As the music festival season gears up for summer, 60% of festival goers believe it is still ‘all about the music’, a recent YouGov survey reports.
Music festivals are predominantly more popular among younger people, with almost six in ten (58%) 18-34 year olds stating they have attended a music festival. In contrast 68% of 35-54 year olds and 78% of those aged 55 and above have never attended a music festival.
Of those Brits who have attended a music festival, Glastonbury is the most popular, with 15% of respondents having attended the open-air music festival in Somerset. V Festival (9%), Reading (8%), T in the Park (7%) and Isle of Wight (6%) are also popular amongst Brits.
Interestingly, a quarter of festival goers over 54 years old have attended the Isle of Wight festival in contrast to only 4% of 18-34 year olds, perhaps reflecting the range of artists from generations gone by. Leeds (17%) and V Festival (13%) prove the most popular for the younger generations.
Despite the popularity of music festivals, 69% of Brits agree that tickets are becoming too expensive. Only 17% of respondents would pay over £100 for a ticket to a headlining festival, although younger people are more likely to splash out, with 29% of 18-34 year olds prepared to pay over £100 in contrast to only 4% of 55 and overs.
Regionally, although Scots are the joint most likely to agree that music festivals are too expensive (71% agree versus 65% in the North), they are also paradoxically the most prepared to pay more than £100 (21% as opposed to 12% in London).
Overall, 55% of Brits believe that festivals are becoming overly commercial, at the expense of the quality of the music. This is reflected in the principal criteria for choosing which festival to attend, with 75% of 18-24 year olds placing music line up as the key determinant. The overall festival experience, as agreed on by 37% of respondents, and the general reputation of the festival (28%) complete the top three prerequisites, while only 12% were concerned with additional arts and entertainment.
