The biggest cost to festivals is the artists, and fees have increased considerably since 2000 - in fact this year's Reading headliners probably charged at least twice the amount that the ones back in 2000 did, so to be fair, ticket prices have increased at a less than proportional rate, meaning that the festival has absorbed a chunk of this extra cost rather than passing it onto the ticket buyer. Bottom line is festival organisers are not raking it in at the expense of their fans, as is often suggested by the ever increasing prices of tickets. And Reading really did make a big effort to enhance the fans' experience this year, to make up for the increased price.