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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Josh Halliday, Nadia Khomami and Sophie Zeldin-O'Neill

A celebration defying inflation: Glastonbury fans splash out on a party

Festivalgoers queueing at a row of street food stalls in a field, the closest one of which is a seafood stand called You're My Lobster
Food stalls at the event: Glastonbury is one of the few festivals that allow visitors to bring their own alcohol. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian

Those who love Glastonbury say walking through the festival’s gates is like leaving the real world behind. And, for many, this year’s festival has been an overdue chance to forget about the cost of living crisis and splash out on £10 bucket hats, £6 pints and £14 lobster rolls.

As the first Glastonbury since 2019, this year’s event always seemed likely to feature some extravagance, despite taking place against the backdrop of the biggest fall in living standards since the 1970s. The majority of this year’s 138,000 festivalgoers bought their £285 tickets in 2019, when the only inflation troubling campers related to their airbeds.

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