
Four savvy ways to cut the costs of getting tickets for top music festivals
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
MUSIC festivals are a glorious summertime staple.
But heading to one can strike a sour note with our finances.
6
Four savvy ways to cut the costs of getting tickets for top music festivals
Credit: Getty
There are ways to cut costs. Here's how . . .
TIME FOR TICKETS: If you are willing to volunteer, you can be there for FREE as some of the biggest headliners belt out their hits at festivals — even Glastonbury.
You'll need to put a shift in but will still have time to explore and enjoy the event.
For example, if you volunteer through Oxfam, you need to commit to daily eight-hour shifts. You can sign up to be a steward and do anything from checking tickets to patrols. As well as free entry, you'll get a meal voucher and crew camping.
The charity offers volunteer spots at 36 festivals. See festivals.oxfam.org.uk.
My Cause UK is another way to volunteer at festivals on behalf of different charities. Apply at mycauseuk.com.
EARLY BIRD: Tickets are typically cheapest when bought well in advance.
Sign up to mailing lists to be alerted to early-bird deals. They can be offered as much as a year ahead of the event.
FILLER TICKETS: Get cut-price entry to festivals and concerts through companies that sell off surplus tickets at deep discounts.
Show Film First frequently offers tickets to festivals, as well as theatre shows and other entertainment. To receive alerts, sign up for membership at weticketit.com/showfilmfirst.
Disney Music Festival
Also sign up to Central Tickets (centraltickets.co.uk) where tickets cost between £4 and £15 for music events and other entertainment.
FREE FEST: More and more local festivals are popping up that cost little or nothing to attend.
They lack the big names but still offer a fabulous day out with a fantastic atmosphere.
Search eventbrite.co.uk and filter down to your locality to find festivals.
All prices on page correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability.
Deal of the day
6
Boots' latest premium beauty box which is £45 but contains products worth £219
Credit: Boots
GUARANTEE a good hair day with the latest premium beauty box from Boots.
For £45 you get ten products to care for your tresses including Aveda leave-in treatment and a Tangle Teezer brush, worth £219.
SAVE: £174
Cheap treat
6
Cocoa Honey, £2.75 from Asda
Credit: Asda
HILLTOPPERS Cocoa Honey, £2.75 from Asda, is the cupboard hero you never knew you needed until now.
What's new?
ENJOY a tasty summer drink with new pre-made cocktails from Morrisons including bliss on the beach and passion fruit martini, £6 each.
Top swap
6
Lemon mug, £15 from Urban Outfitters
Credit: Urban Outfitters
6
Primark's £4.50 mug
Credit: Primark
GIVE your cuppa some zing with this lemon mug, £15 from Urban Outfitters. Or feel zesty as you sip with Primark's £4.50 mug.
SAVE: £10.50
Little helper
INTERFLORA is offering free 'make amends' cards to send to friends where a rift has formed. No postage or purchase is required. Head to interflora.co.uk to claim the free card.
PLAY NOW TO WIN £200
6
Join thousands of readers taking part in The Sun Raffle
JOIN thousands of readers taking part in The Sun Raffle.
Every month we're giving away £100 to 250 lucky readers - whether you're saving up or just in need of some extra cash, The Sun could have you covered.
Every Sun Savers code entered equals one Raffle ticket.
The more codes you enter, the more tickets you'll earn and the more chance you will have of winning!
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Evening Standard
4 hours ago
- Evening Standard
Upgraded Glastonbury app offers live location sharing and steps counter
Maria Koutsoudakis, chief brand officer at Vodafone UK, said: 'We know the app plays a big role in the festival experience so, this year, we have gone even further to ensure that fans can connect with their friends or family and get as much out of Glastonbury as possible.


Metro
4 hours ago
- Metro
All the clues and theories about who Glastonbury's mystery Patchwork band is
Metro confirmed recently Patchwork – billed to perform at this year's Glastonbury Festival – is not a 'geriatric' band from South London of the same name… You're welcome. So the question remains: who the hell is it? For the uninitiated, the Glastonbury 2025 line-up with all the stage times dropped yesterday, three weeks before the Worthy Farm opens its gates for another year for headline shows by The 1975, Neil Young and Olivia Rodrigo. Listed in the primetime slot of 6.15pm on Saturday June 28 on the coveted Pyramid Stage – between global superstar Raye and John Fogerty – is a mysterious band no one has ever heard of called Patchwork. This is Glastonbury organisers' idea of a funny tease, which will end up being a famous band or musician's surprise set. The same happened in 2023 when The Churn Ups turned out to be The Foo Fighters, who rocked out on the Pyramid Stage in what was an undisputed festival highlight. But Patchwork is not just a random word: it's a riddle. This is clear if The Churn Ups moniker was anything to go by; prior to Glastonbury 2023 fans linked it to the Foo Fighters, as lead singer Dave Grohl was in a band called Churn when he was a teenager. An X account also started dropping Foo Fighters references in the lead up to the festival. Now, an X account for Patchwork has also cropped up, so keep your eyes peeled for any hints in the coming weeks. But for now, fans have their own ideas about who Patchwork could be… Some fans think Harry Styles could be Patchwork, because, er, he wore a colourful patchwork cardigan once that everyone became obsessed with. The As It Was hitmaker, 31, sparked a TikTok trend of fans recreating his colourful jumper, which he wore in February 2020 while rehearsing. Tenuous, but possible… Just like the Foo Fighters teased they were behind The Churn Ups mystery in June 2023 on their socials, Candida Doyle from Pulp mysteriously talked about her love of patchwork in a recent interview with Jo Whiley, which seems kinda' random. 'I used to do patchwork when I was on tour and I made a really nice bit of patchwork, that's all I can think of right now,' she said… While it seems Pulp are rumoured most years for a Glastonbury surprise set, this year does seem feasible, as the Common People hitmakers have returned with their eighth studio album, More, scheduled to be released on June 6. Before Patchwork was mentioned, US sisters Haim were rumoured to be heading for a secret set at Glastonbury this year, after BBC Radio star Lauren Laverne hinted as much in her BBC Radio show. With their fourth album I Quit dropping in June after Women in Music Pt. II was released five years ago, it seems like a good time for Haim to descend on Worthy Farm. The band has a long history with the festival, having first played in 2013, before slots in 2014, 2017 and 2022. 