The ‘infamous’ Glastonbury Festival is back again for 2023 but the ticket price is now a whopping £340. And expect to spend at least £250 on getting there and staying alive.
Ticket prices for 2022 were £265. Those prices were frozen at the level of the Covid-cancelled event in 2021. 2023 sees an enormous £75 increase.
The increase matters more than ever as the UK is currently in a ‘cost of living crisis’ where people struggle simply to buy everyday items – never mind blowing £600 for five days in a muddy field.
So far Glastonbury is the biggest independent festival to increase prices to this extent. However, some smaller ones have also considered it. And, for example, the Brainchild festival and a festival called Field Maneuvers have started crowdfunding pages to try to tackle their growing costs.
Glastonbury organisers say the pandemic cancellations meant no income but many still needed to be paid. And, they say, the ticket price rise is needed to meet the deficit.
Emily Eavis, festival co-organiser and daughter of the founder of the festival, said she was sympathetic, but the price rises would happen anyway: “We have tried very hard to minimize the increase in price on the ticket, but we are facing enormous rises in the cost of running this vast show.”
It is true that the cost of running Glastonbury is about £40 million – so high ticket prices are to be expected. But this high?
The festival takes place at Worthy Farm, Somerset, where it began in September 1970. The festival lasts five days each year. There are 31 areas to enjoy within the event. The festival’s ‘pyramid’ stage is where many of the highest-profile artists perform. In 2022, for example, there was Billie Eilish headlining on the Friday and Sir Paul McCartney on Saturday. They made history as the oldest and youngest solo performers ever. The likes of Kendrick Lamar, Lorde and Diana Ross were also highlights.
Rising East reporter Molly Monaghan spoke to East London-based festival goers to get their opinion on the ticket price increase.
Paige has been going to Glastonbury since 2017 and was devastated when it was cancelled for two years due to the pandemic. Despite this, she still had to skip this year because she didn’t have the money.
Does she think the festival is worth the new price? “Glastonbury was definitely worth the money when I went there a few years back. But because of the price increase, I definitely will not be attending again until the tickets go down again.”
We also spoke to Russell Collins who went to Glastonbury for the first time in 2022. He said he was “totally blown away by”. He added, “I still want to go again next year if I can get tickets. The price rise is unfortunate but not unexpected in the circumstances.”
It will be interesting to see how the price increase will affect the numbers attending in 2023, especially of those who go regularly.
Tickets go on sale later this month – they generally sell out within an hour.
If sales are slow this time, maybe they’ll even do discounts for poor students.