Glastonbury fans and festival-based businesses are seeing the effects of the cost of living crisis | UK News

A cheap festival shouldn’t be an oxymoron but many people in Glastonbury this year are in a very different place financially than they were when they booked their tickets before the coronavirus pandemic.

Festival-goer Harriet Wheeler, 32, from Brighton, said the people she used to go to concerts weren’t showing up this year.

“We have a lot of friends who come to Glastonbury every year – this is our first time – but a lot of them haven’t been able to make it because they have to think about the rest of the year and how much money they make. there will be leftovers to spend, whether it’s for themselves or their children.”

Owen Dunwell, 58, from Nottingham, said he really noticed the extra cost.

“This is our second festival on the trot and all the festivals, all the festivals are up.”

At the Leftfield stage – curated by Billy Bragg – the lineup includes a talk about the cost of living.

“I think people will want to hear about the situation we’re in and how we deal with it,” he said.

“You know, in the press, the current situation is all about the wage price spiral. It’s not at all about how we do capitalism.

“Over the past 50 years, a larger portion of such pie has gone to shareholders and bosses than to the workforce.

“And ultimately, if people don’t have money in their pockets, they won’t be able to spend that money and make the economy go up.”

Back in 1970, it cost just one pound to get to Glastonbury, but today tickets cost £285.

Bragg says that has to be seen in context, adding: “For some people, this is their summer break and you know, £285 for a ticket? You try and get one last day. week in Ibiza for that.”

Subscribe to the Backstage podcast onApple Podcasts,Google Podcasts,Spotify,Speaker

Glastonbury paints a picture of a thriving festival scene, but many of the following smaller UK weekend concerts that have built up before COVID have failed to balance their books this year, with rising costs and poor ticket sales leading to many last-minute cancellations. Many people who make a living from this field are feeling the stimulating effect.

Helen Bayett, 30, from Bristol, is the owner and manager of Hot P’tatoes, a food stall in Glastonbury.

“In a normal year, we do about eight or nine festivals,” she said.

“This year we can only do two and that’s due to affordability.

Read more:
Billie Eilish blasts US abortion ruling as she becomes Glastonbury’s youngest headline act
Zelenskyy speaks in Glastonbury, as Ukraine action promises ‘special surprise’ to the crowd

“Things have gone up… it’s very expensive, we can’t afford gas, running costs and storage costs.

“You have to have all of your cash on hand for these, so it relies on having accumulated over the summer to build that backup so you can then move on.

“This year we can only do Glasto and Greenland because others we simply cannot afford.”

Normal service may have resumed in Glastonbury – but post-COVID there is now a whole new set of challenges facing the live music industry.