Contactless payment technology to be introduced at UK festivals

Determined by the BBC, as of next summer music festivals in the UK will stop accepting cash as a form of payment throughout the events.

The new alternative to money will require festival goers to pay for everything electronically, from food and drink to accessories and fairground attractions.

It is thought that consumers will be able to make payments taking a wristband, which will also act as the event ticket, which will be pre-loaded with money, much like prepaid credit cards.

UK trials of the new technology have been carried out a lot more than the past two years.

The 100% cash free festival scheme has not yet been confirmed by event promoters, however one of the companies behind the science said two well known UK festivals would "definitely" eliminate money by summer 2011.

Barclaycard, which sponsors the Wireless Festival in London, will be demonstrating the technology at this calendar year's event and said it was "very hopeful" that the event will be completely cash-free next year.

Download Festival has also been trying out the technologies in parts of its event and is expected to phase the new scheme in next year.

The firm's chief operating officer for UK music, John Probyn, said there was "no race" to be the first in the push into cashless festivals.

"Trials went very well this year, much better than we thought. Now we have to assess where we go from here," he said

Mr Probyn added that ideally the brand new system should have been launched at Download in 2009, but the firm "backed off", after deciding not to go in alone as to avoid the risks of others refusing to adopt the technology.

Festival Republic - which manages some of the biggest events in the UK including Reading and Leeds festivals - trialed a cash-free event at the Hove festival in Norway last year.

Managing director Melvin Benn mentioned: "It was very straight forward, there was no opposition at all

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