Whether you’re a lover of darts, a football phenetic or a dedicated Taylor Swift fan, you may have fallen victim to ‘disgusting’ price hikes sweeping through events across the country.
While the price of a pint has shot up at many major sporting events and left fans raging, others have been hit by the skyrocketing cost of overnight stays, as hotel bosses cash in by raising fees when events are happening nearby.
Taylor Swift fans with tickets to the superstar’s sold out Eras Tour have faced trebling hotel costs as bosses raise prices by 200 per cent when the singer is in town.
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Meanwhile, football season ticket holders have been hammered by a string of price hikes for the upcoming Premier League campaign.
MailOnline takes a look at some of the ways hardworking Brits are being squeezed for every penny at popular events across the UK.
Have YOU been ripped off? Email rory.tingle@mailonline.co.uk
Darts
£9.50 pints for fans watching Luke Littler
Darts lovers were left outraged at ‘disgusting’ beer prices after being forced to stump up nearly £10 for a pint at the 02.
A picture of the bar prices at the London venue during last Thursday’s Premier League Darts final went viral on social media.
While the 14,000-strong crowd enjoyed some top quality action with 17-year-old sensation Luke Littler lifting the trophy, they were ripped off when it came to liquid refreshment.
Darts fans were left gobsmacked at the price of a pint at last Thursday Premier League darts at the 02
The ‘cheapest’ pint – lagers Budweiser and Stella Artois, plus Camden Stout – came in at an eye-watering £8.95 a pint.
More ‘premium’ beers cost even more, with Camden Pale Ale priced at £9.25 and Camden Hells Lager at £9.50.
Cider wasn’t any cheaper, with Thatchers Gold priced at £8.95 and Thatchers Fusion a costly £9.25.
Fans in fancy dress watch the final between Littler and Humphries last Thursday – but they had to stump up for the privilege
There was nothing to be gained by buying in bulk either, with the price of a two-pint glass exactly double the price of one pint.
Even a half-pint came in at £4.85 or more as thirsty darts fans were left paying through the nose.
Football
Want to buy an England shirt for the Euros? That will be £125 please
Much was made of Nike’s decision to recolour the England flag on the team’s new shirt, but fans are just as angry about the pricing.
The ‘stadium version’ of the jersey comes in at £84.99 for adults and £64.99 for children while the ‘authentic match’ version is £124.99 and £119.99 respectively.
Fans slammed the sky-high prices on X, where one wrote: ‘I honestly feel so sorry for kids. When I was young I was so excited to get the new England kit. Such a shame I can’t afford to get my kids one.’
A second posted: ‘Lovely new kits for England. Top stuff… however… the price of £125 for a ‘replica’ kit or £85 for a ‘stadium shirt’ are utterly unforgiveable. Exploitative pricing.’
The ‘authentic’ version of England’s Euro 2024 kit comes in at an astonishing £124.99
Clubs accused of trying to ‘kill off’ season tickets by hiking prices
Football season ticket holders have been hammered by a series of price rises for the upcoming Premier League campaign.
Nottingham Forest has led the pack with the increases, with fans asked to pay an average of 24 per cent more to secure their seat.
The cheapest ticket has also gone up to £550 from £465, while a child season ticket has risen from £90 to more than double that figure at £190.
Nottingham Forest have announced a huge rise in season ticket prices for their fans ahead of next season
Age brackets have also been adjusted ahead of next season, with only 14 to 17-year-olds eligible for a youth season ticket, whereas the current range is 12 to 19-year-olds.
The changes are expected to generate £2m for Forest, and club chiefs have defended the price rises.
Selling one off tickets to tourists and occasional fans is a much more lucrative option for many clubs.
Fulham charged adults outside the family area a minimum of £67 to see the side face Manchester United last year, while the highest priced option was £160 for the new Riverside Stand.
£15 for a burger and chips at Wembley
Social media account Footy Scrans often shares pictures of punters’ matchday food – which ranges from extremely disappointing to very good value.
At Wembley, fans have to pay up to £15 for a burger and chips, while Arsenal fans will have to cough up £18.05 for a double cheeseburger and fries.
Coming in at £6.50 is a depressing looking hot dog at Wycombe Wanderers which users described as looking as ‘undercooked’ and had no onions or sauce.
At a more affordable £4.50, a photo of a soggy steak and kidney pie drenched in mushy peas and gravy was also shared to the page. As was a dry, overcooked burger with two sad gherkins on top at Brighton.
