UK’s Festivals: A New Kind of Summer Escape

22 August 2025 rocknews

With the end of the season nearing, it’s going to be another year before the next Download, Call of the Wild, or Boomtown Fair. But before we pack away the tents and rinse off the glitter, we’re diving into Ticketmaster’s newly launched State of Play: Festivals 2025 report — a deep dive into how UK’s Festivals are evolving, who’s going, why they’re buying, and how the on-site experience is changing.

The 10 Most Attended UK’s Festivals in 2025

Here’s a quick roll call of the biggest crowd-pullers this year:

Glastonbury – Somerset (~210,000 attendees)
Reading & Leeds – Reading and Leeds (~180,000 combined)
Creamfields – Cheshire (~280,000 weekend total)
Download – Derbyshire (~80,000)
Isle of Wight – Isle of Wight (~90,000)
Parklife – Manchester (~80,000)
Wireless – London (~150,000 weekend total)
TRNSMT – Glasgow (~150,000 weekend total)
Boomtown Fair – Hampshire (~66,000)
Latitude – Suffolk (~40,000)

How UK’s Festivals Are Changing: Key Trends from Ticketmaster

Ticketmaster’s 2025 findings highlight some major cultural shifts across UK’s Festivals:

Festivals as Family Holidays

73% of parents say festivals beat traditional trips for exposing kids to new cultures
65% say they create stronger family memories
43% now see them as full replacements for summer holidays

More than half of UK festivalgoers (51%) already attend with family — including younger relatives (23%), older relatives (13%), or both (15%). At Camp Bestival, there’s been a 155% year-on-year increase in two to four-year-olds camping with parents, showing how UK’s Festivals are becoming truly multigenerational.

Solo Raving and Older Audiences

29% of Brits have attended a festival solo
18% say they’d consider it in future
66% of festivalgoers are aged over 35, with Millennials and Gen X leading the charge

UK’s Festivals are no longer just youth-driven — they’re becoming spaces where generations party side by side.

Sustainability and Social Media

67% say sustainability impacts ticket choices
77% want less waste
66% want low-carbon travel options
25% discover new festivals via social media
33% say documenting the experience is part of the ritual

Organisers are responding with selfie zones, stronger Wi-Fi, and eco-conscious upgrades — proving UK’s Festivals are adapting to modern values.

VIP (Very Important Plumbing) Upgrades: Comfort Over Exclusivity

47% upgrade for better toilets, showers, and rest areas
8% always opt for VIP
Around a third of 18–34s who’ve tried VIP say they’d do it again

Luxury at Festivals isn’t about velvet ropes — it’s about plumbing that works.

Why UK’s Festivals Are More Than Just Music

Sarah Slater, SVP Music & Festivals at Ticketmaster UK, sums it up:

“Festivals are the new family holiday, the new weekend escape, and the place people go to connect. Fans want more than just the music – they’re after comfort, culture, and moments that mean something.”

Rock News Closing Riff: Why We’ll Always Return to UK’s Festivals

Like most of our readers, we love a good festival — even if it means packing for four seasons in one weekend, turning lobster-red after 15 minutes of sun, braving biblical downpours, losing a wellie in a mud pit worthy of folklore, or returning to a tent that’s taken flight like a rogue kite. It’s all part of the chaos we crave. And with UK’s Festivals looking healthier than ever, we’re already itching for next year’s line-ups. From the giants like Download and Glasto to the rising niche gems carving out cult followings, UK’s Festivals are evolving — and we’ll be there, boots on, poncho flapping, ready to dive headfirst into whatever madness 2026 brings.