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Traveling to UK Music Festival: Why Taxis Are Your Best Bet

November 11, 2024 Minicabit Travel Advice & Tips

It’s Festival Season!

According to UK Music in 2022, a whopping 6.5 million people travelled to a UK music festival. By our maths, that’s nearly 1/10 of the ENTIRE POPULATUION OF THE UK!!!

It’s now 2024, and that number is expected to grow! And according to search trends, June is when Brits typically start to put their festival plans into place.

So, we’d thought we’d look at the festival travel landscape. And why as a taxi comparison service (though maybe biased), we think that taxis are your best option to travel to music festival in the UK.

Festival Travel in the UK

Music festivals are a quintessentially British summer activity.

Young or old, we love to get muddy in a field listening to our favourite bands or converting our cities into urban arenas to showcase the year’s hottest acts!

Whether you’re travelling to the giant that is Glastonbury, or a smaller festival (by comparison) like Kendal Calling in the Lakes – you need to get there.

Easier said than done.

Not only do festivals themselves put a lot of strain on UK transport networks, they coincide with the busy summer travel period.

So, what are your options? Unless you’re lucky enough to live local and can nab a lift of someone, you’ll be looking to use the following:

  • Car
  • Train
  • Bus
  • Taxi!

Taking a Car to a festival?

Cars are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they offer the best possible flexibility because you can:

  • Arrive when you want to get the best camping
    spot.
  • Leave when you want and avoid the rush out
    on leaving day.
  • Avoid the public transport crowds
  • Get most of you kit onboard

With maybe only sacrificing one or two items for boot space, you can get to any festival you want.

The drawbacks, however, are quite annoying.

Unless you’ve got a tee-total mate, someone is going to have to make a sacrifice to be  the designated driver. And even if they haven’t touched a drop of alcohol, festivals are tiring. After a few days of partying, whoever is driving is going to be more at risk of making a mistake on the road or needing to take more stops.

That doesn’t even account for the parking hassle, fees, and traffic congestions festivals can create (like at Download last year). Oh, and the cleaning bill if you’re parking off road.

If only you could be driven to a festival by someone else, say a taxi driver… *Wink* *Wink*

Train Travel to UK festivals

Trains… Well apart from the frankly insane prices to take a train in the UK, it’s only ever going to get you to a ‘transport hub’.

That’s great if you’re going to an inner-city festival. It may even be the best option in that case. But if you’re travelling to one of the bigger festivals outside of the City, that’s not an option.

If you’re taking the train, it’s going to get you annoyingly close, but not all the way there. You’ll likely need to take one of the festival hoppers or coaches to get you the rest of the way.

This means more luggage lifting. And your Day 1 festival backpack isn’t going to be light.

The bus, not bad, but more ‘Bus-Y’

The bus isn’t a bad option. They’re certainly economical and will save you some of you cash for more exciting things like festival food vendors!!

Many festivals now put on their own long-distance bus services, as well as local and national travel firms. These kinds of busses will also get you on board with like-minded people, all excited to go to the festival!

However, in the British summer, everything is sweaty. Taking a bus will be:

  • Uncomfortable
  • Crowded
  • S-L-O-W.

There’s nothing wrong with the bus… but, when all you want to do is get there it can be slow and frustrating. Not to mention, waiting longer than you’d like for a toilet break at the services.

Take a Taxi to festivals… Your best bet!

So, we reach the humble taxi!

Did you know, festival season is one of the biggest events on a taxi firm’s calendar. And they’re often VERY well prepared for them.

They reserve all the best vehicles to take on the challenge of getting people to their favourite festivals. We know this because we work with over 1000 fleets across the UK!

Taxis to a music festival: Convenience and comfort

With a taxi, you know what you’re getting. A relatively straightforward booking process and professional drivers. They know how to fill the space up in their boots to get all your kit in. Overall, it will be a comfier, and speedier trip.

You’re likely going to pay a set fee and they might do you a deal for a return trip!

Plus, you don’t have to worry about parking when you arrive and cleaning when you get back.

Also, most large festivals will often reserve a drop-off point for taxi vehicles, meaning you can get right near the festival gates. That’s a door-to-door service!

minicabit: Compare taxi trips to UK festivals from anywhere in the Country

So, we’ve made our case for the taxi. Now let us make our case.

minicabit uses award-winning technology to do the hard work, making it simple for you to instantly compare and book quotes from independently rated cab providers via our website, mobile app, and travel partners. Don’t just take your first quote from your local cab company at face-value.

Using our search tool, you can select exactly the type of vehicle you need, how many passengers you need, and you can book your trip both ways in one go!

We then only show you taxi companies that will cater to your needs.

Plus, minicabit help with all the extras:

  • Last minute changes? Free cancellation on any trip.
  • Fixed prices and flash sales.
  • 24/7 support
  • Include multiple stops
  • Airport prices include a meet and greet.

All that’s left to do now is get it booked – if you’re traveling to the following festivals, try the following links to get a quote and book: