Is a Music Festival Worth the Money?

FOR: There is the view that musical festivals are worth the money that consumers pay. The cost can be seen as good value if you take into account the amount of bands you get to see, some of which only play stadiums and may ask for even more than they do for a single ticket at a four-day music event.

FOR: When you go to a musical festival, it provides a great opportunity to see your favourite bands in one place. It also allows festival goers to discover new bands that they may like alongside the more established ones. You may be seeing bands before they have their big break, saving money in the long-term.

FOR: The social life is fantastic when you go to a music festival. It’s like one big holiday. You drink, listen to great live music in the outdoors when the sun is shining (hopefully) and you can be with your group of friends but meet entirely new people while you’re there. Perhaps you’ll meet them while putting up your tent and need a bit of help when you encounters difficulties, or you’ll recognise people going to the same gigs as you.

AGAINST: Paying possibly hundreds of pounds to attend a music festival may indeed not be worth the money. You could spend your money on better things, perhaps, such as a holiday or maybe a very extravagant night out on the town. The costs of drink, especially alcohol, at festivals, is often beyond ridicule. Most people resort to bringing their own but this adds to the factor that you’re getting less for your money by spending more on other things to aid you during your time there.

AGAINST: The lack of hygiene at a music festival after the first day or so begins to bug a lot of first-timers. You are amongst people who haven’t showered in a while anyway but by the fourth day, body odour is unavoidable and no amount of baby wipes (which will probably get stolen) will disguise the horrific smell of stale sweat.

AGAINST: Someone I spoke to the other day mentioned that they had been to Download festival just recently and they hadn’t been able to go to the toilet for five days. She was unable to walk.

AGAINST: There is the view by certain people that a lot of festivals, such as Glastonbury, that are noted for being the original ‘hippy’ festivals, have changed over the course of time. They are not the original non-commericial events but merely events that consist of ‘celebrities’ such as Peaches Geldof or Kate Moss wearing overly-expensive designer clothes.

Overall it is down to personal choice as to whether or not you think a music festival is worth the money. Some day-long festivals offer a taste of the more lengthy festival experience for a third of the cost, and could be considered a good compromise on both cost and experience.

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