prices. Plus I always fancy the smaller ones more because….fewer people. <3
If you ever fancy a trip to Southend, give the Village Green a try in July! I went a few years ago and they actually attract some cool acts (think Nothing But Thieves and Kate Nash are there this year.) Last time there were book stalls and games and a boot sale, so it's pretty diverse. Only £15pp too! x
Yeah agreed. Smaller ones are usually just that little bit sillier and more fun – and have a better atmosphere too. Ooo I shall check that one out. Thanks for the tip off!