Beer and Food prices..

[gooner1990]

Just starting to realise I'm going to be on quite a budget at Bestival as I'm off to Reading this weekend, and Cyprus for a week with bestival inbetween all on one pay check from work!!

Any ideas on beer and food prices? Are there supermarkets nearby to stock up cheaply also can you take your own alcohol into places like Arcadia?

Not been before so not sure on the layout and restrictions.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Just starting to realise I'm going to be on quite a budget at Bestival as I'm off to Reading this weekend, and Cyprus for a week with bestival inbetween all on one pay check from work!!

Any ideas on beer and food prices? Are there supermarkets nearby to stock up cheaply also can you take your own alcohol into places like Arcadia?

Not been before so not sure on the layout and restrictions.

In the same boat as I have Shambala coming up, then Bestival and then a trip to Spain. Not only that but then I've got to sort out the deposit money for Glasto for a stack of people should I get through on T day. I'm going to take a shed load of drink in on my first (and possibly only) entrance into the site. I may well disguise some of it just in case there are restrictions (note to self - look at festival website for details). I also intend to sneak alcohol in to wherever it's not allowed. That way I'll not have to pay the punitive prices for alcohol from the bars. Well, it worked for me at The Secret Garden Party so can't see why it'll fail at Bestival.

I realise that none of that helps you. However, at least you know you're not alone!

Edited August 20, 2012 by Yoghurt on a Stick

[Homer]

I've been to Bestival three times and have never had to buy more than pint or two. I have just walked through the main field gate with a bag of booze and no one's stopped me. Food is ame as any other festie really.

[gooner1990]

I've been to Bestival three times and have never had to buy more than pint or two. I have just walked through the main field gate with a bag of booze and no one's stopped me. Food is ame as any other festie really.

So you can take your alcohol around with you freely like at Glastonbury? Is it arena style like Reading or is the set up more Glastonbury orintated?

[Memory Man]

there is an arena set up, but essentially if you make any reasonable attempt to hide your drink you will be OK.

you are allowed to take it to arcadia regardless and to some of the places outside the main arena.

Food is the same as anywhere, you should be able to get a filling meal for £6 if you shop around, i find i only really need some breakfast, one big meal and a snack in one day. you could get by on £20 a day for food if you had to and you brought a lot of your own booze in. there are free water taps you can refill bottles at for example.

[Memory Man]

actual beer and cider on site will probably be around the £4 - £4.50 mark, with draught being available sometimes and cans more common..... (sadly)

expect tuborg and gaymers with the real ale tent up by the bandstand offering a good selecton of real beer.

[kaosmark2]

They're moderately relaxed as long as you're not taking the piss. It's arena-style, but they won't care if you've got a couple of cans hidden in pockets while walking through. If you're bringing in a bottle of vodka or armsful of beer they'll probably stop you.

[Tom12]

how much is a burger or something?

[Dave The Hedgehog]

Drinks - about £4 a pint. £2.70 a shot for something 'harder' from what I remember.

Food - £7 and up for pretty much everything except a bacon bap in the mornings but it varies depending on where you go. Lots of variety of tasty food at Bestival and you could probably live on less than maybe £10 a day.

My advice would be to take money for food but not alcohol and then sneak any alcohol you have in through the gates; I can almost guarantee you won't be searched. I have no idea what security look for in terms of profile but as long as you don't go in with a Tescos bag full of cans, you'll be fine.

[jjbeeson]

real ale tent?! why didnt I find this last year? good selection?

[Kowalski]

I found three places selling real ale last year but the main real ale tent is up near the Bandstand with a handful of beers IIRC. The other two bars (Swamp Shack and near the Big Top) were selling the Bestivale and perhaps one other.

[smogo]

I believe the Woodcutter Arms in the Wishing Tree field has real ale(s) too.

[gertcha]

I pretty much echo what everyone else has said, the searchs are minimal, last year I did my usual vodka smuggling trick which is to empty a plastic bottle of water fill it 50-75% with vodka, squeeze the air out and put it down the front of my pants, nobodys ever found it, even got it into Hyde Park for Blur

The buy one pint for the cup and buy fizzy drinks from the ice cream vans for the rest of the day

Newport is fairly near to the site but depends if you can be bothered to spend the morning going to and from there, food is the usual £5/6 for something filling

[kaosmark2]

I found three places selling real ale last year but the main real ale tent is up near the Bandstand with a handful of beers IIRC. The other two bars (Swamp Shack and near the Big Top) were selling the Bestivale and perhaps one other.

The one near the Big Top sold fucking awful ale. That stuff was off and disgusting.

[Bisque]

If you'd rather buy a pint than a can in the arena then the bar to the left of the Big Top (facing it) sells them. I think most others are cans only.

Will the Bimble Inn be back?

Edited September 3, 2012 by Couchy

[Kowalski]

I know traders can presumably set their own prices, but why let cowboys sell cups of tea for £3.50? That is ridiculous.

I found the price of drink quite expensive. I stuck to pints but I don't know how they can justify £4+ for cans.

[weirdfish]

very easy to get a few cans in the arena, far easier than Reading

i didn't buy a single drink in there

[Justiceforcedave]

I bought pints as I like my drinks coooold in the day time. Prices in general were much cheaper then Reading/Livenation events.

If you knew where to look you could get cold drinks for a quid and lots of food at lower prices. Not to mention the fact that the food is generally of a much higher quality. I don't mind paying £6+ for dinner if it's something genuinely tasty!

[Justiceforcedave]

I know traders can presumably set their own prices, but why let cowboys sell cups of tea for £3.50? That is ridiculous.

I found the price of drink quite expensive. I stuck to pints but I don't know how they can justify £4+ for cans.

I believe that there is a general price guide given out by the festival which prices are based on. Ultimately traders set their own (Please correct me anyone if I'm wrong here)

[monkey1989]

wine bags down your top for the win

[spacehopper75]

i took vodka in a plastic bottle, bought a £2 pint of fresh juices think it was mango (5 a day and all that!) from just at the begining of the wishing tree entry, i went on a total budget and stayed in it, 2.5 litres of vodka for the eveings,food was lovely and well priced i thought, proper burgers no horse meat! and devoured half a chicked with potatoes just before orb, wi tent does nice food too, i needed to eat the mission i was on with all the bands i saw i must have walked miles!

[richardfingo]

I found out that at least one of the festival bar companies is called Peppermint, you could try dropping them an email about what their prices are like. I suppose it comes down to how much you expect to drink, I've found its equivalent to a session in central London. I think Monkey 1981 has probably the right idea if you're strapped for cash though.

Edited May 29, 2013 by richardfingo

[allan14]

adding to this is there any shops just outside the festival site? I'm getting a train and don't really fancy carrying loads of beer between stops? Also I assume you are allowed to leave the festival site and get re-entry?

[hoils]

adding to this is there any shops just outside the festival site? I'm getting a train and don't really fancy carrying loads of beer between stops? Also I assume you are allowed to leave the festival site and get re-entry?

You can leave the site, yes, but it's pretty much in the middle of nowhere and definitely no shops near by. If you're getting the train I assume you'll be getting the FastCat from Portsmouth? If so, your best bet is to get some beers in Ryde before you jump on a bus to the site. No big supermarkets as such, but a few small Co-ops and there's a newsagent at the bottom of the main street (right opposite the ferry pier) that always gets lots of crates in.

Alternatively there's a big Tesco about 3 miles out of Ryde.

[jadel74]

wine bags down your top for the win

I hadn't even thought of boxed wine. Great idea.

Edited July 24, 2013 by jadel74