'They've got summer shows coming up, one is Dreamland Summer Series in Margate on June 27,' Lauren noted on BBC6 Music, before adding: 'What else is happening that weekend? It's a long way to come to go to Margate, not that Margate isn't great…' Now the Patchwork clue is out, fans have pointed to a book of the same name by a writer called Sylvia Haim. However, it seems a little bit of a stretch as they might not be enough of a big deal to warrant the Patchwork tease. But that doesn't mean they won't fill one of the other secret set slots, simply billed at the moment as TBA. Just as with Haim, actor Timothee Chalamet was rumoured to be performing a secret set of Bob Dylan songs before the Patchwork tease. After he wowed critics with his performance as music icon Bob Dylan in the biopic A Complete Unknown, it was reported he is 'likely' to make a surprise appearance. However, this was not thought to be a Pyramid Stage outing, but one for the Acoustic Stage on the Saturday night. The Sun claimed he will appear alongside Dylan tribute band Not Completely Unknown. While that all seems likely, now Patchwork is teased, fans can't help but think of the Blowin' In The Wind hitmaker's famous patchwork jacket, which featured on the cover of his 1976 album, Desire. To add fuel to rumours, the Dune actor bought this very same patchwork jacket in March for over £20,000… While Oasis have said they will not be performing at Glastonbury this year, it would be a very Oasis thing to turn up for a surprise set anyway, wouldn't it? More Trending 'Despite media speculation, Oasis will not be playing Glastonbury 2025 or any other festivals next year,' the brothers said in October. After Noel and Liam Gallagher's years-long feud ended in a massive Oasis tour announcement last year, it's clear stranger things have happened. Where does Patchwork come into this, you may ask…? Well, they patched things up, didn't they? Yeah, okay. Perhaps wishful thinking has got the better of us. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Sir Rod Stewart, 80, cancels second concert over health 3 weeks before Glastonbury MORE: Harry Styles catches everyone's eyes as he strolls around London in teeny tiny shorts MORE: Glastonbury branded a 'ticking time bomb' in fresh warning from former executive


Metro
4 hours ago
- Metro
'AI music curation is harming UK festivals - here's how we can fight back'
The UK is famous for its music festivals. Hundreds of thousands attend festival giant Glastonbury every year while newer events like All Points East have become calendar events in London. But since 2019, 192 music festivals across the UK have disappeared. Last year alone, 60 festivals were cancelled or postponed. What's to blame? For Will Page, the former Chief Economist of Spotify, and Nico Perez, CEO of Mixcloud, it's artificial intelligence. Specifically, AI curation of playlists. If you have Spotify, you've already seen AI at work on a popular music platform. Those 'daily mixes' and the personal DJ are forms of the technology at work, catering to users' every need. But just how far will AI go in the music world – and could it be the death blow to music festivals? At SXSW London, Will and Nico sat down to chat about how AI has reshaped how we discover, personalise and consume music. Ticketing app DICE has put together a list of their 25 grassroots artists you need to see in London over the next six months. With tickets ranging from free to £27.50, these shows will ensure a great night to suit all tastes and budgets. Click HERE to catch the full list. There are a number of reasons why festivals have faced hardship in the past few years. A pandemic, inflation, the cost-of-living, and what Will and Nico call a lack of connection. Will pointed out: 'I'm not seeing any 'sold out' stickers on festival posters in May, like they normally are. 'Our music 'Venn diagrams' are not crossing. When you look at a festival lineup now, to many, it looks like a playlist made for someone else.' In recent years, many festival-goers have opted to buy one-day tickets to see one or two artists they care about – a sharp contrast from festival culture just ten or fifteen years ago. 'No one wants to take a risk on day two or three. We don't take risks anymore when it comes to music,' Will added. How can we fight back against this lack of risk-taking, which is, as Nico and Will point out, threatening festivals? Nico observed: 'I always say, nobody will wait in line for an AI DJ in the rain.' 'We have to remember it's important not to seek those million subscribers, or a large number. There's been such a focus on views and ratings, and in that process, we've lost sight of – are these quality artists?' 'Form small communities. Stay connected with people. Oftentimes, these are focused around local radio stations or local music,' Will said. Personalised playlists using AI offer a wide selection of genres, artists and decades – but they're not foolproof when it comes to expanding one's horizons. A quick look at Metro reporter Sarah Hooper's Spotify, when she asked it to make a 'Rainy Day' AI playlist, offered 50 songs. When she asked for a 'Love Song' mix, the same songs and artists on the 'Rainy Day' playlist were featured – again. With a noticeable lack of new music. Nico explained: 'What you'll often find with these AI recommendations is that there's a lack of serendipity that you lose in the process.' Long gone are the days of spending hours burning CD Mixes of your favourite tunes for a loved one, or personalised cassettes. More Trending AI curation has allowed people to listen to their own echo chamber, Nico says. 'If every single person is listening to their own echo chamber, we don't have any backgrounds or shared experiences in the music world. 'Over the long term, this ends up making us more isolated,' he said. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: King Charles serenaded by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's wedding singers at SXSW London MORE: Fyre Festival launches tropical hotel this summer with $1,500 stays MORE: SXSW: 'The creative eyes of the world will be on London'