Group festival trips have one problem: getting 8 people to commit and pay. Here is the system for getting everyone confirmed, splitting costs fairly, and not being the one who ends up paying for three no-shows.
The logistics failure mode of a group festival trip is predictable: the organiser books accommodation for 10, gets committed payment from 7, three people drop out, and the organiser absorbs the cost of three beds they couldn't fill. Here is the system that prevents this.
The commitment rule
Do not book anything until everyone who says they're coming has paid a non-refundable deposit into a shared pot. The deposit needs to be high enough to create genuine commitment — $150–200 per person, covering roughly the accommodation deposit and the first ticket instalment. The rule is simple: no money, no spot. People who are "probably coming" or "almost definitely in" are people who will drop out when something comes up.
Use a group payment tool — Splitwise for tracking, and either a shared Venmo pot or a separate bank account that one person administers. The administrator should be someone who is definitely going and who is comfortable chasing outstanding payments.
The ticket problem
Most major festivals sell tickets individually, not as group blocks. The group needs to either buy simultaneously (coordinate a ticket drop time and everyone buys at the same time), or one person buys all tickets and is immediately reimbursed. The second approach requires trust and is the one that creates bad blood when someone drops out after the tickets are purchased.
For festivals with group ticket options (Glastonbury coach packages, some European festivals with group rates), use them — the group rate is usually 5–10% cheaper and the purchase is coordinated.
Accommodation
A single large house or villa typically outperforms separate hotel rooms for groups of 8+, on cost and on experience. Vrbo and Airbnb both have large property options near most major festivals. Key factors to check: minimum night requirements (some festival-area properties require 5–7 night minimums), distance from site and transport options, cancellation policy (choose flexible or medium — not strict, given the group dynamics that make cancellations likely), and whether the property has a kitchen (cooking for the group is significantly cheaper than catering all meals at the festival).
Book accommodation in the group administrator's name. Use a credit card with travel protection. If the property is cancelled by the host, you want a single point of contact with leverage.
Transport
For 8+ people, a minibus hire (with or without driver) is often cheaper per person than individual car hire or multiple taxis. Hire companies at most festival locations offer festival week rates. A 12-seat minibus for a week in the UK or Europe costs £400–600 — cheaper per person than any other option. Someone needs a valid driving licence appropriate for the vehicle class (usually a standard licence covers up to 9 seats; above that requires a D1 category).
The day-of-festival plan
Accept that a group of 10 will not move together as a unit once inside the festival. Build in a meeting point and time ("main stage left barrier, 8pm, before the headliner") and let people fragment into sub-groups during the day. The attempt to keep 10 people together across a festival site is the thing that makes everyone miserable. Group breakfast, individual afternoons, group meetup for the headline sets — this is the format that works.
The dropout handling plan
Someone will drop out. Define in advance what happens to their spot and their money. Options: their deposit is forfeit (they knew this when they paid — this is the whole point of the deposit structure); their spot can be offered to a named replacement they source; or the remaining group absorbs the cost. The third option breeds resentment. The first two are both defensible — pick one before anyone drops out, not after.