If you’re looking for available tickets for the confirmed festivals this summer, you’ll discover that Glastonbury is sold out, Creamfields is sold out, Reading Festival only has day passes remaining and Creamfields South has just a few tickets up for grabs too – get on those waiting lists now!
That’s before we start to look at the likes of Camp Bestival, Greenbelt and all the other fabulous festivals dotted around the UK, which are planned alongside a host of university balls, weddings and parties – it looks like we’re in for one Amazing (pun intended) summer of fun. Pull on your wellies, don your festival gear and glitter your faces…
That said, the return of events and festivals will certainly bring some learnings from the last couple of years. These are the musings from our team for the summer of 2022:
In-person events will be social and creative
Despite some hybrid events still being around, we do expect there to be a surge in in-person events such as outdoor festivals and concerts, where there is plenty of space and fresh air. People are keen to socialise in person, make up for lost time and host those events that just couldn’t be done in the same way online. For that reason, we expect in-person events to be more creative with a focus on experiences – something that online events simply can’t recreate in the same way.
Focus on sanitation and cleanliness will continue
Even once restrictions are relaxed, we predict that there will be a continued focus on sanitation and cleanliness. People are much more conscious of hygiene after two years of being constantly reminded, and the expectations of cleanliness will continue. This might mean extra toilet facilities at festivals, or hand sanitiser dispensers remaining a feature at events for the foreseeable future.
Contactless will still be king
From QR codes to virtual check-in, e-tickets and cashless bars, we expect the contactless ways of the last few years to continue. These processes have been particularly useful during social distancing, but have also proved their worth in efficiency, reducing costs and reduced waste.
The pandemic accelerated an already established trend towards more digital and contactless solutions for events. We expect that things like e-tickets are here to stay.
Reducing environmental impact
One of the benefits of events being online has been the reduced environmental impact – from less travel to less plastic packaging. This will all be on the minds of those running events, but also for attendees. We are much more aware of our impact than we were a few years ago, and all much more concerned with reducing our plastic waste and carbon footprint. We expect to see event organisers focus even more on reducing single-use plastics and looking for ways to off-set the carbon footprint of the event, such as Glastonbury’s ‘Love The Farm’ initiative, encouraging festival goers to ‘reuse, reduce, respect.’
In summary outdoor festivals and events are definitely back for 2022 and our #SaddleSpan tents will be found on site at:
With more to follow…
We look forward to seeing you out there!
