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
Summary
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.