Football fans often share their best and worst meals. Among the worst to be shared is a miserable looking £5.50 burger at Chesterfield FC which is topped with a sad dollop of ketchup and a grim piece of melted cheese
This grim looking bacon sarnie (£4.60) was touted as one of the worst of the season at Reading FC
This dry, overcooked burger with two sad gherkins on top was being offered to fans at Brighton & Hove Albion FC
This is a £5 bacon and cheese loaded chips at Halifax Town FC. The photo shows the undercooked fries covered in bright pink rashes
This Manchester United fan spent £4.70 on a burnt cheese and ham panini (pictured)
Another football fan admitted they were less than impressed with being charged £4 for a slice of processed cheese and chips (pictured) at Birmingham City
One person racked up over 2,000 likes on a photograph of their disappointing hot dog bought for £4 at Morecambe FC
One football lover shared a photograph of a cheeseburger (pictured) bought from Luton Town for £4.10 that had been almost burnt entirely black
A small sausage served at Burton Albion for £3 was dubbed ‘disgraceful’ by fans
HORSERACING
Carling at £7.50 a pint and £6.75 for a shot
A day at the races might be a chance to win big – but you’d have to pull off a pretty big bet just to pay for a round of drinks.
An estimated 150,000 punters flocked to Aintree for Grand National in April, but attendees were left gobsmacked by the eye-watering prices for beverages.
It may be known as ‘the People’s Race’, but fans had pay £7.50 for pints of draught beer or cider, including Carling, and £7 for Guinness – which has risen in price by 50p since last year.
Grand National attendees were left gobsmacked by the eye-watering prices for drinks
An estimated 150,000 punters flocked to the Liverpool racecourse for the three-day event
Fizz enthusiasts will be asked to shell out £46 for a bottle of Prosecco and £85 for champagne – accumulating an increase of £8.
The reveal of the event’s booze prices has sparked a lot of online debate, with some describing the fees as a ‘rip off’ and ‘legalised robbery’.
At the Cheltenham Festival in March this year – pints of Guinness, Madri Lager, Aspall Suffolk Cyder or Atlantic Pale Ale were all £7.50, with the cheapest rose champagne at the meet being £48.
Festivals
Cheap as chips? Not for £8 a go at Glasto!
Opting to get by with a portion of fries is one of the few options for festival goers looking to fill up without breaking the bank – but not so at Glasto.
One music lover was left stunned after being charged £8 for a small, sorry-looking portion of chips at the iconic festival last year, with a photo showing a paltry pile of fries in a small carboard box.
According to Glastonbury’s website, food and drink costs at the festival are the equivalent of London prices.
Glastonbury revellers had to pay £8 for this paltry portion of chips
But revellers came in for a shock after finding food stalls were charging £15 for a chicken burger and fries – or £18 for a double.
Tickets for the 2024 festival will cost at least £355 – a £20 increase on last year – with punters also having to stump up a £5 booking fee and £9.95 for delivery.
So if you’re considering attending this year, you may want to take out a bank loan first…
Grab and go food
£13 for a cheese and pickle baguette meal deal from Pret
If you’re on your way to an event and want to save money, you may decide to pick up some food on the way…
But with the surging cost of grab and go meal deals, it pays to do your research to avoid getting stung.
Trendy sandwich chain Pret A Manger recently sparked fury for charging £7.15 for a cheese and pickle baguette – with the price almost doubling if diners opt to add crisps and a smoothie.
Trendy sandwich chain Pret A Manger recently sparked fury for charging £7.15 for a cheese and pickle baguette – with the price almost doubling if diners opt to add crisps and a smoothie
Customers reacted with dismay on social media as the eye-watering ‘dine in’ price for the chain’s ‘posh’ cheese and pickle sandwich was snapped at a London tube station branch.
The baguette costs £5.95 at transport hub stations to take away – and, when coupled with a £1.75 bag of crisps and a £5 green smoothie for a fully rounded lunch, costs £12.70.
To eat it in store, the chain then levies a £1.20 VAT charge on the sandwich – taking its price up to £7.15, and the total deal to £13.90.
The price of the sub falls by more than 20 per cent to £5.72, including VAT, for those signed up to the £30-a-month Club Pret membership who want to eat in.
Taylor Swift’s tour
The eyewatering price of tickets to Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour alone might be enough to put off some fans from attending the event.
But some Swifties have also faced trebling hotel prices as bosses cash in by hiking costs by 200 per cent when the singer comes to town.
The Premier Inn at Wembley Stadium was quoting £313 on August 15, when Ms Swift appeared, compared to £74 exactly one week before.
Some Taylor Swift fans have faced trebling hotel prices while travelling for The Eras Tour as hotel bosses cash in by hiking costs when the singer comes to town
Taylor Swift performing at The Eras Tour in Lisbon, Portugal, on May 24
Booking.com showed a £678 rate on the same night at the Wembley Park Hotel, compared to less than half of that for two nights the previous week.
In August, Adele Hickingbothom, 36, bought £100 tickets for her and her mother to attend the Eras tour in Cardiff.
But after checking hotel prices, and noting they were £200 per night just before she bought tickets, she was horrified to realise they had shot up to £600 half an hour later after she made the purchase.
Thanks to the tour, some Travelodge hotels near venues sold out a year in advance.
