Winter is almost here, which means the summer festival season will officially be just a memory, giving punters just a smattering of winter events, including the behemoth that is Splendour In The Grass, to enjoy.
We must say we’re feeling a little nostalgic for the busy summer festival season and our anticipation for the next one is already building. However, we recently started thinking, is it really all worth it?
Don’t get us wrong, we love music festivals. But just how much value for money are we getting at each one? The good folks at Chron had the same thought and decided to break down the top festivals by price and number of bands available to see.
We decided to add a few Aussies into the mix for good measure and find out who are the best music festivals according to price per band. Now, obviously no one can see all of the bands playing a festival, but if you could, here’s the kind of value you’d get.
The Best Music Festivals According To Price Per Band
CMA Music Festival
Nashville, Tenn
Number of bands/artists: 25
General admission ticket cost: $383
$15.32 per band
TomorrowWorld Electronic Music Festival
Atlanta, Georgia
Number of bands/artists: 35
General admission ticket cost: $357
$10.20 per band
Meredith Music Festival
Meredith, Victoria
Number of bands/artists: 25
General admission ticket cost: $318.80 (US$242.62)
$9.70 per band
Newport Folk Festival
Newport, Rhode Island
Number of bands/artists: 21
General admission ticket cost: $199
$9.48 per band
Boston Calling Music Festival
Boston, Massachusetts
Number of bands/artists: 23
General admission ticket cost: $175
$7.61 per band
Holy Ship
Miami, Florida
Number of bands/artists: 102
General admission ticket cost: $549
$5.38 per band
Outside Lands
San Francisco, California
Number of bands/artists: 72
General admission ticket cost: $325
$4.51 per band
Stagecoach
Indio, California
Number of bands/artists: 64
General admission ticket cost: $269
$4.20 per band
Governors Ball Music Festival
New York, New York
Number of bands/artists: 65
General admission ticket cost: $260
$4.00 per band
Electric Daisy Carnival NYC
East Rutherford, New York
Number of bands/artists: 68
General admission ticket cost: $249
$3.66 per band
Essence Music Festival
New Orleans, Louisiana
Number of bands/artists: 39
General admission ticket cost: $131
$3.36 per band
Pitchfork Music Festival
Chicago, Illinois
Number of bands/artists: 46
General admission ticket cost: $150
$3.26 per band
Byron Bay Bluesfest
Byron Bay, NSW
Number of bands/artists: 100
General admission ticket cost: $375 (US$285)
$2.85 per band
Firefly Music Festival
Dover, Delaware
Number of bands/artists: 106
General admission ticket cost: $299
$2.82 per band
Sasquatch! Festival
George, Washington
Number of bands/artists: 127
General admission ticket cost: $350
$2.76 per band
Bonnaroo
Manchester, Tennessee
Number of bands/artists: 118
General admission ticket cost: $325
$2.75 per band
Falls Festival
Marion Bay, Tasmania
Number of bands/artists: 70
General admission ticket cost: $249 (US$189.54)
$2.71 per band
Splendour In The Grass
Byron Bay, NSW
Number of bands/artists: 103
General admission ticket cost: $365 (US$277)
$2.69 per band
South By Southwest (SXSW)
Austin, Texas
Number of bands/artists: 409
General admission ticket cost: $895
$2.19 per band
Lollapalooza
Chicago, Illinois
Number of bands/artists: 135
General admission ticket cost: $275
$2.04 per band
Electric Zoo
New York, New York
Number of bands/artists: 124
General admission ticket cost: $240
$1.94 per band
Austin City Limits
Austin, Texas
Number of bands/artists: 141
General admission ticket cost: $250
$1.77 per band
Coachella
Indio, California
Number of bands/artists: 216
General admission ticket cost: $375
$1.74 per band
Beale Street Music Festival
Memphis, Tennessee
Number of bands/artists: 59
General admission ticket cost: $95
$1.61 per band
New Orleans Jazz Festival
New Orleans, Louisiana
Number of bands/artists: 116
General admission ticket cost: $140
$1.21 per band
Hard Summer
Los Angeles, California
Number of bands/artists: 134
General admission ticket cost: $149
$1.11 per band
*All per band figures are in US currency
