26/08/2025
The 2025 festival season has made a lot of noise. The sun stuck around, the politics spilled onto the stages (and headlines), and the dust made half of us feel like we’d wandered into Dune.
A gloriously plentiful choice in line-ups means it really does feel like there’s a festival for everyone - whether you were at a slick, brand-backed weekender or a scrappy DIY field party. This summer didn’t just show us what festivals look like now; it hinted at where they’re headed.
Weather: From Wellies to Facemasks
Traditionally, a British festival means mud. This year however, we swapped our wellies for our old 2020 facemasks. With barely a drop of rain, festivals turned into dustbowls. By June, I’d given up pretending the black snot was temporary, and by August some festivals such as All Points East were actively warning punters to bring face coverings.
Although gorgeous sunshine is the dream at a festival, Some weekends bordered on too hot - 34°C at 2000trees had punters baking. However the organisers of the festivals we attended really rose to the occasion - water readily available, and first aid tents giving out free suncream for those of use prone to going a bit pink. Still, for the most part, the weather was glorious…if not a little surreal for those of us used to trench foot.
Politics and Protest
Festivals have always been political spaces, but 2025 carried a sharper edge, particularly around Gaza. Artists like Bob Vylan at Glastonbury and The Mary Wallopers at Victorious faced pushback for voicing pro-Palestine views. It sparked debate about whether festivals remain spaces for radical expression. Commercial pressures - especially at events tied to broadcasters - made some organisers cautious, but attempts to mute solidarity often backfired, only amplifying the message. For many festivalgoers, it felt vital that these stages reflected the urgency of the moment rather than shying away from it. Festivals are escapism, yes, but they’re also gathering places for resistance, and 2025 proved that the politics of Palestine couldn’t be silenced at the gate.
Another flashpoint this year was trans rights. Following the controversial EHRC ruling, some festivals - most notably Download - initially announced that “trans women (biological men) should not be permitted to use the women’s facilities and trans men (biological women) should not be permitted to use the men’s facilities.” The backlash was swift, and they later backtracked, saying they would not be policing gender in toilets after all. Other festivals, like 2000trees, went the other way entirely - openly rejecting that stance and making a point of their allyship by turning their iconic logo statue into the Progress Pride flag.
Personally, it feels faintly ridiculous to gender festival toilets at all. The solution is hardly rocket science: have loos, have urinals, maybe have a few inclusive urinals for those of us without dicks, and let people just get on with enjoying the music.
Toilets: From Trauma to Tolerable
Festival toilets will always be a cultural touchstone - but things are improving! Wilderness and 2000trees were frankly excellent, and it feels like we’re creeping toward a baseline of acceptability. That said, not everyone is quite there yet (looking at you, We Out Here).
It would be brilliant if more festivals hit the “good loo” standard, because let’s be honest, nothing dictates your mood at a festival more than the state of the toilets. They also play a surprisingly big role in accessibility. For people with stomach issues or other health needs, quick and easy access to a decent loo isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity.
On top of that, better facilities help change the wider reputation of festivals. Moving away from the image of muddy fields and grubby hippy types makes the whole experience feel more welcoming and diverse. Clean loos aren’t glamorous, but they might just be one of the most important steps in making festivals truly for everyone.
Are the Kids Alright?
Here’s where it gets interesting. Without wanting to sound like a ‘back-in-my-day’ grandma, Festival crowds feel different now. The younger crowd can be… odd. Sitting down waiting for the headliner, even right at the front, if they don’t know the artist on prior. Scrolling on phones until the TikTok-viral hook drops. Standing frozen in between the songs they came for. There’s a performative element to it, like they’re waiting for a clip rather than living in the moment. I also wonder if a generation raised on smartphones is just too self-conscious – too aware of every camera pointed their way – to properly let loose and just vibe. Whatever the cause, it can create some strange energy at festivals that lean younger. Even just a polite sway before your favourite song comes on would go a long way to keeping the vibe alive.
And then you’ve got parents with kids. Which is fine, until it isn’t. On our way to Sabrina Carpenter’s BST Headline set, I overheard a mum saying to her daughters “we’ll definitely get to the front, people will let the kids through” - while ignoring the fact that fans had camped out since the morning, and the crowd was already mostly kids. Festivals are festivals; you can’t expect everyone to part like the Red Sea for your offspring. There were similar grumbles at 2000trees, with parents camping with chairs and blankets right by the main stage and accidentally killing some of the mosh energy. Crowds are also simply a tough place for kids – they’re smaller, so parents stick them on their shoulders, but that means someone behind has their entire view blocked. I heard about one poor soul who spent Olivia Rodrigo’s whole BST set being stuck behind a child not only sat, but stood on her fathers shoulders, completely obscuring their view.
It’s a tricky line. Festivals can be such magical, formative experiences for kids, and I’d never argue they shouldn’t be there - I grew up attending WOMAD every year. But it does need a bit more self-awareness, epsecially from the parents, to make sure their experience doesn’t come at the expense of everyone else’s.
