Cash Free Festivals Set To Become Reality in the UK

Music festivals that do not accept cash are set to come to the UK from next summer, reports the BBC.

Festival goers will no longer have to carry money on them, instead they will have to pay electronically for everything from food and drink to t-shirts and fairground rides.

Payments will likely be made via a wristband, which also acts as both a ticket for entry and an electronic money storage unit. Festival goers will have to pre-load the devices with money.

In the UK there have been small scale trials of the technology in the past two years.

Barclaycard, sponsors of the Wireless Festival in London, is showcasing the technology at this year's event and are said to be very hopeful that it would be entirely cash-free next year.

Festival Republic, organisers of some of the UK's largest events including Reading and Leeds festivals, trialled a cash-free event at Hove festival in Norway last year.

Managing Director, Melvin Benn said, "It was very straight forward, there was no opposition at all" he added "The reality is that we are all looking at cashless activity in the UK. It will definitely happen. It's just a matter of time."

The concept uses radio frequency identification (RFID) systems - which involve a microchip being embedded into the wristband or ticket. Festival organisers hope this will also help them avoid counterfeit tickets.

They say other benefits would include:

• Avoiding having millions of pounds of cash on festival sites, which is seen as a security risk and is expensive to transport and guard

• Improving security for festival goers - who would no longer have to carry cash around and who could freeze their account if the payment device was lost

• Cutting theft and fraud by staff working at festivals

• Making service quicker at bars, and allowing management to monitor stock levels in real-time

• Controlling entry to different parts of the festival such as backstage or VIP areas

Under the plans, money left on the card at the end of an event could be transferred back to the ticket holder's bank account.

Other options may involve allowing it to be used after the festival, for example towards buying a CD, or using at another event run by the same promoter.