Ways To Save Money at Firefly

I had been wanting to go to Firefly Music Festival for years but the tickets are so expensive. This past winter I saved up and was finally able to afford to go! What I wish I had thought about more was all the other costs that come with going to Firefly: transportation, lodging, food, and of course buying new outfits to show off at the festival grounds. That’s why this post will be about how to make the most out of your Firefly trip without breaking the bank.

My biggest recommendation when it comes to saving money at Firefly is this: SHARE. Grab a group of friends and go all in together. Drive down all in one car and split the gas money. Also, be sure to get the group camping option for lodging. It’s the cheapest lodging option available and you split the total cost between all the people in your group. They haven’t posted the cost for 2019, but this year it was $90 for the weekend and could be split between up to 8 people.

Although the variety of food options in the festival is tempting, it is ridiculously overpriced. You’ll get the most out of your food budget if you take a ride to the grocery store before your trip and buy all your meals for your trip, but beware, buy things that won’t spoil over the course of the weekend! I recommend protein bars, trail mix, dried fruit, soup, and food you can instantly make with boiling water (hello instant mac and cheese and oatmeal). Just make sure you have a camp stove with you, which in my opinion is totally worth the investment for this trip. I brought most of my meals for the weekend, but allowed myself to buy one meal a day in the festival for convenience and to try out some of the delicious options. Water bottles inside the festival are $4 a bottle, but they have free water stations around the grounds, so save that money and bring in a reusable bottle!

My last few tips are some things you should avoid. They offer showers but they can get pricey during surge hours. Plus the water is freezing and your time allowed is very limited. I recommend fully immersing yourself in the culture of Firefly and just avoid using those altogether. Everyone is dirty and no one cares, but bring baby wipes to help keep yourself feeling fresh! Next bring comfortable shoes because the festival grounds are a bit of a hike from the camp sites. They offer bike taxis to transport you and your friends but they can be anywhere from $10-$20 a person per ride depending on how nice the driver is. The ride is convenient at the end of the night when you’re exhausted, but the walk isn’t that bad as long as you have comfortable shoes on (I learned that the hard way).