Glastonbury Festival named second in 2024’s best festival ranking (Picture: Jim Dyson/Redferns)
It’s hard to believe given the immense hype surrounding the festival but Glastonbury has not been crowned the best festival in the world.
The iconic music event is certainly the biggest in the UK, with artists from all genres and fame levels heading to Worthy Farm on June 26.
While some may gripe about the line-up not being ‘good enough’, the resounding opinion is that there’s nothing in the world like Glasto.
Even if there’s nothing like it — it appears there is something better.
Turns out Sziget Festival in Budapest is 2024’s best festival in the world, pushing Glasto into second place with Belgium’s Tomorrowland taking third.
Factors like ticket prices and the number of stages, acts, and guests were all considered for marks out of 10 for over 50 festivals around the world.
Glastonbury has one of the biggest capacities of any festival (Picture: Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Sziget was named the best festival of 2024 (Picture: Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP)
Shockingly famed US festival Coachella didn’t even make the top 10 while London’s Mighty Hoopla took the crown for the most affordable event.
Slingo, who compiled the research, gave Glasto a total score of 7.5/10 due to the high ticket price (the fourth most expensive) and how hard they are to get ahold of.
While it might attract huge names like Elton John last year, the rigmarole of trying to go seems to have lost the Somerset festival some points here.
The site noted: ‘One of the world’s most famous music festivals, Glastonbury attracts many of the most prominent artists from around the globe, with this year’s headliners including Dua Lipa, Coldplay, and SZA. Glastonbury tickets cost £355 and are some of the most difficult to get ahold of, with general admission tickets selling out in just 58 minutes for this year’s event.’
The metric landed Glasto in second place behind Sziget Festival (Picture: Slingo)
Comparatively, Budapest’s Sziget is still bringing in huge names but is cheaper and smaller with more stages (60 by Slingo’s count).
They said: ‘Sziget Festival is Slingo’s top festival of 2024, earning a score of 8.50/10. With a capacity of 90,000, it attracts swarms of music lovers every year.
‘The festival lasts six days, and tickets cost just under £240 (€279). This year, headliners include Kylie Minogue, Halsey, Stormzy, and Fontaines D.C.’
Budapest’s music festival will take place this year from Wednesday, August 7 to Monday, August 12.
Last year Florence and the Machine headlined Sziget Festival (Picture: Didier Messens/Getty Images)
Tomorrowland took third place in the ranking (Picture: Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The lineup for Sziget is akin to what you would see on Glasto’s Pyramid Stage but for £100 cheaper.
In fact, that £100 could cover your flights there and back — you might still be quids in over attempting to get the train to Somerset.
Rounding out Slingo’s top 10 festivals were Romania’s Untold, Netherlands’ Mysterland, Denmark’s Roskilde, UK’s Creamfields, Spain’s Primavera Sound, and Netherlands’ Dekmantel.
Squeezing into the top was the US-based Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) which is the largest electric dance festival stateside and has been running since the early 90s.
You might save money heading to Budapest’s Sziget vs Glasto next year (Picture: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
Worthy Farm will always have a special place in festival-goers hearts (Picture: Anna Barclay/Getty Images)
If you were less than impressed with Glasto’s line up this year, maybe take a look at Szieget or one of the other international festival next year as they may surprise you.
Meanwhile, if you managed to land tickets for the historic festival, it’s now only days before artists like The Feeling, Dexy’s Midnight Runners, and Avril Lavigne take to the stage.
Organisers for the festival are already bracing for the huge 210,000 attendees to arrive and have issued a plea to keep the place waste-free.
Last year 98% of people took their tents home with them but there was still around 2,000 tonnes of rubbish created over the weekend.
‘Love the farm, leave no trace,’ organisers have asked of festival-goers.
Glastonbury Festival takes place at Worthy Farm from Wednesday, June 26, to Sunday, June 30.
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