A large proportion (42%) of young Dutch adults who attended a music festival in 2025 consciously saved up for it beforehand. This is according to new research by RaboResearch among 1.517 Dutch people aged 18 to 30.
The survey shows that 69% of young adults actually find music festivals too expensive. Nevertheless, they did not stay home en masse for them in 2025: 74% of those who find festivals too expensive did attend during the 2025 festival season, and an equally large group plans to do so this coming festival season.
Go to festivals more often: targeted saving
Central to the research is the question of how young adults manage their festival expenses. Of the festival-goers, 42% say they saved specifically for the 2025 festival season. Those who attended festivals more frequently also saved specifically for them more often. This can involve all kinds of expenses, from admission tickets to outfits, and from potential accommodation costs to expenses on the festival grounds themselves.
This is how young adults pay for their tickets
In 2025, most young adults financed their admission tickets from their current monthly income (59%) or savings (30%). Additionally, 17% received a ticket or money for a ticket. At the same time, a quarter (25%) used forms of borrowing: 14% paid afterwards or in installments, 11% borrowed money from friends or family, and 8% went into (temporary) overdraft for the ticket. Some combined multiple options. Young adults who attended more festivals paid afterwards or in installments more often, borrowed more frequently, went into overdraft more often, and also received tickets more often; they financed their tickets relatively less often solely from their monthly income.
Keeping a grip on expenses on the festival grounds
During the past festival season, 51% of festival-goers often or always made sure not to overspend; 42% set a maximum amount in advance, 29% agreed on a budget with the group, and 27% set a budget with notifications via their banking app. Those who applied these strategies more frequently were also more likely to stick to the budget.
Save smartly: free water and conscious choices
To cut costs, 45% of festival-goers often or always bought free water. Additionally, 38% consciously chose cheaper food and 35% cheaper drinks, 30% occasionally skipped a round, 30% brought their own food or drinks, and 27% bought fewer rounds than the rest of the group. Frequent visitors used these saving strategies more often.
I prefer card payments to coins.
Traditional tokens are disappearing at more and more festivals and are being replaced by card payments at the bar. When asked about their preferences, 44% of young adults say they prefer paying by card or phone at the bar; 23% choose tokens, and 30% have no strong preference. According to young adults, card payments win out over tokens on many aspects—such as the convenience of buying a round, control over spending, and fairly distributing costs within the group. The two payment methods score almost equally when it comes to keeping track of expenses.
You can find the full study at www.rabobank.nl/kennis