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

theguardian.com:

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.

“In general, people seem to be throwing caution to the wind and think ‘I’ll worry about it when I get home’,” said John Fraser, 54, enjoying a can of cider with his breakfast on Saturday morning.

The cheapest pint this year is £6 – about the same as in the trendier parts of London – while a double vodka and Coke costs £10.50. Prices have risen since 2019, although as it one of the few UK festivals to allow people to bring their own booze, many haul in crates of lager and bags of wine to see them through the five days.

Enjoying breakfast in the sun near the BBC Introducing stage, Lily Moore, 26, said she had put some savings aside for the festival and not spent as much as she expected. “I’ve never been to Glastonbury before but it does cost about £10-£11 for a meal,” she said. “I’ve not heard anyone say ‘I’m really struggling to pay for stuff’. I think we’ve waited so long that they’re just buzzing to be here.”

At Funky Bumbags, owner Rick Lomas was doing a roaring trade in one of this year’s must-have accessories: bucket hats emblazoned with the Rick and Morty line “Flip the pickle”.

Lomas, 65, sells