Festival fans defy recession

The recession has not prevented fans spending an average £461 each on music festivals this year, a survey has found.

More than 400 festivals were held across the UK, with fans spending a total of £222m, the Association of Independent Festivals found in a survey of 2,400 fans.

Independent festivals such as Bestival, Womad and the End of the Road attracted 480,000 people over the summer.

Spending, including travel, accommodation, food and drink, was an average £461 per person, compared with £438 last year. Independent festivals benefited local businesses to the tune of £17m.

Some 55 per cent claimed to have had their spending hit by the recession, as opposed to 72 per cent who reduced spending on other forms of entertainment.