Glastonbudget Festival, the beloved tribute festival held at Turnpost Farm in Wymeswold, Leicestershire, just celebrated its 20th year, and I was there to soak in the tunes and vibes. Known for its eclectic mix of tribute acts, Glastonbudget offers a unique experience for music lovers, but is it all it’s hyped up to be? With the introduction of new safety measures and changes to the camping options this year, festival-goers faced a few hiccups, yet the sense of community remained as strong as ever. From high-energy mosh pits to unexpected duets, the festival is a melting pot of musical experiences. Join me as I dive into the highs and lows of this year’s event and determine if Glastonbudget truly lives up to its reputation as the UK’s original tribute festival.
The Camping Experience
This year, I stayed for 4 nights (Thursday-Sunday), the longest I have ever stayed at Glastonbudget. Given that it was only a 3-day festival in 2023 and in 2024, Lee and I only visited for the day. It is important to note that 3 day camping tickets have been scrapped this year so I’d advise that if you are able to get the Thursday and Friday off work, that you do so. Otherwise, you’re missing out on the various acts performing during that period, despite paying for them with your ticket. As for my thoughts of the camping experience as a whole, it boils down to the following factors…
You needed to spend some dosh to have a wash.
This year saw changes to the shower situation at Glastonbudget. Unlike previous years where showers were included in the camping ticket price, campers now had to pay extra for shower access. It was a controversial decision when it was first announced and I was intrigued to see whether the wash was worth the dosh.
Standard campers had two options when it came to shower payment. You could either pay £5 for a singular shower or £10 for a shower wristband for unlimited access. If you wanted just the singular shower, then you could only pay by cash which was a bit meh if you only brought your bank card/phone. You did however, have 2 ways to buy a wristband, the first was at the box office when you collected your wristband. The second was, interestingly, in the arena where you brought your tokens. The latter location did make me raise a brow slightly but it also somewhat makes sense if you’re staying onsite and thus, probably not heading back to the box office after your arrival.
The new shower blocks were a definite upgrade, with good water pressure and temperature, plus fancy light-up mirrors. Very ideal when you decide to make your eyes and lips as pink as possible during fancy dress day.
My only shower related gripe was the limited opening hours (7am to 5pm) that the showers were open. Here’s why. The headliner for each night started at 10pm and finished around 11. 5pm is about midway through the line-up for that particular day. When you look at those two factors, you realise that a 5pm closing time doesn’t actually work for a festival like Glastonbudget. After a long day of dancing, many festival-goers, myself included, longed for an evening shower. You get suprisingly sweaty after dancing for so long especially if you are in The Big Top. I really want Glastonbudget to review the shower timings and improve them for future events. If I’m paying £10 to shower, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to request the ability to have one in the evening.
I wondered whether Camping Plus worth the money.
Glastonbudget offers two main camping options: Standard and Camping Plus. As someone who opted for Standard camping this year, I found myself questioning whether the Camping Plus upgrade was worth the extra £80.
Camping Plus promised perks like access to posh showers, a bigger pitch, and a location closer to the main arena. However, in practice, some of these benefits seemed less significant than advertised. For instance, the shower wristbands included in the fee were for the shower block located in standard camping. Meaning that my tent that I didn’t pay an extra £80 for was closer to the showers than the campsite that was pushing the showers as a reason to book that pitch. Isn’t it ironic, don’t cha think.
The table below summarises the key differences between both campsites:
| Feature | Standard Camping | Camping Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Included in ticket | +£80 per pitch |
| Showers | Pay-per-use or wristband | Included |
| Pitch Size | Standard | Larger |
| Location | Varies on whether you choose quiet/family camping or the main site. Quiet/family is further back, the main campsite is the field in front and your distance to the entrance varies on where you pitch up. | Supposedly closer to arena |
Ultimately, Camping Plus might be worth it if you are going as a large group who are all based in different parts of the country. Think your stag parties, hen parties, family reunions, etc. Alternatively, it could be beneficial if you have members of your group arriving on different days. If those factors aren’t applicable to your group, then I would look at what additional perks are offered in 2026 before you pay for the upgrade. Standard in it’s current state is more than feasible and if you pick a spot like where I pitched up ( next to the campsite gates and opposite the Greasy Spoon Cafe and shower block), you’ll actually be closer to some facilities compared to Camping Plus.
The bottlenecking on arrival day was not cute.
This year, something called Martyn’s Law was introduced. Any event with a minimum of 200 people must demostrate measures to reduce harm and save lives in the instance of a terrorism attack. As Glastonbudget’s visitor numbers are in the thousands, they are what is called the enhanced tier (this actually applies to any event above 800 people) . This means that they not only have to show that they have measures to reduce harm but also to reduce the probability of a terrorism attack in the first place. All of this, is me explaining why security needed to empty out bags and pat everyone down. Now I understand why this is a thing. What I don’t understand is why only half of the security tent was used on the Thursday afternoon when the arena didn’t open until after 5 when the organisers knew that people would be arriving close to gate opening time so that they could get set up and settled before the arena opened. Especially given that you have to queue every time you went back to your car.
The arena experience
Any music festival, regardless of if you get the original acts or a tribute version, is only as good as the arena experience. If you have a crap line-up with overpriced drinks and inedible food, then you’re in for a rubbish weekend. So what the arena experience up to par? Well to answer your question, I’ve categorised my arena thoughts to help you find what bits you’re looking for. ‘Cause I’m nice like that.