On the flip side, it’s been brilliant to see how inclusive festivals have become. I love knowing my festival days won’t be over the moment I plop out a baby. Some festivals such as Wilderness even offering nanny services at camping sites. It’s surreal, but it does mean festivals are more accessible than ever, whether you’re 6 or 60.
City Day Fests vs Countryside Camping
City-based festivals are booming, but the sound is often suspiciously quieter - likely thanks to the highly publicised campaigns by local NIMBYs and subsequent tighter noise restrictions. I even spied some locals stalking the perimeter of City Splash festival with sound level meters, to check the sound system weren’t booming too loud.
I can appreciate it to an extent, but lowering the sound kills the vibe: if the music isn’t loud enough, people talk, and suddenly you’re listening to someone’s break-up story instead of basslines.
Add in cost-of-living pressures, and some big-city fests struggled to sell out, flogging cheap tickets last minute that annoyed full-price buyers and brought in “something to do on a Friday night” crowds who didn’t necessarily vibe with the festival ethos. This has lead to some London day fests that didn’t quite reach anticipated heights.
However, camping festivals still offer that fully immersive, cut-off-from-the-world community magic. Shambala, for example, continues to feel like its own utopian village. With the weather we’ve had this year, the British countryside has been truly beautiful – and multiple festivals these days have swimming lakes as park of their offering, giving attendees a perfect cool off sunny activity.
Food, Drink and Fashion
Festival food has levelled up massively. Gone are the days of just limp chips (maybe with some questionable cheese grated on top), greasy pizza and soggy burgers. Global street food has taken over, and festivals are now genuinely great opportunity to branch out and to try new cuisines. I sampled Nepalese, Nigerian, Trinidadian and Korean foods across the summer, to name but a few. Drinks are also evolving: yes, you’ll still find lukewarm lager, but craft beer, cocktails, and Hennessy bars aren’t unusual. It’s also great to see decent low and no alcohol options available, with some festivals having dedicated bars for this.
Fashion has also exploded. Dressing for your favourite artist (think cowboy fits for Beyoncé) has trickled into festival culture. Sequins, feathers, crochet, mesh, leather - all ages, all sizes, all vibes. Anyone can wear anything - or nothing (looking at you, Wilderness).
Corporations vs Community
It’s been a tough year for smaller festivals, with favourites Cambridge Folk Festival and Secret Garden Party bowing out. The corporate-backed festivals dominate, and while they keep things alive (and bankroll massive artist fees), the branded presence can feel relentless. It feels increasingly prevalent – American Express were at multiple festivals this year giving out freebies, as were Three. BST Hyde Park even had a Lidl pop up and at Reading, adverts played between sets on the screens and speakers. It all chips away at that rebellious, free-living spirit many of us grew up associating with festivals.
It is also a tricky balance when smaller, local businesses rely on the festival season. I was pleased to see some events featuring local breweries and food stalls – but for every festival that did that, another festival would have a stands from a major drinks brands like White Claw, Johnnie Walker, or Kronenburg. One of the best things about camping festivals in particular is that they take you to random corners of the English countryside you might never otherwise visit. It would be good to know that our presence is enhancing the local economy, not just being a nuisance to the neighbours.
We Out Here got this right with their Good Karma Area. Each ticket included a £1 donation, and charities pitched to show how your money would be used. Causes ranged from Art Not Evidence, who campaign against using lyrics in criminal trials, to a small charity supporting people with PMDD (pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder), a common but debilitating condition. It was grassroots, meaningful, and a reminder that festivals can be about more than brand activations.
The other positive shift has been around sustainability. Festivals are pushing harder than ever to go green - discouraging car use, promoting rideshare apps, offering extensive coach options, switching to recyclable packaging, and making reusable cups standard.
Diversity and Line-Ups
It’s been a landmark year for line-up diversity, and it finally feels like the winds are changing. Olivia Rodrigo, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, and Raye (who absolutely smashed an all-female day at All Points East) showed that we’re far removed from the days of endless sad-white-indie-boy dominance. That era isn’t fully dead yet, but the shift is tangible, fresh, and exciting. Festivals are slowly realising that the people buying tickets want to see themselves reflected on stage - not just the same handful of acts recycled year after year.
Of course, booking mega-headliners is thrilling, but the magic of festivals has always been discovering new artists tucked away on smaller stages. That only happens if organisers commit to supporting grassroots talent - more important than ever given how arts funding has been gutted over the past 15 years. Future headliners don’t appear out of thin air - they grow from sweaty club nights, DIY gigs, and those early festival slots that let them build a fanbase. So while it’s amazing to belt out the big singles with 60,000 other people, the real win is making sure the next generation of performers has the chance to break through. That’s where the future of festivals really lies.
Looking Ahead
Next year (2026) is a Glastonbury fallow year, which means a golden opportunity for other festivals to step into the spotlight. Let’s hope the survivors of 2025 come back stronger, and maybe even some new ones emerge.
The British festival scene is still alive, still messy, still brilliant. Whether you’re in a teenage mosh pit, or sipping wine at the back and comparing toilet quality, UK festivals continue to deliver world-class music and community. Long may it last.