How to save money at music festivals

Music festival season is here, giving you the opportunity to see your favorite artists all in one place… for sometimes a hefty price. While music festivals can be a ton of fun, attending one typically costs a pretty penny, with the average ticket price ranging from $200 to $600 last year, according to U.S. News. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t attend—when budgeted for, experiences like this can be totally worth the price of admission. Here are some tips on how you can save on your music festival experience this year.

What you’ll learn

• Securing fair ticket prices
• Arranging affordable accommodations
• Limit food and drinks
• Safe and accessible transportation
• Utilizing ATM rebates

Securing fair ticket prices

Snagging tickets for a music festival can feel like an art, but there are some tactics to have you walking away with tickets at a reasonable price. The most important is to stay on top of ticket sales for the music fest you’re interested in. Many festivals announce when tickets will go live ahead of time, often around the same time every year. Buying a ticket early means not having to deal with scalpers down the line and potentially getting an early-bird discount.

If you miss the boat, there’s still a strategy to avoid overpaying. Try to find historical price data from previous years. Oftentimes, ticket prices fall very close to the start of a music festival as resellers get anxious that they might not sell their tickets in time. Just be careful not to wait too long if you have travel plans booked to avoid missing out on tickets.

Arranging affordable accommodations

If you’re coming to the music festival from out of town, there are a few things to consider when deciding where to stay. The first is that you’ll likely need to resign yourself to paying higher-than-normal prices. Large music festivals make hotel and AirBnB demand soar, which means you’ll likely be paying more no matter what.

Still, there are several ways to lower your accommodation prices. If you’re traveling with a group, going in together on something like an AirBnB can come out ahead of individual hotel rooms. Additionally, you can consider cheaper hotel alternatives like a hostel. Finally, you can consider staying further away from the music festival itself. While this will make transporting yourself to the music festival more time-consuming and expensive, it can be worth it if the price difference is substantial.

Limit food and drinks

It’s no secret that the food and drinks at music festivals are wildly overpriced. Coming in with alternative food and drink plans can help you limit how much you need to spend on the festival grounds. For example, consider eating larger meals before or after the festival on the days you’re there so you only need to eat a light meal while at the festival.

Drinks are trickier, but they can be done on a budget. If you’re sticking with water, some festivals may allow you to bring in sealed bottles, though rules can vary, so be sure to check the official event information before attempting this. If you plan to drink anything with alcohol, set a hard budget for how much you’ll spend on drinks at the festival—drinks purchased on festival grounds add up quickly!

Safe and accessible transportation

Getting to the festival can be a challenge—both financially and logistically. Even if you have your own car or rental, it’s often worth finding an alternative way to get to the festival. Parking costs for these events can be outrageous, so it’s not difficult to come out ahead utilizing other transportation methods.

If you’re going to the festival with a group, carpooling or taking a rideshare like Uber or Lyft divides the cost among everyone and makes it much more palatable. Depending on the city you’re in, look into public transportation options like a train or bus. Cities will often have specific information online for major events like music festivals on what transit lines to take to get there.

If you’re absolutely set on driving yourself to the festival, there are still ways to save. Rather than driving to the festival and parking in the first lot you see, research ahead of time and look at apps such as ParkWhiz or SpotHero, which typically offer cheaper parking options than official paid event parking.

Utilizing ATM rebates

It’s common practice for some vendors at music festivals to only take cash or to charge a fee for credit card transactions. Coming into the festival with cash is always a great idea, but if you need some, there are typically ATMs all over the festival grounds. The issue? Those ATMs often charge high fees.

Avoid this by having a checking account that gives you ATM rebates on these fees. An Alliant High-Rate Checking account, for example, offers $20 a month in ATM rebates,¹⁹ meaning you can withdraw money from a music festival ATM without feeling like you’re throwing money away.

Music festivals don’t have to break the bank—it’s totally possible to have an amazing experience while staying within budget. Approaching the major budget line items: Tickets, accommodations, transportation, etc. with care and taking advantage of features such as ATM rebates will ensure you and your wallet come away from the festival happy.