UK music festivals: how to save money on your summer fix

theguardian.com:

T he cost of living crisis may be biting hard but what is almost certainly Britain’s most expensive music festival – costing up to £325 a person for only one afternoon and evening’s entertainment – doesn’t seem to be having any problems shifting tickets.

Soho House festival, taking place in Gunnersbury Park, west London, on two separate days, 6 and 8 July, has already sold out its first day, and its well-heeled clientele can look forward to sets from the likes of DJ Pete Tong, Kelis, Tom Grennan and Sugababes. To be fair, that hefty price (the event only runs from 2pm until 10.30pm) includes unlimited food and drink.

The outdoor music festival season has kicked off this month with a number of events but really gets going in June, with the biggie, Glastonbury, whose headliners this year include Arctic Monkeys, Guns N’ Roses and Elton John – taking place on 21-25 June.

There are scores of events in July and August, including Latitude in Suffolk (20-23 July), where the lineup includes Pulp, Paolo Nutini and George Ezra, and Reading and Leeds (on 25-27 August, with big names playing including Billie Eilish and Sam Fender), before things finally wind up at the end of September.

The good news is that if you don’t have a spare £325 knocking about, there are dozens of cheaper and free events around, some of which have pretty good lineups.

Here we round up some of the options and talk to regulars about the insider tips that can cut costs.

Glastonbury might have sold out in a flash as usual but with lots of events jostling for attention this year and people tightening their belts, special offers are virtually guaranteed as summer nears.

So monitor ticket websites and sites such as Festival Flyer, check festival online forums, and keep