Which European Festivals Could You Attend For The Price Of A Glasto Ticket (INCLUDING Travel)
Which European Festivals Could You Attend For The Price Of A Glasto Ticket (INCLUDING Travel)
It goes without saying that Glastonbury is one of the biggest and best festivals in the world, but not only is it ridiculously difficult to get tickets for, but it also doesn't come cheap!
This year Glastonbury takes place between the 22nd and 26th of June and tickets will set you back £228, so we set about to see if you could get better value by casting your net further afield to some of Europe’s top festivals.
(We’ve looked at standard ticket prices as well as how much it would cost to travel to the festival the day before it starts and depart the day after it finishes either by rail or air as of 06/06/2016).
Glastonbury – 22nd – 26th June
Headliners: Muse, Adele, Coldplay
Ticket: £228
Glasto is one of the best-known festivals in the world, and this year will welcome some of biggest names from every genre of music imaginable, including headliners Muse, Adele and Coldplay as well as the recently reunited LCD Soundsystem and Jeff Lynne’s ELO playing the legend’s slot.
The Bargains
Pukkelpop, Belgium – 17th – 20th August
Headliners: Rihanna, LCD Soundsystem, The Chemical Brothers
Tickets: £157
Eurostar: £69
Total: £226
Pukkelpop is known as a real trendsetter among festivals and boasts a lineup featuring some of the best alternative and mainstream artists. It takes place near the city of Hasselt, just over an hour on the train, but your ticket covers your train costs once you’re in Belgium courtesy of the £69 Eurostar.
Rock en Seine, Paris – 26th August – 28th August
Headliners: Iggy Pop, The Last Shadow Puppets, Massive Attack, Foals
Tickets: £94
Travel: £53 (Transavia)
Total: £147
Possibly the best value festival we found was Rock en Seine in Paris, one of France’s biggest and best.
The impressive headliners and diverse undercard are reason enough to check out this festival, even before you consider the fact that you can pick up a ticket for less than half the price of Glastonbury, and get a cheap flight across the channel. (Cheap Eurostar options are also available).
Lowlands, Netherlands – 19th August – 21st August
Headliners: Muse, Disclosure, LCD Soundsystem
Tickets: £138
Travel: £60 (Vueling)
Total: £198
The snappily titled “A Campingflight to Lowlands Paradise” (better known as Lowlands) is about an hour out of Amsterdam and largely draws a Dutch audience, but at these prices, and with acts such as Disclosure and LCD Soundsystem it might soon start to attract more Brits!
The Similarly Priced
Super Bock Super Rock, Lisbon – 14th – 16th July
Headliners: Kendrick Lamar, Jamie xx, Bloc Party
Tickets: £75
Travel: £155 (Ryanair)
Total: £230
Taking place in the glorious Lisbon sun, Super Bock Super Rock is the perfect way to combine the top festival experience with a proper summer holiday, with its Mediterranean climate and proximity to the beach!
Best of all, it costs only two pounds more than your Glastonbury ticket!
Rock Werchter, Belgium – 30th June – 3rd July
Headliners: Paul McCartney, Rammstein, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Tickets: £186
Travel: £68 (Eurostar)
Total: £254
Another festival which is made all the more accessible by the Eurostar is Rock Werchter which takes place in Werchter, Belgium.
While it’s a touch more expensive than Glastonbury, surely the presence of the legend that is Sir Paul McCartney is more than enough to justify it!
Airwaves, Reykjavik – 2nd November – 6th November
Headliners: PJ Harvey (so far)
Tickets: £112
Travel: £114 (British Airways)
Total: £226
If you’re after something a little bit more left-field, why not head over the Iceland for the Airwaves festival.
The festival takes place during the Autumn and is less about seeing big name acts but more about discovering new ones and taking in the unique culture of this beautiful country.
Roskilde, Denmark – 25th June – 2nd July
Headliners: Red Hot Chili Peppers, New Order, PJ Harvey
Tickets: £213
Travel: £63 (Ryanair)
Total: £276
While it might not have the reputation of Glastonbury (here in the UK at least), Roskilde is considered one of the biggest festivals on the continent and has hosted huge names such as Nirvana and Metallica in the past.
The real question is ... what would you rather do? Head down to the muddy fields of Somerset or jet off across Europe and not only cover the cost of your ticket but your transport as well for the same price?
