British festivals add luxury options as Gen Z spending rises
8 reported
A growing number of British music festivals are offering luxury add-ons such as fine dining, private toilets, hot tubs, and pamper parlours, according to a report from The Guardian. The trend is driven by younger attendees, particularly Gen Z, who are prioritizing spending on experiences over possessions. Event catering company Togather opened a 65-seater marquee restaurant with chef Yotam Ottolenghi at the Love Supreme jazz festival, where a £65 three-course menu with £80 rosé sold out across 13 sittings. At Wilderness festival, a Fortnum & Mason picnic at £97.50 a head and a lakeside hot tub for six at £460 are available. When Nature Calls operates upmarket toilet lounges at festivals including Latitude and Rewind for about £80, featuring porcelain toilets, Molton Brown soap, and hairdryers. Despite this luxury push, many smaller independent festivals are struggling, with 43 UK festivals cancelled, postponed, or shuttered in 2025 following 78 in 2024. The Shambala festival, founded 26 years ago with a non-VIP ethos, is launching a sustainable luxury camping option this summer for a £45 upgrade.
What’s reported
Togather opened a 65-seater marquee restaurant with Yotam Ottolenghi at Love Supreme jazz festival in East Sussex in July 2026.
The £65 three-course menu with £80 rosé sold out across 13 sittings, serving 845 diners.
Wilderness festival offers a Fortnum & Mason picnic at £97.50 a head and a lakeside hot tub for six at £460.
When Nature Calls operates upmarket toilet lounges at Latitude and Rewind for about £80.
43 UK festivals were cancelled, postponed, or shuttered in 2025, following 78 in 2024.
Shambala festival is launching Dragonfly Camping with a £45 upgrade for luxury compost toilets, a pamper parlour, and a wood-fired hot tub.
Almost 60% of UK Gen Z plan to attend a music festival in the next year, compared with 41% of UK adults overall.
Real weekly pay at age 24 for those born in the late 1990s was 12% higher than for cohorts born in the late 1980s.
Key figures
Digby Vollrath, chief executive of Togather
Yotam Ottolenghi, chef
Christopher Johnson, co-founder of Shambala festival
Sources: The Guardian
