'I've been to Glastonbury for free five times – here's how'
A woman who has gone to Glastonbury Festival for free five times says she no longer knows how much tickets cost.
Mary Horesh, 47, first went to the iconic music festival in 2002 as a paying customer. She then paid to go a total of four times before discovering how she could attend the festival for free.
Instead of paying for a ticket, Horesh now volunteers at the festival guarding other attendee’s belongings at one of the site’s lock-ups.
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Horesh says she only has to volunteer for 25 hours in total across the Wednesday to Monday, including one eight-hour night shift, and can spend the rest of the time exploring the festival.
"All the volunteers have a great time," Horesh, from Ealing in London, says. "We get to enjoy the festival and also meet and speak to so many people you wouldn't normally.
"Someone was asking me how much a Glastonbury ticket was and I actually didn't know – I don't need to know. All the volunteers have designated camping spaces, access to showers and we all get to go the day before the site opens.
"It's great to hear the cheers when the fence opens and see the site gradually fill up and get used to the festival vibe."
Horesh explains that if there’s an act a volunteer really wants to see, they will often swap their shift with another volunteer.
"I remember it being an absolute nightmare trying to buy tickets yourself," Horesh adds. "I'd definitely recommend volunteering – it's such a unique way to experience Glastonbury and I've probably saved thousands."
Full weekend tickets for Glastonbury 2023 cost £335 plus a £5 booking fee. There are 14 lock-ups across the site for festival goers to store their valuables, and these are run by volunteers from Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament groups, Brighton Peace and Environment Centre and Birmingham Friends of the Earth.
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Horesh says an orchestra has left their instruments with her before, while a DJ has left their records. "The only thing we don't take is children – but there's still a few every year who try it!" she jokes.
"It's swings and roundabouts," she continues. "You still have all the frustrations of work so it doesn't always go smoothly but you don't have the hassle of trying to get tickets.
"I always have an amazing time and volunteering enhances it. You have to let Glastonbury happen to you. I'm really excited to get back this year and do it all over again."
How to get free tickets to Glastonbury
Volunteering with a charity is the most common way to get a free ticket to Glastonbury. Charities such as Oxfam, Greenpeace and WaterAid all try to spread their message at the festival and they need armies of volunteers to do so. You can generally register through a charity’s website, and often a small deposit is required that will be paid back to you once the work is done.
Otherwise, you can apply to work for the festival itself, in roles such as stewards or litter pickers and use your time off to enjoy the festival.
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