Seven tips to save money at festivals this summer

With the festival season now in full swing, many of us are considering how we can try to keep our expenses down whilst still enjoying ourselves.

With this in mind, experts at short-term lenders, Moneyboat, spoke with avid festival goers Claire Henderson (Liverpool, 26) and Erin McIntyre (Liverpool, 27) to reveal seven tips to save money whilst at festivals this summer.

Carpool or consider the festivals supplied transport

Carpooling with as many friends as possible is one of the easiest ways to save money and split costs of petrol and parking. If car pooling isn’t an option, they consider looking into the official transportation for the festival which can often be cheaper than use than private companies.

Bring your own food and drinks

This may be an obvious one, but bringing your own food and drinks is the simplest way to save money at festivals, saving on the expensive costs of food stalls. Make sure you pack plenty of snacks to keep with you through the day, and if the festival allows it, consider taking a portable stove so you can heat up water and treat yourself to a pot noodle. If you’re extremely prepared, you could even take some simple pre-cooked meals with you and heat these up on your stove.

Claire adds, “Bringing your own food is by far the easiest way to save on money at festivals, with food costs often being the thing that can rack up expenses quickly. Be sure to pack plenty of cereal bars, crisps and snacks to keep you full between meals and prevent you spending money on snacks whilst there.”

Set a budget and stick to it

Make sure you plan how much money you’re willing to spend and really stick to this. Allocate daily funds to essentials like food and drinks and avoid spending on unnecessary items.

To set a good budget beforehand, prioritize your expenses by making a list of essential expenses you’ll encounter, making sure to also research costs beforehand so you have a good understanding of how much these core items are going to cost on average.

Set a daily spending limit to help as a guideline to control your expenses. Whilst at the festival be sure to just keep a track of your spending, you can either note purchases down of use a dedicated budgeting app on your phone.

It’s also good to be disciplined but be sure to be flexible about your finances as well, as unexpected situations may arise that cost additional money. It’s worth ensuring that you have an emergency pot just in case!

Bring essentials from home, and bring spares

Before going to your festival, be sure to do plenty research about everything you need to take to avoid having to buy anything whilst at the festival that will most likely have inflated prices. If you’re camping at your festival, then it’s important to make sure you have all the essentials from a torch to portable phone chargers.

It’s worth bringing slightly more than what you need as well, i.e., an additional few pair of socks, just to cover any emergencies.

Claire says, “Having spares of some of the most essential items such as jumpers, blankets, clothes and socks is so important! As we all know, the British weather is extremely unpredictable and there’s nothing worse than getting caught in a rain storm and not having a spare of dry socks in your bag!”

Bring refillable Water bottles

Staying hydrated is extremely important at festivals and the cost of buying bottled water can soon rack up. Most UK festivals should have free drinking water stations, as if it’s a licensed premise it’s a legal requirement, so take a water bottle with you a keep this filled up. If you take a flask bottle with you, then your water will also stay cool throughout the day.

Remember to sip water, rather than gulp it – this can not only leave you more hydrated than gulping it down (as tempting as it may be when the weather is warm!) but makes sure your water lasts longer, as water points can get busy.

Commenting on this, Erin says, “Bringing your own water bottle is an absolute festival must have. Not only is it important to ensure you’re staying hydrated, which having water on your at all times makes sure of, but it also saves on having to buy water from the bars.”

Watch out for freebies and promotions

Keep an eye out for freebies and promotions by sponsors and vendors at the festival in the run up to it. This could include free samples, discounts, or even free merchandise, so be sure to take use of these opportunities.

Consider volunteering

If you’ve not yet bought your ticket to a festival, you really want to go to, then it may be worth considering volunteering. This will involve doing a few shifts, normally in return for at least a free ticket to the event – with some festivals even offering food and drink tokens, as well as transportation costs being covered.

Daniel Saunders of Moneyboat comments, “With the rising cost of living impacting every part of life, many of us right now are looking for ways to still enjoy things, like festivals, on a budget. We hope these tips help those looking to attend any of the UK’s many popular festivals over the summer, save a bit of cash whilst still having an amazing time.”

Further tips can be found here: https://www.moneyboat.co.uk/blog/21-ways-save-money-festivals/