UK Festival Ticket Prices Top £374 by 2025 as Pandemic, Brexit and Costs Outrun Inflation
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 30
UK Festival Ticket Prices Top £374 by 2025 as Pandemic, Brexit and Costs Outrun Inflation
2 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 30
Glastonbury tickets reached £374 in 2025 and Reading/Leeds £325, with BBC analysis finding major UK festival prices have risen faster than inflation over the past decade.
Real-term increases varied sharply: Glastonbury was up about £85 since 2013, Parklife about £69 or 71%, Download 26%, while Wireless fell 10% over the period before rebounding to £157 in 2025.
Post-pandemic jumps were especially steep, with Reading/Leeds rising from £288 in 2021 to £325 in 2025 and Glastonbury from £318 in 2019 to £374.
Industry figures and promoters blamed pandemic losses, Brexit-driven shortages of skilled backstage crews, and higher labour, fuel, power, transport, security and production costs.
Fans said higher ticket and on-site spending are forcing trade-offs such as skipping holidays, while payment plans have become a key tool for spreading the cost.
As ticket prices outpace wages, is the iconic UK festival experience becoming an exclusive luxury?
With dozens of UK festivals cancelled, are we witnessing the slow death of the independent music scene?