This article is for general information only. It is not financial advice and does not recommend a specific lender or product.

Festival season is one of the easiest times to overspend. Tickets, camping gear, food, drinks, travel — the costs stack up quickly, and it can be tempting to put things on a card or use buy-now-pay-later options when you're caught up in the excitement.

UK festival ticket prices have continued to rise year on year. A bit of planning beforehand can make a real difference.

Worth knowing: Buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) services are now widely offered at checkout for festival tickets and equipment. These are a form of credit. Missing a repayment can affect your credit file.

Why does this matter?

Going over budget at a festival is easy to do and hard to recover from. Short-term fixes, such as using a credit card you can't repay quickly or relying on a payday loan afterwards, can cost significantly more in interest than the original spend. The FCA caps payday loan interest at 0.8% per day (introduced in 2015), but that still equates to an annual percentage rate (APR) of well over 1,000% on a typical short-term loan — making them one of the most expensive ways to borrow. See the FCA's high-cost short-term credit rules for detail.

The important bit is: once you're at the festival, your options for cutting costs are limited. The window for smart decisions is before you go.

Is this guide for you?

  • Anyone planning to attend a UK festival this summer — whether that's Glastonbury, Reading, Latitude, or Green Man — particularly those on a tight monthly budget.
  • People who have used BNPL services to buy festival tickets or gear. It is worth checking when repayments fall due and whether they overlap with other outgoings.
  • Anyone who used a credit card last festival season and has not yet cleared the balance.

5 practical ways to manage your festival budget

1. Set a total budget before anything else

Add up every expected cost: ticket, travel, accommodation or camping, food, drinks, and any merchandise. Write it down. The MoneyHelper free budget planner can help you see how festival spending fits alongside your regular monthly outgoings.

2. Use cash where possible

Withdrawing a set amount before you go makes it much harder to overspend. When the cash is gone, it is a clear signal to stop. A card gives you no such natural boundary.

3. Check what BNPL repayments are already committed

If you used a buy-now-pay-later service — such as Klarna or Clearpay — to buy tickets or equipment, check the repayment schedule now. Missing a payment can leave a mark on your credit file, which can affect your ability to borrow later at reasonable rates.

4. Think carefully before borrowing to fund a festival

Using a personal loan or credit card to cover festival costs is a choice, not a necessity. If you do use credit, a 0% purchase credit card may be lower cost than other options, provided you clear the balance before the 0% period ends. Eligibility for a 0% deal depends on your credit score, and if you do not clear the balance in time, the revert APR can be significantly higher. A payday loan is generally one of the most expensive ways to borrow and is worth avoiding for discretionary spending.

5. Plan your food and drink spend in advance

These costs are often where budgets collapse. Many festivals allow you to bring in some of your own food and non-alcoholic drinks. Checking the festival's rules beforehand can cut your on-site costs considerably.

Already overspent?

If a previous festival season has left you with debt that is proving difficult to manage, free and impartial help is available. StepChange and National Debtline both offer free debt advice and can help you work through your options without pressure.

What to read next

For a fuller picture of borrowing costs if you are considering using credit to cover festival expenses:

Sources

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