With festival season in full swing, Vodafone has today launched its new Connected Crowd report, revealing that for many festival goers, their smartphone is now as essential as their ticket.
87% said that reliable on-site connectivity is an essential part of their festival experience.
One in seven (14%) say they’d rather lose their tent than be without their phone for the weekend, underlining just how indispensable connectivity has become to the festival experience.
76% say 2026 is set to be their most shared festival season yet, with memories increasingly shaped, shared and discovered online.
60% of UK festival goers say sharing a photo of their food on social media is as essential to the experience as the meal itself.
Group chats (44%), phone calls (43%) and live location sharing (40%) have become as standard as the festival wristband, as fans rely on connectivity to find their people in the crowd.
From discovering new acts and planning outfits to finding friends in the crowd and sharing (nearly) every moment online, the report explores how connectivity is increasingly at the heart of the festival experience – with 87% of Brits saying it is essential to making the most of a festival.
So much so that festivalgoers say they’d rather lose their tent (14%), wellies (20%) or wristband (22%) than lose their phone for the weekend. In fact, one in six (16%) would go as far to say they’d rather lose their friends – underlining the crucial role connectivity now plays in helping people navigate, capture and enhance their festival experience.
The growing importance of connectivity is also reflected in the amount of network data being used on site. Vodafone is predicting at least a 10% increase in data usage across their festival portfolio this summer. At Klarna presents Latitude Festival alone, more than 40,000 gigabytes of data were consumed – the equivalent of streaming 9,300 hours of HD video, uploading 533,000 Instagram photo posts, or streaming 53,300 hours on Spotify.
To understand the role connectivity plays in festival culture before, during and after the event, Vodafone – Official Connectivity partner to nine festivals, the most of any mobile network operator in the UK – conducted research with festivalgoers.
The study also delved into the music, food and fashion that’s getting everyone talking this summer, with Charlie XCX, the latest fashion trends and vintage tech all dominating the group festival chat and social media feeds.
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Whilst the headline acts remain a huge draw for festivalgoers, many of the most talked-about, shared and searched artists are emerging talent. In fact, four fifths (81%) say they are actively looking online to discover new acts to enjoy this summer.
A further 69% said they spend time streaming music from acts they don’t know prior to attending a festival. The most popular ways to discover and get up to speed with new artists are: listening to their albums (44%); watching clips on TikTok (40%); and exploring official Spotify playlists (36%).
A fifth (22%) say the act they’re most looking forward to seeing this summer is someone they first discovered through Tiktok or social media, and more than half (55%) have used a song recognition app, like Shazam, to identify songs they don’t know while in the crowd.
The act getting people talking this summer across social media and online is Charlie XCX, with 268,000 UK social media mentions in July and a total reach of 103 billion, while her daily UK social media mentions have increased 11.2% compared to June.
Whereas, Sienna Spiro is shaping up to be the breakout artist of the 2026 festival season, driven by an 80% surge in Google searches for “Sienna Spiro tickets” this summer. Her momentum accelerated after ‘Die on This Hill’ went viral on TikTok, where she has built an audience of 4.4 million followers, with the song being used over 8.4 million times.
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Festival fashion is embracing a more effortless aesthetic for 2026, with Pinterest and TikTok trends pointing to relaxed, boho-inspired dressing. In July, searches for “comfy festival outfits” hit 295,000 and increased by 72.9%, while “festival head scarf” reached 293,000, cementing the accessory as one of the season’s standout pieces.
Meanwhile, “boho festival outfits” racked up 202,000 searches, and interest in “chill festival outfit” soared to 282,000.
Seven in 10 (77%) plan their outfits in advance, with social media playing a key role in shaping their looks. TikTok leads as the top source of inspiration (37%), followed by friends (34%), Instagram (31%), celebrities and influencers (24%), and Pinterest (22%).
More than a quarter (29%) say they share inspiration and purchases in their festival group chat, with outfit planning starting an average of two weeks in advance of the festival.
AI is also starting to play a role in the festival planning journey, with a quarter (27%) of those surveyed using AI tools to research outfits and assist with travel planning and logistics.
The food worth finding, and sharing
Two thirds (67%) of festivalgoers now say they expect food at festivals to be high quality, with 63% saying they actively seek out diverse, globally-inspired options.
