How to attend Glastonbury for free as first tickets go on sale today

With arguably the biggest festival on the UK calendar again coming, people have shared ways to attend for free, and one person has shared how they managed to go with buying their ticket.

Glastonbury Festival draws in hundreds of thousands of people every year, with 2023 reportedly seeing more than 200,000 people descend on Worthy Farm for five days of music, arts, theatre, and letting go of everyday life in a five day bacchanalia.

This effectively means that more people than live in some cities effectively turn up at the site every year, and it's an unmissable event for many, with National Express also offering coach packages to the festival.

But with the cost of living rising some people may find that the price of going may be a bit steep, though it could be worse, they could be trying to go and see Oasis.

Ticket prices are set at £408 this year, according to the festival's website, but if you wanted to get in without spending any money then there are other options open to you.

To be clear, we are talking about legitimate options here, not trying to jump fences or dig tunnels, and the 'money' aspect is not a euphemism for some faustian pact either.

There are three main options for people who want to go to Glastonbury without buying a ticket, and one person who worked as a security guard shared their look at the festival.

Glastonbury is unmissable for many (Joseph Okpako/WireImage)

Working at Glastonbury

Glastonbury does occasionally look for people to work directly for the festival, though they clarify that the work is usually temporary, and you would also likely need to be based in Somerset.

Roles are not in great supply, though they are usually advertised on the festival's website, and you won't have the same time as everyone else.

But one person who worked as a security supervisor shared how it was for them.

“You could definitely still enjoy the festival - you have 12 hours on and 12 hours off," the 22-year-old told LADBible. "And depending on if you worked the day or the night, those 12 hours are your time.

"So you could either enjoy the day at the festival before your shift or go out and enjoy the night afterwards."

And they added that they would 'absolutely' do it again, saying: "I think it’s a fantastic way to go to the festival without having to pay the price of the ticket while still earning money.”

They explained there are also options for working in the 'build up' and 'break' phases, when the festival is being built and taken down again before and after the festival.

So, if you don't mind missing out on some of the action then working there could be a good option!

The Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury (Joseph Okpako/WireImage)

Entering ticket competitions

This should come with a caveat, as it's really 'winning' a competition that will secure you a spot at the festival, but in order to win you have to enter!

Many companies that work with Glastonbury or are associated with the festival run competitions for tickets.

Of course, this is obviously not a guarantee of securing a free ticket, so you may find yourself disappointed if you are not one of the lucky people who does come away a winner.

However, if you fancy your chances then entering a competition is certainly one way to at least give yourself a chance at some free tickets for the festival.

You will just need to make sure that you check the rules of any competitions before entering to make sure that you can claim your prize.

Volunteering

This is perhaps a better way to give your time instead of your money in order to go to Glastonbury.

The festival explains on its website that there are opportunities out there to do volunteer work for charities or other organisations who are providing services at Glastonbury Festival.

On the website, it explains that volunteers are generally expected to work three eight hour shifts over the course of the five day festival to earn their ticket, though there may be some slight variation in this.

A caveat however - this may not be a free ticket at the point of purchase. Some organisations may require you to pay for your ticket up front, and then reimburse you once you have completed the work required.