Festivals continue to captivate music enthusiasts, providing a summer filled with incredible performances at an affordable price. However, before purchasing tickets solely for the headliners, it’s essential to evaluate the potential cost savings. While festivals generally offer great value, attendees focused on the headline acts might discover that attending individual concerts could be more budget-friendly.
With an extensive lineup of acts, festivals typically save you money in the long run. However, those primarily interested in headliners might find that catching their favorite artists in a concert setting could prove to be more cost-effective.
In the interest of helping festival-goers make informed decisions, we’ve analyzed ticket prices and the concert values of headline acts. Below, we present a comparison of the value for money offered by Glastonbury and Reading festivals:
| Festival Name | Ticket Price (All Days – General Admission) | Headline Act 1 | Headliner 1 Concert Value | Headline Act 2 | Headliner 2 Concert Value | Headline Act 3 | Headliner 3 Concert Value | Saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Festival | £286.20 | Sam Fender | £41.95 | The Killers | £223.77 | Billie Eilish | £234.14 | £213.66 |
| Leeds Festival | £286.20 | Sam Fender | £41.95 | The Killers | £223.77 | Billie Eilish | £234.14 | £213.66 |
| Boundary Brighton | £52.25 | Sub Focus | £47.78 | Pendulum | £77.25 | Ben Hemsley | £103.92 | £176.70 |
| Bloodstock Open Air | £172 | Killswitch Engage | £53.36 | Meshuggah | £113.88 | Megadeth | £132.99 | £128.23 |
| Parklife | £149.50 | The 1975 | £99.54 | Aitch | £42.85 | Fred Again | £113.88 | £106.77 |
| Creamfields | £240 | Swedish House Mafia | £113.88 | Calvin Harris | £97.15 | Tiesto | £83.62 | £54.65 |
| Forwards | £114.34 | Erykah Badu | £66.89 | Bonobo | £50.17 | Ezra Collective | £39.02 | £41.74 |
| Download Festival | £300 | Metallica | £217.40 | Bring Me The Horizon | £62.91 | Slipknot | £31.85 | £12.16 |
| TRNSMT Festival | £200.10 | The 1975 | £99.54 | Sam Fender | £41.95 | George Ezra | £50.65 | -£7.96 |
| OUTBREAK Fest | £148.50 | Denzel Curry | £25.48 | Death Grips | £39.75 | Bane | £73.26 | -£10.01 |
| Boardmasters Festival | £259 | Lorde | £67.69 | Liam Gallagher | £71.67 | Florence + The Machine | £89.99 | -£29.65 |
| Green Man | £235 | DEVO | £60.52 | First Aid Kit | £54.15 | Self Esteem | £77.25 | -£43.08 |
| Isle Of Wight Festival | £225 | Robbie Williams | £79.50 | George Ezra | £53.90 | The Chemical Brothers | £41.55 | -£50.05 |
| We Out Here | £207 | Ezra Collective | £39.02 | Knucks | £39.82 | Róisín Murphy | £77.25 | -£50.91 |
| NASS Festival | £165 | Wu-Tang Clan | £47.74 | Chase & Status | £22.50 | Little Simz | £39.82 | -£54.94 |
| Glastonbury | £335 | Elton John | £113.88 | Guns N’ Roses | £62.01 | Arctic Monkeys | £95.56 | -£63.55 |
| Wireless Festival | £248.30 | Travis Scott | £70.55 | Playboi Carti | £54.95 | D-Block Europe | £39.82 | -£82.98 |
Based on our findings, Reading Festival offers a significant saving of £213.66 when compared to the cost of attending the top three headliners’ individual concerts. On the other hand, Glastonbury festival results in a deficit of -£63.55, indicating that seeing the headliners separately in concert would be a more economical choice.
To provide a comprehensive overview, we’ve compiled a list of the top five festivals with the most significant savings and the bottom five festivals resulting in the biggest losses:
Top 5 Biggest Savings:
- Reading Festival – +£213.66
- Leeds Festival – +£213.66
- Boundary Brighton – +£176.70
- Bloodstock Open Air – +£128.23
- Parklife – +£106.77
Bottom 5 Biggest Losses:
- Wireless Festival – -£82.98
- Glastonbury – -£63.55
- NASS Festival – -£54.94
- We Out Here – -£50.91
- Isle Of Wight Festival – -£50.05
At Love Discount Vouchers, we’ve conducted thorough research to save you time and money. Our comprehensive table compares concert values against festival ticket prices, helping you determine which festivals provide the best value for money. Green markers indicate festivals that offer savings, while red markers represent festivals where attending individual concerts would be more economical. Opting for the festival with the lowest overall cost ensures maximum savings.
To learn more about how other festivals across the country performed in terms of value for money, take a look at our detailed article. We’ve analyzed the top festivals and headline acts to provide you with essential information that could save you hundreds this summer.
Our research reveals surprising results, with festivals offering room for improvement alongside those providing exceptional value for money. Reading/Leeds Festival emerges as the best value for money, allowing you to save a staggering £213.66 on the top three headliners. Conversely, Wireless Festival presents the least value, with potential savings of £82.98 when attending headliners’ individual concerts.
Using this information, you can guide your readers in deciding whether to purchase festival tickets or explore alternative options to save on their favorite artists’ concerts this summer.
For a detailed analysis and further insights into the value of tickets for the UK’s biggest festivals, read our complete article.
