FEATURE
CARNIVALS & FESTIVALS
27 JUNE 2025 ASIAN TRADER 51
ummer in the UK doesn’t
just bring sunshine – it
brings the sound of
drums, the scent of street food,
and the unmistakable buzz of
festival crowds. From city
carnivals to countryside music
fests, these vibrant gatherings
present an unmissable opportu
nity for convenience retailers to
supercharge footfall and basket
spend.
Carnivals, music festivals,
and arts events can deliver huge
boosts in sales for nearby
convenience stores. These
events draw tens or even
hundreds of thousands of
attendees, turning local
retailers into mini high-street
heroes for a weekend.
For instance, the Notting
Hill Carnival – Europe’s largest
street festival – reportedly
injects over £396 million
annually into London’s
economy, with spending
pouring into food, shopping,
and entertainment.
At Glastonbury 2023, over
140,000 attendees generated
an estimated £1.6m in spending
in the wider Somerset commu
nity with half of it in local shops
and supermarkets. Add to that
£900,000 from the crew and
another £500,000 from
volunteers, and it’s clear,
festivals don’t just bring music,
they also bring money.
The Reading Festival
reportedly brings millions to
Reading’s town-centre busi
nesses including retail outlets
and hospitality venues, clearly
reflecting how festival crowds
translate directly into higher
store revenues.
Even smaller events drive
momentum. Morecambe’s
2024 Baylight arts festival lit up
footfall for local businesses,
proving that when the lights go
up, so do the sales.
And with the UK festival
scene on track to surpass
pre-pandemic levels, it’s time
retailers tapped into the
rhythm. While not every store
sits right next to a venue, the
scale and spread of events
across the country means most
will feel the impact, whether
through passing footfall, last
minute pit-stops, or local
celebratory energy.
According to CGA, total
consumer spend at UK festivals
is nearly £200 million annually,
with attendees shelling out an
average of £32.27 per day on
alcohol and £23.71 on food. A
significant chunk of this
spending happens off-site, with
festival-goers frequently
stocking up before or between
performances.
Independent retailers in
festival zones often recount the
weekend rush with crowds
hunting for snacks, drinks, ice,
or sunscreen in frenzy. Even
major chains like Tesco get in
on the action, giving their
stores a Carnival-style makeo
ver with palm trees, upbeat
music, and themed deals.
This is a cue that independ
ent retailers can borrow and
adapt. Even small touches like
extra stock of cold drinks, street
food, and culturally relevant
items (flags, face paint) can
make a big difference.
At rural festivals, local stores
have an opportunity to become
a lifeline for campers. In 2022,
the on-site Co-op pop-up at
Glastonbury showed how even
temporary setups with
shelf-ready packaging and
pallet drops can meet high-
volume needs efficiently.
What festival-goers
buy
Festivals create a distinct
shopping pattern: high impulse,
high volume, high spirits.
Retailers should consider
positioning their range
accordingly.
Snacks fly off shelves –
crisps, popcorn, nuts, choco
late, ice cream – the works. Cold
drinks (especially bottled
water, energy drinks, and cider)
are essentials. Unsurprisingly,
drinks are the top-selling
category. On hot summer event
days, attendees often seek
bottled water, soft drinks,
energy drinks and beer/cider.
Convenience meets carnival
From chilled cans to
glitter fans, here’s how
convenience stores can
turn festival footfall into
serious sales