Irish festival-goers will spend roughly €253m this year

Some 60% of festival-goers surveyed agreed they 'spend too much money at festivals'

Irish adults attending festivals this summer will spend an average of €316. Above, Electric Picnic last year. Photograph: Brenda Fitzsimons
Irish adults attending festivals this summer will spend an average of €316. Above, Electric Picnic last year. Photograph: Brenda Fitzsimons

Adults attending Irish festivals this summer will spend, on average, €316 each according to a study by sponsorship agency Livewire and Ignite market research. The highest spend is on festival accommodation, while 20 per cent of respondents list alcohol as their biggest spend.

Some 60 per cent of the festival-goers surveyed agreed that they “spend too much money at festivals”.

The study, which surveyed a sample of 1,000 people, estimates that Irish adults will spend roughly €253 million on festivals this year, while each adult is expected to attend 1.4 festivals. But, the study shows that they’re not necessarily happy about their spending patterns. Some 21 per cent of the festival attendees cited the price of food and drink as the worst thing about Irish music festivals, while toilets and drunk people closely followed.

With regards to where they spend their money, the survey shows that Electric Picnic is by far the most popular Irish festival, with Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann coming in second.

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Festivals and alcohol companies often go hand in hand and this survey shows that respondents picked out Heineken and Guinness a the two most associated festival sponsors.

Peter Hamilton

Peter Hamilton

Peter Hamilton is a contributor to The Irish Times specialising in business