How to Afford Music Festivals Without Going Broke in 2022

After two years of postponed reveals and cancellations, music lovers are flocking to huge festivals throughout the nation. 

Whereas festivals themselves are wonderful, the harm they inflict in your pockets isn’t. Journey, lodging, meals, admission and incidentals all add up shortly.

Simply check out 2022 ticket costs for some well-liked music fests across the nation: 

• Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee: $350 and up for 4 days 
• Coachella in Indio, California: $449 and up for 3 days
• Lollapalooza in Chicago, Illinois:  $350 and up for 4 days
• Electrical Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, Nevada: $359 and up for 3 days
• Okeechobee Music & Arts Competition in Okeechobee, Florida: $350 and up for 4 days 

Most ticket costs don’t embrace choices lile parking, tenting, meals and different add-ons, not to mention Insta-worthy VIP experiences or glow-in-the-dark rave followers. 

Once you tally all the pieces up, it’s simple to spend $1,000 per particular person at a pageant by getting swept up within the second — or making rookie errors. 

Save financial institution and benefit from the expertise with these professional tips about tips on how to afford music festivals.  

Save Cash on Tickets 

The earlier you buy your pageant tickets, the higher. You’ll have to plan forward to get the perfect worth. 

Presale Tickets

Presale tickets are essentially the most reasonably priced. They normally go on sale anyplace from 9 months to a 12 months earlier than the pageant. 

You’ll want a presale code to get the cheaper price. Some festivals, like Coachella, allow you to register for the superior presale on their web site. 

Enter your identify, cellular quantity and e mail, and also you’ll get notified with a code when the presale begins so you may seize your early tickets. 

It’s additionally simple to search out presale codes on-line by Googling the identify of the pageant + presale code. 

Tier Tickets

Miss the presale? Purchase your tickets as quickly as doable anyway. They’ll solely get dearer because the occasion nears. 

Most festivals launch tickets in “tiers.” As one tier sells out, the following tier turns into obtainable — at the next worth. 

For instance, when Bonnaroo 2022 tickets first went on sale, a four-day go value $299. However two weeks earlier than the occasion, the identical tickets value a whopping $350. And that’s earlier than an additional $67 in taxes and costs are tacked on at checkout. 

Ought to You Layaway?

Many music festivals, like Extremely and EDC, allow you to arrange a fee plan so you may unfold out the price of your ticket in installments over the following few months. 

Most layaway applications embrace further charges. They’re normally fairly modest, between $15 and $30. 

In case your month-to-month price range can’t stand a $200 to $400 blow abruptly, spreading the associated fee over 4 or 5 interest-free funds is a stable different. 

Simply make sure that to issue within the installment funds in your month-to-month price range so that you’re not caught off-guard by automated prices. 

Rating Final-Minute Tickets

If you happen to’re prepared to take a danger, you may normally rating a last-minute ticket at a all-time low worth the day of the occasion. 

Scalpers and festival-goers unable to attend the occasion could supply tickets at a steep low cost to recoup a few of their unique value. 

Patricio Solano, 35, has nabbed discounted tickets for his buddies by means of pageant Fb teams and message boards. 

“Within the days main as much as occasions, individuals gained’t be capable of make it, and a whole lot of occasions you may get the passes on-line from individuals at a fraction of the associated fee,” Solano mentioned. 

It’s by no means a assure although, and festivals are infamous for scammers. So proceed with warning. 

Make a Competition Price range and Plan Forward

Begin mapping out your price range for the pageant as quickly as you purchase your tickets. 

Which bills are you accountable for? Which of them are you able to break up with buddies?

Resolve how a lot cash you’re comfy spending all the pageant and divide that quantity throughout every day.

Overestimate how a lot you’ll spend. Festivals are stuffed with surprises — good and unhealthy —  so that you don’t wish to come up quick on cash as a consequence of unexpected circumstances. Nobody likes to borrow cash from buddies or rack-up bank card debt. 

Maintain Your Cash Secure 

Some individuals like taking money to festivals as a result of it’s simple to make use of and may help you follow a price range. 

However money can be very easy to lose. Particularly once you’re in a crowded, unfamiliar place and presumably below the affect of, ehm, a vigorous pageant environment. 

Festivals are additionally infamous havens for unhealthy actors who make the most of good vibes by stealing telephones, wallets and different belongings. 

If you happen to’re hesitant to make use of money, contemplate bringing a pay as you go bank card or app-based financial institution card with an allotted price range loaded on it as a substitute. 

Whether or not you go money or card, hold your cash on you always. Purchase a fanny pack or a cash belt and get within the behavior of checking in your belongings all through the day. 

Save Cash Whereas Getting Your Rave On

You obtain your ticket — however you continue to want to determine tips on how to get to the pageant. 

You’ll additionally have to determine the place you’ll sleep and what you’ll eat with out going broke. 