The Line-Up was once again excellent.
The line-up is something that makes or breaks a festival like Glastonbudget. You’ll be pleased to know that once again, that the line-up is the festival’s biggest strength. I have yet to experience a bad one and this is the 3rd Glastonbudget I’ve covered on here. If you want to hear my thoughts about 2023’s festival, that’s on this blog and I posted my thoughts of 2024’s festival on the My Melton YouTube channel. Back to 2025, which offered, what I argue to be it’s most varied line-up when you look at decades. From retro classics like Abba to Enimen’s more modern material, there was something for all tastes here.
My personal top three were Alanish (an Alanis Morissette tribute), The Eminem Show, and the highlight of the weekend, Meteora (a Linkin Park tribute). The energy in the tent during Meteora’s set was electric, with even Jesus Christ himself orchestrating a mosh pit during “In The End.”
Other notable mentions include Forever 80s, who consistently deliver great sets, and Sabotage, a Black Sabbath tribute whose set was unfortunately cut short. The variety and quality of these tribute acts truly set Glastonbudget apart from other festivals.
My only niggle was that I wished that the Big Top had a headline act like in previous years. I understand what the organisers were going for when they made everyone gather to the main stage at 10pm, HOWEVER if you weren’t an Oasis, Prodigy or Queen fan, you were stuffed until 11pm. Variety is the spice of life, especially if you’re like me and think Oasis is overrated. Yes, I will die on that hill Wonderwall is great to sing when you’re drunk. Don’t Look Back In Anger is decent but if you think I understood the queues to get reunion tour tickets, you are very much mistaken.
I was impressed by the bev and scran options.
Look, let’s get the negatives out of the way first. I still loathe the token system with a passion. I don’t get it and I’m pretty sure I’d never get it. Especially when, once again, there was only one token desk meaning in tent conga lines were the norm, especially on arrival day.
That being said, the cocktails I consumed during my time at Glastonbudget were bloody gorgeous. A special shout out goes to the two lovely gentlemen from Leicester who were not only very chatty but served the best non-frozen Pina Colada I’ve ever drank. Very high praise indeed. Especially given said cocktail was £8 during the festival’s first ever happy hour which actually puts it on par with cocktails you’d be drinking on a night out. The other half appreciated the £5 pints that were also part of said happy hour and I hope this is a returning feature at 2026’s festival.
As for the scran, I was slightly, sorry I meant very, disappointed at the missing dinky doughnut stand this year. I’m mindful that this is very much a me problem given that Lee looked at me when I voiced this issue and went “why didn’t you not just buy some at the shop?” Still, I was looking forward to that warm sugary goodness and it wasn’t to be seen. That being said, the ice-cream van by the bar was a worthy substitute and I did return for multiple ice-creams.
Lack of doughnuts aside, there was a fantastic mix of savoury options. Including some for pickier options that only eat the beige stuff, something that some festivals I have covered lacked. Now I’m not a picky eater so I visited the chicken curry van and paid £12 for a massive portion with naan. This could easily be split between two people and was absolutely divine. Organisers, can you please ensure these guys return because their food was to die for and I need more of it in my life.
Another good scran option was the Korean BBQ wrap. Think of it like chip shop chicken meet on steroids. Once again, organisers bring them back and of they return, you need to try it if you eat meat.
The fairground is a prime example of why we need to bring back the missing stages
The fairground added another layer of entertainment should you wish to take a break from the stages. It was fairly small but had a good mix of kids and thrill rides making it ideal for families. One thing that did irk some festival goers was the music. The fairground had dance music playing, if you have ever listed to Cascada, Basshunter, Scooter, Darren Styles (who will be at Back2Festival in August), etc. you’ll have an idea of the vibe. A vibe that I loved as a big fan of these artists but also clashes with the acts on the main stage. So what ended up happening was the festival goers who wanted to hear the stage’s music found that the fair music clashed, especially if they were further back in the camping chair area. Whilst people like me who wanted to dance to the dance anthems couldn’t due to lack of dance space and the music on the main stage clashing.
Now I thought it was just going to be one of those things that we needed to grin and bare. Until I realised something. Fake Boy Slim has opened the last 2 Fridays at Glastonbudget. In addition, there was a dance channel at the silent disco on Friday night. Doing this My Melton lark has taught me that we have ALOT of DJs in the area. So my proposal is that we need a dance tent. Put Fakeboy in there, reach out to the guys at Ultra 90s VS 2000s, hit up some of the local DJs to fill the gaps. Slot the fair near the tent where the music “fits” and suddenly you fix multiple problems. The people who miss the 4 stages will be pleased that at least one is returning. The stage watching folks don’t have to worry about the sound being drowned out by the fair. The dance folks can rave happily. Organisers, let’s make it happen.
Final Thoughts
Despite the niggles that I have mentioned in this post, Glastonbudget is a must visit festival. From the friendly festival goers to the fantastic selection of acts, there are some many brilliant reasons to check this festival out. Tickets for 2026’s festival are now available and with the payment plan, if you lock them in before the end of June, you’ll be paying less than £11pp per month. Yeah, I had to do a double take when I saw that on Monday. It’s fantastic value for money given the quality of acts that perform and is a jewel in Leicestershire’s crown that needs shouting about more. Long live the Budget, I say.
Love and virtual hugs,
Kelly.