Festivals for free in Australia

Big Day Out - photo from Sydney Morning Herald

Australia’s gigantic festival season is coming up, with Big Day Out preparing to suck in thousands of youngsters willing to pay $165 for a ticket and stand pressed elbow-to-sternum in 45 degree (Celsius) heat, while paying $8 for a bottle of water.  Sounds like fun, right?

If you still think so, and you don’t want to make your own, you can go to most music festivals pretty much everywhere for free by offering to volunteer at them.  Yep, you can go hear all those great bands for free if you work the festival.  Plus you get a cool fluoro shirt and the opportunity, like my friend Nancy, to duck cans thrown by inebriated people.

Seriously, if you like festivals and you happen to be near a place where one is happening, but your vagabonding budget just won’t let you buy a ticket…volunteer and hear Bob Dylan for free.