Fans of the Lowlands pop festival and other big events will have to dig even deeper to pay for tickets, but organisers say price rises can’t be helped, broadcaster NOS reports.

The three-day Lowland festival, which takes place in Biddinghuizen in August, will cost €300 this year, compared to the already hefty entrance fee of €255 last year.

Events organiser Mojo spokesman Bente Bollmand admitted the rise was ‘steep’ but pointed to rising energy costs and inflation as reasons for the hike. Tents and portable loos are in greater demand because they are needed for refugee housing and are also more expensive to rent, he said. At the same time, artists’ fees have also gone up.

Bollmann said the hike may exclude people who don’t  have much money, such as students. ‘It’s a real worry,’ Bollmann said, ‘but at the same time people expect quality and a big name like Billie Eilish, for instance, would be typical Lowlands’.

Lowlands is not the only festival with high ticket prices. The North Sea Jazz festival will cost jazz lovers €300 for a weekend, up €50 on last year. Tickets for Pinkpop, Down the Rabbit Hole and Rock Werchter in Belgium have also gone up considerably.

On social media some festival goers said they would ‘pass this year’ or would have to ‘stop eating for a couple of months to go to Lowlands’.