More than a third (37%) spend time online before they go, looking up food-trends and identifying the hottest cuisine to look out for.
A further 35% keep an eye on social media during the event to find the vendors that everyone is talking about on-site – real-time word of mouth, powered by connectivity.
Six in 10 (60%) say sharing a photo of their food on social media is as essential to the experience as the meal itself – making a strong signal as essential to the food experience as the menu.
Onsite connections
For eight in 10 (80%) festivalgoers, having good connectivity matters to them so they can stay in touch with friends and family on site and back home during a festival weekend.
Finding your people in the crowd has become one of the defining logistical challenges of the modern festival, with connectivity-dependent solutions, such as group chats (44%), being able to make phone calls (43%) and live location sharing (40%) now as standard as the festival wristband.
The popularity of live-streaming is rocketing, and sharing experiences in real time has become part of the ritual. The peak moment for posting is during a live performance, with Instagram Stories (31%) leading the way, followed by Snapchat (27%), Instagram feed posts (26%), and both TikTok Stories and feed posts (25%).
The ‘remote festivalgoer’ is also on the rise, with two thirds (66%) saying they’ve video-called a friend or family member during a set to share the moment in real time, which is only made possible by Vodafone’s fast and reliable network built for every festival.
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A Vodafone spokesperson said: “At Vodafone, our ambition has always been to connect people to the UK’s biggest moments, on The Nation’s Network.
“We’ve seen data usage continue to grow across the festivals we support, reflecting the increasingly important role connectivity plays in the festival experience.
“Whether it’s helping people stay in touch with friends in a busy crowd, navigate the site, or share unforgettable moments as they happen, reliable connectivity has become an essential part of making the most of a festival.
“That’s why we’re committed to providing the best possible network experience, so festivalgoers can stay connected and enjoy every moment.”
Festivalgoers said that 2026 is set to be their most shared festival season to date (76%), with nearly three-quarters (74%) planning to post memories from the weekend online and a similar amount (73%) saying the defining moments of the season are increasingly shaped, shared and discovered online.
With connectivity so integral to the festival experience, portable chargers have become as essential as a waterproof jacket. Seven in 10 (76%) say they won’t go to a festival without one, and demand for on-site charging points has grown year-on-year, with more than half (58%) going as far as saying that the availability of on-site phone charging facilities influences which festivals they choose to attend.
Vintage tech is making a festival comeback, with digital cameras, analogue cameras and camcorders emerging as must-have accessories for capturing nostalgic, film-inspired content.
Reflecting the trend, “digital camera that connects to phone” ranked among the top six breakout search terms over the past month, as festivalgoers look for an easy way to combine retro aesthetics with instant sharing.*
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Vodafone is the Official Connectivity Partner of nine music festivals across the UK – the most of any mobile network operator. These include festivals such as Klarna presents Latitude, Download Festival, Camp Bestival presented by Debenhams, and Audi presents Wilderness.
Vodafone is committed to bringing the nation closer to the UK’s most loved cultural moments through the power of connectivity. By activating advanced network technology at festivals, fans can stay connected when it matters most, getting the most from their festival experience.
Vodafone will be offering non-Vodafone mobile customers the opportunity to try its reliable, award-winning network for free at upcoming festivals. With no commitments or strings attached, Vodafone is inviting people to experience its award-winning network for seven days, completely free, with 50GB of data, 500 minutes and 500 texts included on The Nation’s Network.
To activate the trial, non-Vodafone mobile customers must simply scan a QR code (which can be found at each festival), and the eSIM can then be installed via the My Vodafone app. All they need to try the network for free is an eSIM-compatible smartphone.
Vodafone UK is a technology communications company that connects people, businesses and devices to help our customers benefit from digital innovation. Our services span mobile, fixed-line connections, home and office broadband, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
We have a strong track record as a tech pioneer, making the UK’s first mobile phone call, sending the first text message, and making the UK’s first live holographic call using 5G in 2018. We were the first to start carrying live 5G traffic from a site in Salford, Greater Manchester and now have 5G in locations across Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain as well as the UK. Meanwhile, our 4G network coverage currently reaches over 99% of the UK population.
Today, Vodafone serves more than 20 million unique full fibre premises in the UK through partnerships with CityFibre and Openreach.
For more information about Vodafone UK, please visit: www.vodafone.co.uk
