It is well known that music festivals, and Glastonbury in particular, are a rollercoaster of need satisfaction. For 72 hours or more, we keep asking ourselves: What do I want now? What will increase the pleasure and ease the pain? A burger, a metal tray, a seat? Shade, sugar, a cigarette?
It is also well known that such an event is a costly business, even when you factor in the hefty price of the ticket (Glastonbury 2024 costs £340 plus booking fees).
In the micro-economy of the festival, traders can charge exorbitant amounts to cover our basic needs. Once you’re here, you tend to throw caution to the wind, as my colleague Eleanor Peake learned from festival-goers earlier this weekend. But how much does it actually cost? To find out, I tracked everything I spent over three days at Glastonbury this year.
Friday
11:02 am: I woke up much more hungover than I intended, having succumbed to the classic Thursday night excitement that I should definitely be over by now. In desperate need of coffee, I queue for 20 minutes and order a flat white. 4 € – worse than London.
11:25 am: I immediately join another queue for breakfast and slowly come to my senses. Veggie Full English, a bargain for only £15.
12:52 pm: I make my way to the Park stage via West Holts, where I catch the last few minutes of Peruvian electronic artist Sofia Kourtesis – warm and comforting. By the time I’ve walked up the hill, I’m hot and noticeably more awake than I was an hour ago, so I head to the bar and order my first cider of the festival before watching Moonchild Sanelly and then Barry Can’t Swim – a brilliant, ecstatic set that was so packed that no one could get in. £6.75causes a slight headache, but is nice and cold.
15:14: I’m back in West Holts and want something nourishing. It’s hot and there are huge queues everywhere. Overwhelmed by the choice, I head to Taste Tibet, a tried and tested festival food stall that I know will fill me up. Curry, £12.50, with extra momo on top, £2.50. Total 14,50 € – Restaurant quality, no regrets.
16:41: Saw the first half of Chicago rapper Noname at West Holts – but they had a tough clash with Confidence Man on the Other Stage. I got a quick ride there with a friend, swam against the tide of Sugababes fans slowly trickling in, and caught the end of their set – good vibes and lots of energy. I definitely need a pint after that, so head to the Solstice Bar and order an IPA. 7€.
19:34: After a relaxed floor sit, a nostalgic set by Bombay Bicycle Club and a trip back to the tent, I stand in the crowd at the Pyramid Stage waiting for LCD Soundsystem. Open a can – from a multipack, but it’s also Brewdog. I estimate about 2€.
9:55pm: Took a toilet break and recovered from the emotional dig that was LCD Soundsystem. Back in the crowd for Dua Lipa and another can in my pocket. This time it’s a Lidl Pilsner that I had left over from last year. I think they cost about £3 for a pack of four – so guess 0,75 €.
11:45 p.m.: I write my review of Dua Lipa and say goodbye to the night – no more money will be spent.
Total for the day: £50
Saturday
11:11 am: Oh, sunlight, my old friend. After being roasted alive in the tent all morning, I head out for some welcome fresh air and return to the same breakfast spot. In all the excitement of the Pyramid Stage yesterday, I forgot to eat dinner and forgot how to feel hungry until I pay 15 € for pancakes, maple syrup and yogurt and realize that I am starving.
I’m a little irritated because the pancakes are cold, and I struggle to use my wooden cutlery, but they fall down, and I feel a little weird from all the sugar. Unfortunately, I also need a coffee, so I get back in the damn line. Two flat whites for me and a friend, 8 €.
14:19: I have earned my living in the press tent and am now ready to go out into the world again. The pancakes did not fill me up, so I order a 11 € Toastie that’s crispy, cheesy and has everything I didn’t know I needed.
I seem to have become addicted to spending £10-15 on meaningless things like food and drink, so I feel my legs walking to the bar next door and a 12 € Bloody Mary. I’m too hot and wearing too much clothes, so I spill it on my front, on my pocket, and kind of on my hat, and then I pull it down my throat so I don’t have to hold it anymore. Those 20 minutes cost me a lot. total £23.
16:31: After visiting Woodsies for the first time to see Soccer Mommy, who put on a relaxed, light-hearted performance that completely blows me away, I head back to the Other stage to catch the final minutes of hot newcomers The Last Dinner Party. The Woodsies bar was inaccessible, but the line at the Dreamtime Bar next to Other was short, so I order an IPA, which I drink much more sensibly than the Bloody Mary. £7.
17:27: I’m standing on the Avalon stage, a much quieter corner of the festival that I haven’t yet entered, to see Flyte. It’s a sparkling set, and Florence Pugh is standing next to me and my friends. Suddenly everything feels absolutely brilliant – and there’s no queue at the Avalon Inn! Pints for my friend and I, £13.75.
19:50: Watching Little Simz on the Pyramid Stage I still have a Perlenbacher that I got out of the tent. It’s quite warm but I don’t care – Little Simz is captivating, the best I’ve seen so far. 0,75 €.
10:00 pm: I’m, against my better judgment, watching Coldplay. A generous patron hands me a cold can of Brother’s UnBerrylievable Cider and, against my better judgment, I drink it, but it turns out it tastes like sparkling Ribena. 0 €. After 20 minutes I decide I’ve had enough and rush over to Disclosure – not without first buying some cheese chips near the pyramid as I don’t want to repeat the mistakes of last night. It’s a complex process that involves melting grated cheese directly on the grill. Delicious but extremely greasy – I couldn’t finish it but wouldn’t mind more now. £7.
11:45 p.m.: Finally, Disclosure, after I caught Sam Smith in a moment of euphoria singing their 2012 hit “Latch”. I drag myself to the South East Corner, can of gin and tonic in my bag, but I don’t drink it.
Total for the day: £74.50
Sunday
9.57 am: I feel refreshed and it is the first day that there was not a huge queue at the coffee and breakfast stand near the tent. 4 € seems to be the usual price for a coffee here, so I pull myself together and order a (delicious) flat white. (I know, that’s a cliche.) It’s incredibly exciting that they also do a large breakfast roll for only 9 €an absolute bargain in the single-digit range. Overall 13 €.
13:46: I’ve spent the morning wandering around and now find myself back at Taste Tibet – because if it ain’t broke, why take a chance. 14,50 € for a direct repeat of Friday’s lunch, and here too I do not regret it.
14:38: I’m exhausted. To get myself pumped up for Shania Twain, I grab a pint from the Park Bar and drink it slowly on the way to the Pyramid stage. As I try to push through the crowd, a man pushes past me and a third of it falls to the ground. £6.75of which I didn’t drink at least £2.
17:23: As I return to the press tent to finish this article, I realise that it was a relatively cheap day. I will probably have another 12 € or something like that at dinner and buy another drink or two. Hmm, maybe not.
Estimated total for the day: £60.25
Total festival expenditure: £184.75
Average return train ticket from London to Castle Cary: £58
Festival ticket: £360 including booking fee
Total: £602.75
