11 Clever Ways to Save Money at Festivals in 2026

There are loads of ways to save money at festivals to bring the cost down. Here are a few festival money saving tips to help you and your hard earned cash go further and keep you festivalling.

After more than 25 years of travelling to festivals in the UK and around the world, I’ve learnt that the biggest festival savings usually happen before you even arrive. A few simple decisions can save you well over £100 across a weekend, and I’m going to share them with you.

Trust me, these festival money-saving tips will help your budget stretch much further.

1. Buy your festival ticket as early as possible

Many festivals release a limited number of early bird tickets months before general sale, often saving you anywhere from £20 to well over £100 compared to the final release. Victorious Festival in Portsmouth (near me) is way cheaper if you book a year in advance.

If you know you’ll be going:

• Sign up for the festival newsletter.
• Follow their social media accounts.
• Set a reminder for ticket release day.
• Join the payment plan if it’s available.

Payment plans are particularly useful if you’re budgeting, as they spread the cost over several months rather than hitting your bank account all at once.

2. Bring your own food

Festival food has improved massively over the last few years, but it certainly hasn’t become cheaper.

It might seem like an effort on the way there, but when you see the prices on the stalls (and in some cases the quality) you’ll be happy you bothered. Buying breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks from vendors every day can easily add £80-£150 to your weekend budget. Focus on food like croissants, crisps, tinned food, noodles, beans and cereal bars to tide you over between meals at the festival.

Just a note though, check the rules before you start your Tesco shop – some festivals don’t let you bring any in to the main arena.

If you’re taking a camping stove at the campsite the world of food opens up. Beans, Super Noodles, Pot Noodles, soups and tinned meaty treats all become possible.

Top tip: take a look on Google Maps to see if there are any shops nearby. At Dour festival there was a Carrefour supermarket just 10 minutes away on foot. Perfect.

3. Take your own drinks in

You definitely need my ultimate guide to sneaking alcohol into festivals – I think it’s actually only Glastonbury that lets you bring in your own booze.

Some camping festivals allow you to bring alcohol into the campsite but not into the main arena. Although, when I went to Latitude I just presumed this to be the case but they wouldn’t let us take our cocktails cans in the campsite. We sat and drank them all at the gate – yeah, wouldn’t recommend it.

Few tips for you, as well as the best alcohol to take to festivals…

• Decant spirits into plastic bottles if glass isn’t allowed.
• Freeze bottles of water beforehand to help keep everything cool.
• Drink responsibly and stay hydrated throughout the weekend.

When I was 16 and went to Reading Festival, I remember selling a bottle of vodka for about £50 on the final night. I’m sure I wouldn’t let that go to waste now but I was young and slightly horrified by the whole experience to be honest. I did not want alcohol on top of that.

4. Keep a few spare bottle lids

I’m not actually sure whether its to stop you using bottles as weapons or they want you to drink faster but at some festivals they won’t give you the lid for the bottle. This is really annoying.

Always make sure you have a stash so you don’t feel you have to drink up as soon as you buy.

5. Collect glasses on site

Most festivals will run some sort of recycling initiative where you collect a certain number of discarded plastic glasses and you can claim a free drink. At Dour Festival in Belgium it was 40 and it seemed like everyone was into it as they were even scrounging the bins at one point. I also saw this when I went to Sziget in Budapest.

6. Pack everything you’ll need

Festival shops are convenient, but they’re rarely cheap. Forgetting something simple like sun cream, toilet roll, a poncho or batteries can cost two or three times what you’d pay at home.

Before you leave, make a proper packing checklist that includes:

• Reusable water bottle
• Portable phone charger
• Wet wipes
• Sun cream
• Waterproofs
• Warm layers
• Torch or head torch
• Power bank
• Toilet roll
• Painkillers
• Ear plugs

You definitely need to look at my ultimate festival packing list before you leave the house.

7. Don’t buy a whole new festival outfit

In reality, festivals are muddy, dusty, unpredictable and often involve very little sleep. Comfort beats fashion every time.

Shop your own wardrobe first, borrow from friends or visit a charity shop if you fancy something different.

8. Book accommodation in advance

Not every festival offers camping. City festivals like Primavera Sound, Sziget Festival and many European music festivals rely on hotels, hostels and apartments. Accommodation prices rise quickly once thousands of festival-goers start booking.

As soon as you’ve secured your ticket:

• Book somewhere refundable if possible.
• Compare hotels with apartments.
• Consider staying one train stop outside the city centre.
• Split accommodation costs with friends.

Booking early usually gives you far more choice and much better prices.

10. Don’t go near the gimmicky shops

Especially when you’ve had a drink. I ended up with a sequinned hat at Eastern Electrics, a colourful tail at Parklife and literally more pairs of jeans than I could carry at Reading. All of which have never been worn.

My sparkly hat does look great on my bookshelf though.

11. Go to good value festivals

British festivals can be quite expensive, comparatively. Sometimes flying to a European festival can actually work out cheaper than spending a weekend at a major UK event. Price it all up before you commit – and that includes food and drink.

When I went to Sziget it was comparatively cheaper than others around, even the fact we stayed in an apartment. Good old Budapest!

Bonus tips to save money at festivals

Here are a few extra ideas that can make a noticeable difference:

• Share camping equipment with friends instead of everyone bringing their own.
• Borrow tents and chairs before buying new ones.
• Bring a reusable water bottle and use free refill points where available.
• Download the festival app before arriving to avoid using mobile data unnecessarily.
• Travel by coach where possible, as festival coach packages are often cheaper than driving and parking.
• Volunteer at festivals if you’re happy to work a few shifts in exchange for free entry.

Questions about saving money at festivals

How to budget at festivals

Festivals don’t have to drain your bank account.

With a little planning, it’s entirely possible to enjoy an incredible weekend while spending far less than everyone around you. Buy your tickets early, pack wisely, avoid paying inflated prices where you can and focus your budget on the experiences you’ll actually remember.

After all, it’s the music, the people and the atmosphere you’ll be talking about years later – not the £18 burger you bought because you forgot to pack lunch.