Getting There 

The place to Keep

• Many festivals have on-site tenting however you’ll be anticipated to carry your individual tents and provides. Discover out forward of time how a lot tenting passes value and what objects are permitted so you understand upfront if you happen to can carry issues like your individual firewood and moveable range. 
• If you happen to’re going with a gaggle, contemplate pooling your sources to hire an RV.
• An Airbnb may be a cheap different to dear resorts close to the venue. 
• If you happen to don’t thoughts sleeping in a room with strangers, staying at a hostel can prevent huge bucks. It’s possible you’ll get a free breakfast too and the chance to satisfy new individuals. 

What to Eat and Drink

• If you happen to’re not tenting on-site, search for lodging that embrace a kitchen. This fashion, you should purchase groceries, prepare dinner for your self and get monetary savings on meals when you’re on the town for the occasion.
• It’s simple to splurge on meals and drinks at a pageant. Ensure to carry a CamelBak or a pair bottles of water with you, and take a look at these different tremendous easy ideas for saving cash on meals whereas touring.  
• If you happen to determine to depart the pageant grounds for a scorching restaurant meal, don’t neglect to verify on-line meals offers earlier than you go. 
• Set a foods and drinks price range for your self on the pageant and withdraw money previous to the occasion so that you don’t overspend. 
• Problem somebody to a pleasant wager on the beer tent. If you happen to win, the opposite particular person has to purchase you a drink. 
• Make your individual hummus, Lunchables, granola and different snacks to take with you. 
• Double verify the pageant guidelines about meals and alcohol earlier than you go. You don’t wish to spend tons of cash on booze simply to have it confiscated on the entry gate. 
• If you happen to’re staying off-site, eat earlier than you go to the pageant and keep away from that $12 scorching canine and $15 slice of pizza. 

How Fellow Penny Hoarders Save Cash at Music Festivals

Once you wish to know tips on how to get issues accomplished, it’s essential to speak to the specialists — that’s, the individuals who attend music occasions.

We requested a gaggle of devoted festival-goers on Fb for his or her greatest money-saving ideas and methods. 

• “Mainly simply be prepared to barter,” mentioned Brenton Rhein, of Orlando, Florida. “Discuss to your neighbors and see what you may pool collectively. Most individuals are prepared to do that, and it’ll save everybody cash in the long term.”

• “Make issues and be artistic with every pageant,” Jeremy V., additionally of Orlando, recommends. “I at all times hand make issues as a facet hustle, in order that I can use it for trades or money. I go away festivals with cash made.”

• “Plan meals along with your group and all pitch in on substances and labor. We made stir fry, bacon grilled cheese and an enormous breakfast on a regular basis. We didn’t spend a lot on meals contained in the fest, and spent possibly $80-$100 per couple on the groceries,” mentioned Alex Gallo of Woodstock, Georgia.
• “Don’t spend cash on souvenirs and merchandise on the pageant,” mentioned  Solano, a Florida resident. “Most of these can be found on-line at a less expensive worth and also you run the danger of shedding no matter you got on the pageant.” 
• “We had a huge group,” mentioned Florida resident Courtney Lord. “[We] assigned sure snacks and drinks to singles and {couples} introduced meals. Everybody was accountable for bringing their very own case of water.”
• “Goodwill and DIY for outfits,” really helpful Alexa Mucci, a resident of New York Metropolis. “A lot of individuals spend a ton of cash on their rave gear or pageant style, however you may repurpose thrift retailer finds or make actually artistic stuff out of low-cost materials and enjoyable greenback retailer stuff.”

Assume Outdoors the Field

Listed below are just a few different methods to economize on music festivals. 

Turn out to be a Volunteer 

Festivals at all times want volunteers to assist with issues like distributing wristbands on the gate, promoting applications and cleansing up after the occasion. 

In return, you’ll get free entry to the pageant. You may even rating different perks like free meals and ideas. 

“You normally work about 5 to 6 hours per day and get the remainder of the time to benefit from the pageant,” says Kelli Wheeler from Orlando. 

Simply make sure that to enroll as a volunteer as early as doable as a result of positions replenish shortly.  

Write in regards to the Competition 

Provide you with an attention-grabbing story angle and pitch it to an internet site that may be prepared to select up among the value to ship a contract author to cowl the occasion.

Enter Contests 

When all else fails, typically you simply have to make your individual luck.

Bands, music venues and radio stations randomly give away free pageant tickets. It’s possible you’ll have to be caller quantity X to get a pair of free tickets on the radio. 

“I went to Okeechobee at no cost as a result of I entered [around] 10 completely different on-line contests,” Mucci mentioned. 

Give it a Google and add your favourite bands on social media so you may find out about giveaways and contests. 

Rachel Christian is a Licensed Educator in Private Finance and a senior author for The BaghdadTime. Lisa McGreevy is a former workers author at The BaghdadTime.