The recent news that Glastonbury tickets have already sold out will lead many festival goers to sob into their Wellington boots. At one stage the ticket website was recording sales of up to 3,000 a minute.
Festival options
If you haven’t been able to buy Glastonbury tickets for the 2014 shindig, don’t worry. Why not get yourself a competitively priced laptop from Portable Universe, for example, and source some of the more diverse festivals that take place right through the summer? The bonus of this option is that you could escape some of the huge crowds that frequent the more popular venues and you may be able to save some money. Tickets for Glastonbury 2014 come to £210 and this is before you’ve bought food, drink and all the other essentials. If you’re desperate to see a specific headline act, then take a look at the band’s fan site. Many performers have small anonymous warm up gigs in obscure clubs. For example, David Grohl of the Foo Fighters, who are expected to play at Glastonbury in 2014, came to London last year with his Sound City Players. The music press is also a good source for advance information.
Ideas
If you go online, you’ll be able to carry out some research and you may be able to find a performance that’s close by and won’t involve lots of expensive travel. There are still a number of free festivals to be found right across the UK. Another idea is to sign up as a festival volunteer. You will be expected to work but in return you’ll receive free transport from a major UK city, secure camping facilities as well as drink and food vouchers. In general the shifts last between 4 to 6 hours, it depends on demand. Some of these opportunities are advertised on charity websites or on trades unions’ sites. You may be asked to work in a bar, help with first aid or supply information to the lost. This opportunity means that you’ll be able to enjoy wonderful music, have a sense of purpose and be a real part of the festival community. You also may be able to get into some of the major festivals, including Glastonbury, for nothing. You’ll also have the opportunity to wear a rather cool ‘hi vis’ waistcoat as part of your very own volunteer fashion statement.
Summer
Festivals are part and parcel of the British summer. They’ve changed a lot since the early days of the Knebworth and Isle of Wight adventures and it’s not uncommon to see whole families dancing around to their favourite musicians at a contemporary festival. While some stalwarts of the 20th century counterculture might object to this makeover, festivals are fun and everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy this experience. If you don’t want to volunteer but still want to go to any of the major UK festivals then look out for the dates of sale of cancelled tickets.
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