Ticketmaster Releases Report on UK Festival Trends

Ticketmaster has released its State of Play report, which highlights current trends in the UK festival sector. The data came from a survey of 2,000 adults who’d attended a festival within the past five years, as well as anonymized transactional data from purchasers of Ticketmaster’s festival portfolio, covering orders for events placed between January 2022 and December 2024.

Family findings:

• 43% of parents see festivals as a genuine alternative to a traditional family holiday.

• 57% of parents said seeing their child enjoy live music for the first time was what they liked most about having kids at a festival.

• 73% said festivals are better than family trips for introducing children to new cultures and experiences.

• 52% of parents said a safe and secure environment is the biggest influence on their decision to bring children to a festival.

• Camp Bestival has seen a 155% YoY increase in weekend camping tickets for children aged 2-4.

Going solo:

• 2019’s State of Play report showed that only 8% of attendees had attended a festival alone. Now, almost one in three fans has gone by themselves, and nearly one in five are open to trying it.

• Strong interest in a particular artist/music (38%), flexibility (34%), meeting new people (31%) and enjoying time alone (31%) were the major reasons for solo attendance.

• Festivals are increasingly catering for solo attendees with Reading and Leeds introducing initiatives such as solo-specific campsites.

Waste not:

• 2019’s report showed 62% of fans saw waste reduction as a priority. It’s now risen to nearly 80%.

• 67% of fans say sustainability impacts their ticket choices.

• 66% want low-carbon travel options.

Social media:

• 25% of festivalgoers discover new festivals through social platforms.

• 33% said documenting the weekend is part of the ritual.

• 39% of fans want better Wi-Fi at festivals; 34% want more charging points; 28% want better lighting for night content.

The VIP experience:

• Nearly 50% of VIP upgrades are driven by better toilets, showers, and rest areas.

• Faster entry, shorter queues, or calmer spaces were also a big driver of upgrades at 39%.

Buying habits:

• Almost one in five punters buys a ticket before any acts are announced – triple the number in 2019 – showing that festival brand and atmosphere are often as big a draw as the headliners.

• 39% buy after a few artists are announced, but not the full line-up.

• 23% wait for the full line-up.

• Day tickets have been the most popular ticket types over the past five years at 47%.

• Price/value is the biggest motivator when buying (47%), followed by location/travel (39%), schedule (37%) and early-bird pricing (30%).