Most & Least Expensive Music Festivals in the US and Canada
There’s no better way to celebrate the hot summer season than a day at a music festival with friends, an ice-cold beer, and live tunes. However, festival tickets have hit a high note, inflating by over 55% in the last ten years, according to Finance Buzz.
This led us to analyze which popular music festivals offer the most and least expensive experience in America and Canada (per day). We considered the following factors: average day ticket price, water bottle cost, beer cost, hamburger cost, and day parking cost.
Key Findings:
- USA: Outside Lands is the most expensive festival, averaging a day expense of $301.70 USD
- CA: Calgary Stampede ranks as the most expensive music festival in the Great White North, where a day at the festival costs $390.50 CAD
- USA: Summerfest ranks as the cheapest festival by a landslide, at about $90.83 USD per day
- CA: Festival D’été de Quebec (FEQ) is the cheapest festival in Canada, costing Canadians $62.13 CAD per day
The most and least wallet-friendly festivals across America
With Americans willing to shell out an average of $269.93 (or 15% of their monthly income) on tickets for their dream music festival, which offers the best bang for their buck?
Shooting outside of your budget, Outside Lands ranks as America’s most expensive music festival. An average day at San Francisco’s 3-day festival will cost attendees at least $301.70 USD in total. A single-day ticket averages $226.20, plus $12.50 for a beer, a hefty $23 for a burger, and another $40 for a single-day parking spot. But hey, at least you can save on water costs through their complimentary refillable water bottle stations, right? If you’re planning to go for the entire weekend, be prepared to spend a whopping $905.10 – and that’s not even including accommodation!
Bonnaroo? More like Bonna-oof! Tennessee’s 4-day music festival ranks as the 2nd most expensive music festival in the good ole USA. A day at Bonnaroo will set you back at least $241. With $40 single-day parking, $12 beer, and $15 burgers, your wallet will feel the pinch. Because it’s a 4-day event, be prepared to spend around $964 for the whole festival!
Las Vegas’ Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) ranks as America’s 3rd most expensive music festival, where a single day can cost you about $228.32. The festival recently went viral for its exorbitant prices, with a 6-pack of water costing $90 and a taxi ride of $40 per trip. To level the playing field (as prices were grouped in packages), we found the average for each single factor: $169.99 for a day ticket, $15 for a water bottle (ouch), $23.33 for a beer, $20 for a burger, and luckily, free general parking!
Luckily, you don’t need to spend a fortune to attend music festivals, as Milwaukee’s Summerfest ranks as the most affordable festival in the nation. With $28 single-day tickets, $5.25 water bottles, $10.08 beers, $7.50 burgers, and $40 parking, the entire day experience can cost you just $90.83 – a 107% difference from Outside Lands!
Summerfest has shown that festivals can champion affordability and accessibility against industry standards, while still holding an incredible lineup. To prove their point, they’re correct, as it’s the World’s Largest Music Festival according to the Guinness World Records!
Canada’s priciest and cheapest music festivals
With the average Canadian willing to spend $281.46 (or 12.5% on their monthly income) on music festival tickets, we analyzed which festivals offer the best value to attendees this year.
Stomping its way through Canadian’s wallets, the Calgary Stampede takes the crown as the most expensive music festival in Canada! A ticket to the musical events at The World’s Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth averages a whopping $331 CAD. Add a $4.50 water bottle, $10 beer, $15 burger, and $30 parking, you’re looking at a grand total of $390.50 per day. Hoping to catch all 4 music acts? Get ready to shell out a staggering $1,562. Hold onto your cowboy hats, folks, because this festival ain’t for the faint of wallets!
Down in the 6ix, the Veld Music Festival ranks as Canada’s 2nd most expensive, with the average day costing at least $272.17. A day ticket at Canada’s largest EDM festival amounts to $223.17, while water costs $6, beer $11, burgers $20, and public parking $12. Be ready to shuffle your way through some hefty expenses, as the entire weekend could set you back $816.51!
Hein ? C’est combien ?! Osheaga Music and Arts Festival sits as the nation’s 3rd most expensive festival, with an average cost of $218.16 per day. Entrance to Canada’s largest arts and music festival will cost you $166.66. If you’re hungry or thirsty, expect $9 beers, $17.50 beers, and better yet, free refillable water bottle stations! With $25/day parking rates, the 3-day festival could cost you an average of $654.48 for the weekend experience.
On the flip side, Quebec’s other popular music festival, FEQ, shines as Canada’s most affordable festival – with an average of $62.13 a day. While the 11-day pass costs $150, the price per day amounts to just $13.63! If you’re planning to eat or drink, water will only set you back $3, while beers go for $8, burgers for $12.50, and parking for $25. The best part? Although it’s an 11-day extravaganza, the full experience ($683.43) will still cost 78% less than the Calgary Stampede ($1,562)!
Conclusion
There’s no doubt that music festivals in both America and Canada offer a diverse range of musical experiences and price tags. Luckily, some are more attainable than others. Ultimately, music festival experiences extend beyond the cost and celebrate the community, connections, and memories made.
Methodology
In June 2024, looking at the most popular and attended music festivals in America and Canada, we scraped recent (2023-2024) average price data for beers, parking, water, tickets, and hamburgers to establish the rankings. Some other commonly-known festivals may have not been accounted for due to the lack of available cost information online.
Please note that some festivals only offered weekend passes, so we had to manually calculate the average single-day ticket.
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