Glastonbury is arguably one of the biggest festivals in the world, and demand for tickets is sky-high. With the news that festival organisers reduced capacity this year to help with overcrowding, too, it’s no surprise many have been left empty-handed. With the festival fast approaching, many music fans will be looking for something else to do to deal with FOMO.
For those who didn’t manage to get tickets, Holly Quinn, Content Team Leader at online ticket seller, Skiddle, has put together her top tips for beating Glastonbury Festival FOMO. From productive DIY projects to more self-loathing ones to get you through what may feel like the longest week of your life, she has it all.
Five expert hacks to help you beat the Glastonbury Festival FOMO
- Hold your own Glast-homebury
What better way to get over missing Glastonbury 2025 than with your very own themed party? Hold your own festival in the garden if the weather’s nice, or take it inside if things take a turn for the worst.
Pick up some drinks, cook some food, make a couple of signs or your own ribbon tower, invite some friends around, wack some wellies on, and stream the performances as they’re broadcast live. If you like to get creative, you could each decorate your own bin to really get in the Glasto spirit. Sure, you may not have the exact ambience but at least you'll be front row…kind of.
- Book a holiday
Don’t want to even be in the country? You could book a last minute holiday to take your mind off things. For similar vibes, Ibiza makes a great alternative. Imagine it, Ushuaia, Ibiza rocks, unlimited day parties, and not a single spec of mud in sight. Bliss! Plus with the extra money you saved from Glasto, you can use it to head to a few different events on the island and treat yourself to some cocktails.
- Go camping
Looking to avoid Glastonbury completely but don’t want to leave the country? You could gather some other friends who missed out, turn that phone off and head to the middle of nowhere for a camping trip (preferably somewhere with no signal, so you can really avoid it). All you really need is a portable speaker, some food and drinks, your tent and your pals. That way, you can get all the festival vibes but minus the music. Who needs Glastonbury?
- Ditch your phone (or Insta at least)
Switch off your phone for the week, or at least log out of Instagram. Not only will you be having less screentime and most likely improve your mental health, but you also won’t have to see all your friends’ pictures from Worthy Farm. It also means you might get more done because you won’t be sat scrolling through social media.
- Check out some alternative festivals
It’s always good to live with an open mind, and while there’s no place quite like Glastonbury, there are plenty of alternatives that will guarantee similar vibes. Check out our website for a full list of festivals, but here are a few alternatives we’d recommend:
- Where: Henham Park, Suffolk
- When: 24–27 July 2025
- Genre: Indie Pop, Pop, Pop Rock
- Lineup: Basement Jaxx, Clean Bandit, Elbow, Fatboy Slim, Kaiser Chiefs
Latitude has long been renowned for being family-friendly. Alongside the main stages, there’s a full-on kids’ area, a packed teen schedule, an enchanted garden, woodland shows, lakeside activities and crafts. All of this, set against the chilled-out backdrop of Henham Park – and yes, the sheep are still multicoloured.
- Where: Baldersby Park, Thirsk, North Yorkshire
- When: 25–28 July 2025
- Genre: Alternative, Indie
- Lineup: Wunderhorse, Kae Tempest, The Big Moon
Three days of the best in music, comedy, theatre, science and sport for the whole family. While the lineup is great for adults, it’s the kids’ events that’re next-level – think science tents, coding workshops, cinema, comedy, crafting, sports and loads more. The vibe? Super relaxed, very safe and ultra fun.
- Where: Lulworth Castle, Dorset
- When: 31 July–3 August 2025
- Genre: Indie, Pop, Pop Rock
- Lineup: Sir Tom Jones, Sugababes, Basement Jaxx, The Zutons, Annie Mac
Camp Bestival themselves proudly claim they’re ‘Designed by families especially for families’, combining all the fun of a fantastic family camping holiday with everything you’d expect from an idyllic and action-packed festival adventure. Camp Bestival is jam-packed with entertainment, from stellar musical morsels and cultural delights to stunning sideshow attractions and lashings of family fun. Expect pyjama parties, crafts, giant inflatables, CBeebies bedtime stories and late-night sets for the parents.
- Where: Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire
- When: 31 July–3 August 2025
- Genre: Indie, Electronic, Pop, Spoken Word
- Lineup: Basement Jaxx, Supergrass, Wet Leg, Aurora
Wilderness is a celebration of the arts and the outdoors – both wholesome and hedonistic, serene and silly. Alongside a fantastic lineup, the festival is as family-friendly as it can get, with an exclusive family camping area, wild swimming, foraging, nature trails, open-air theatre and a brilliant kids’ field with workshops, crafts and roaming performers.
- Where: Matterley Estate, Winchester, Hampshire
- When: 6–10 August 2025
- Genre: Disco, Drum and Bass, Folk, Reggae, UK Garage
- Lineup: Azealia Banks, Honey Dijon, Hybrid Minds, Maribou State, Nia Archives
Boomtown is one of the UK’s largest, truly independent music and theatrical festivals. The 66,000 capacity, five day experience combines a diverse musical line-up with groundbreaking theatrical concepts, collectively celebrating underground music in a totally immersive world that exists within a living, breathing, fictitious city. The line up, made up of over 500 artists, features international superstars right through to grassroots talent who perform across the 27 main stages and 80 interactive street venues.
- Where: Watergate Bay and Fistral Beach, Newquay, Cornwall
- When: 6–10 August 2025
- Genre: Indie, Pop, Pop Rock
- Lineup: The Prodigy, Rizzle Kicks, Bru-C, London Grammar, Raye, Nelly Furtado
Boardmasters is situated across two iconic locations. The festival site sits above the rugged cliffs of Watergate Bay, home to arguably the world's best festival view. There are no less than twelve carefully curated stages, with an assortment of acts ranging from local acoustic talent, to mind-bending visual performers via world class headliners.
- Where: Brecon Beacons, Wales
- When: 14–17 August 2025
- Genre: Alternative, Indie, Indie Pop
- Lineup: High Contrast, Underworld, Wet Leg, Kneecap, TV On The Radio
Located in the truly lovely Black Mountains (near Crickhowell in the Brecon Beacons), this intimate festival is in the most beautiful festival site in the UK, with a 10-year tradition of championing great music, good times and good causes. This incredibly friendly event is also the go-to festival to discover new musical talent, with many Mercury, Ivor Novello and Brit nominees and winners emerging from the festival each year.
