Investigating the Glastonbury bounce theory

Every year, the hordes descend upon Glastonbury, in Somerset for one of the UK’s premier and most popular festivals.

Landing smack bang in the middle of the summer, not only is the festival attended by more than 200,000 people, but live coverage of the days as they unfold and all the acts performing are broadcast by the BBC, turning a music-centric festival celebration into a poignant showcase of the UK festival season.

Tickets sell out in rapid time every year, and the couple of million more who were unable to secure tickets (there were 2.5 million registered accounts for tickets this year), along with a huge number of the UK population who tune in and watch proceedings from home (this year 21.6 million people enjoyed the coverage). Many plan for Glastonbury viewing parties in the comforts of their own homes, creating mini-festival atmospheres in the garden, bringing friends and family around to live out their own version of the virtual experience.

As was the case with this year’s edition, it truly did act as a showcase of how exhilarating an experience UK events and festivals can be to attend: The sun shone down magnificently each day, concertgoers donned freedom in no end of well curated outfits, the music was pulsating – and of course caterers reported enjoying a successful stint nourishing the masses. It looked like fun – like somewhere you wanted to be if you weren’t there.

Sure it’s the attendees and ticket sales that keep festivals ticking, but it’s the experiences you get at the festival that makes it – and caterers are an essential part of that. There is a similar struggle with how the public may have doubts about investing in a festival, as for caterers weighing up if applying to trade at them is worth their while.

On the back of an impressive Glastonbury, the tinge of sweat, aspiration and sheer FOMO to get to the nearest sun-drenched field and breathe in a festival courses down the backs of the UK collectively and thus a big surge in festival interest and ticket sales sweeps the nation. People are inspired to live out that experience for themselves and are more likely to give in to their impulses and book tickets to that festival they were on the fence about.

According to eFestivals, there are approximately 975 festivals that take place in the UK each year – that’s a whole lot of chance for eager punters to get their fix. Similarly, this can feed into the perception caterers have regarding their approach to trading and wanting to cater at festivals and events. Or so states the ‘Glastonbury bounce’ theorem.

We sought to delve a bit deeper and investigate how true this theory holds and how big an impact the festival world feels this has:

Though not necessarily a direct result tracked in increased ticket sales, John Rostron of Association of Independent Festivals states that across the multitude of members under their umbrella, “where we see more of an effect from Glastonbury is through media coverage. It seems to be a catalyst for the media to begin to cover festivals from all angles.”

This acts to essentially widen the spotlight and give much deserved credence to the wider UK festival scene – there are no end of entertaining festivals and events that take place, and each can make for great live coverage just as we see so often with Glastonbury itself. Furthermore, John goes on to confirm that organisers for the festivals he works with believe the theory is true – “that there can be a Glastonbury bounce, but it hasn’t been as prevalent this year.”

Chris Johnson of Shambala festival corroborates this notion, stipulating that “it was real to us for a decade that the Glastonbury FOMO would kickstart an upward trend in sales.” As the festival sector in the UK has continued to grow, and the popularity of festivals and events has risen on their own, this has perhaps led to less of a reliance, or hope, on a positive Glastonbury bounce effect.

Festivals like Shambala have built up dedicated followings that will attend year on year, regardless of the perceived success of bigger festivals. Chris qualifies this further by adding that “luckily we sell out before Glastonbury these days” so they no longer find themselves “nervously watching the ticket sales graph for the expected upward curve of sales” the bounce would inspire.

Independent caterers are an essential component in the wider cog of hospitality. It is quite clear to correlate how the rise in prominence of independent catering businesses intertwines with the increasing popularity of independent festivals and events.

When it comes to the perceived effect of the Glastonbury bounce on the other side of the fence, Steve Heap of Association of Festival Organisers has observed that “it definitely happens in terms of traders and caterers.” This applies especially to those trading at Glastonbury, who will source plentiful stock to make good on the occasion, then incur the challenge of having to “sell before the end of the festival season.” This can even lead to festivals holding pitches as they wait for this to happen after Glastonbury, “and it invariably does.”

It is testament to the buoyancy of the UK festival and events industry, that a wide plethora of festivals succeed on a measure of their own independence. While there may still be a tangible ripple felt within the industry on the back of Glastonbury as indicated above by those well placed to gauge this effect, the lake more than flows smoothly on its own these days.

There are no end of amazing festival experiences to be had, both worthwhile attending for festivalgoers and worthwhile trading at for caterers. After all, the two need each other – so it’s only right that the bridge is built on solid stages and foundations, in fields of fantastic and showers of singalong goodness.

If you are a trader and are operating at events and/or festivals this season, why not get in touch and tell us of your experience – we want to know how your summer is going! Contact [email protected].

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