Split festival costs with your mates, from the tickets to the drive home
Glastonbury, Reading, Leeds or a small one in a field near you, the money goes the same way. One of you gets through the ticket queue and pays for six on their card, someone buys the gazebo, someone drives, and the big shop goes on whoever was nearest the till. Tabby puts every festival cost on one shared tab that opens from a link, so you can sort it out once you're home. No app and no signup.
Why festival money gets messy
- Tickets go on sale months before, and one person usually buys for the whole group. They're out of pocket from day one.
- Some tickets are a deposit now and the balance later, so that's two payments to keep track of.
- Not everyone travels the same way. Some drive, some get the coach, and someone turns up on the train on Friday night.
- Shared kit like tents, a gazebo and camping chairs gets bought by whoever had time to go to the shop.
- Signal is patchy, everyone's knackered, and "I'll send it to you" turns into September.
What to put on the tab
Tickets
Add them the day they're bought and split them between the people they were for. If it's a deposit and a balance, add each one when it's paid.
Camping gear
Tents, the gazebo, chairs, a cool box. Add anything you're sharing and leave off anyone who brought their own.
Getting there
Fuel and the car park pass, or the coach tickets one person booked for a few of you. Split each one between whoever used it.
Food and drink
The supermarket run before you go, ice, gas for the stove and any rounds in the field you're sharing.
When one person pays for everyone
The ticket buyer
Whoever got through the queue adds the full amount and picks who the tickets were for, themselves included. Everyone sees their share straight away and can pay them back long before the festival.
The driver
Add the fuel and parking for the people in the car. If the driver is chipping in, include them. If the group agreed the passengers cover it, leave them off.
The one who did the shop
Add the receipt as one expense for everyone it fed. If the beer was only for the drinkers, add it as its own expense and pick who it's for.
How to use Tabby as a festival expense splitter
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1
Open a tab when you buy the tickets
Name it something like "Reading 2027" and pick £. You get a private link straight away.
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2
Share it in the group chat
Everyone opens the link in their browser and picks their name. Nobody needs an account or an app.
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3
Add costs as they happen
Tickets months before, kit the week before, fuel on the way down. Choose who each cost is for.
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4
Settle up when you're home
Tabby shows who owes who. If two people owe each other, it nets that into one payment. Send a bank transfer and mark it settled.
Fair splits for a festival weekend
Tabby splits each expense equally between the people you choose. That covers most festival setups without anyone doing sums on the back of a wristband.
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| One person bought tickets for the group | One expense for the tickets, split between the people they were for |
| Deposit now, balance later | Two expenses, each added on the day it was paid |
| Half drove, half got the coach | Fuel split between the car, coach tickets split between the people on the coach |
| A tent for three and a tent for two | Separate expenses, each split between the people sleeping in it |
| Someone only came for Saturday | Leave them off the costs from the days they missed |
| Someone's keeping the gazebo after | Agree it first. They either pay for it themselves or the group splits it as normal |
More ways to use Tabby
Questions
How do you split festival costs with friends? +
Put every shared cost on one tab as it's paid: tickets, camping gear, fuel, coach tickets and the food shop. Split each one between the people it was for, then settle up once you're home.
One of us bought all the tickets. How do we pay them back? +
They add the tickets as one expense and choose who they were for. Everyone can see their share and pay them back by bank transfer, then mark it settled on the tab. Tabby doesn't move any money itself.
Can we leave someone out of an expense? +
Yes. When you add an expense, choose specific people instead of everyone. Whoever got the coach stays off the fuel, and whoever brought their own tent stays off yours.
Does it work without signal? +
No, Tabby needs a connection. Festival signal can be patchy, so add costs when you've got a bar or two, or keep the receipts and add them on the way home.
Do we all need to download an app? +
No. Tabby runs in the browser from a private link, so anyone in the group can open it on their phone. Nobody signs up.
We're going to a festival abroad. Can we use euros? +
Yes. Each tab uses one currency: pounds, euros or US dollars. Pick euros to match the receipts, or stick with pounds if you'd rather settle up in £.
How many people can be on one tab? +
Up to 30, which covers most camping groups.
Is this the Tabby buy now, pay later app? +
No, that's a separate company. This Tabby is a free expense splitter at tabby.money. It doesn't lend money or take payments.
Is it free? +
Yes. No paid plan, no ads and no account.