FEATURE
CARNIVALS & FESTIVALS
54 ASIAN TRADER 27 JUNE 2025
It goes without saying that
beers and lager and especially
cider in the summer season are
the go-to refreshments for
all-day festivals. Wine and
cocktails are becoming more
practical as the RTD revolution
rolls on.
Stocking sponsor and related
brands also helps. Brother’s
Cider, for example, has been
associated with the
king of festivals,
Glastonbury, for
many years.
Shots also go
down extremely
well at these
high-spirited
gatherings, and
Jägermeister is taking
advantage of its
ice-cold credentials to
boost the festival
season with a series of
arctic activations.
Sales of energy
drinks, isotonic sports
drinks, bottled
smoothies, and vitamins
surge as tired festival-goers
look to rehydrate and re-ener
gize.
Apart from stocking
best-selling soft drinks like
Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and their
respective sugar-free variants
like Diet Coke and Pepsi Max
along with other popular
choices like Fanta, Sprite, Dr
Pepper and Irn-Bru, it is always
a good idea to keep the newly
launched products as well.
Consider new launches like
the new range of price-marked
packs of Radnor Splash,
Tropicana’s new Fresh & Light
range, Yazoo’s new look
Inspiration range, Mogu Mogu
zero sugar range and emerging
brands like Hive Mind.
Keep a full stock of energy
drinks as well. A good collection
of well-established brands
(along with their NPDs) like
Red Bull, Monster, Lucozade,
Boost, Rockstar, Relentless,
and newer entrants like Prime
help keep the store buzzing
with the young festival goers.
Not to forget the no and
low-alcohol ranges. Apart from
Heineken 0.0, retailers should
also give some shelf space to
Guinness 0.0, Lucky Saint,
Lyre’s Italian Spritz and
Gordon’s Alcohol Free as well.
Snacks and essentials
For retailers, festivals and
carnivals in the vicinity are
more about prepping up right so
that the stores have everything
festival goers ask for.
Local stores continue to be
their go-to destination when
looking for something to
munch on or a quick meal.
The snacking and food to
go range both need to be
well-thought of,
wholesome and should
be available in a wide
price points.
Healthier Snacking
is on the rise as
consumers remain
health-conscious and
the category adapts
to HFSS legislation.
KP Snacks’
popchips is rated as
the number one
“Better for You”
bagged snack brand
in the sharing pack
format. Coming in at under 100
calories per serving and with a
third less fat than the market
leader, popchips provides a
more permissible snack
without compromising on big
flavour.
Tyrrells 150g Sharing bags
are also a great option. Apart
from popular and bestselling
crisp brands, having a good
range of popcorn always helps.
For shoppers looking for
sweeter snacking moments,
Butterkist Crunchy Hazelnut
Chocolate flavour toffee
popcorn is the perfect product
to add fun and indulgence to
any festival.
The entire range of Fairfields
Farm is also a great option. So is
Jacob’s Mini Cheddars. Fridge
Raiders and Peperami dominate
meat snacks.
Make the snack section
exciting with a generous
sprinkle of NPDs. Windmill
Organics’ new high-protein
snack range from its Pro Fusion
brand, Bio & Me’s new Flapjack
Oat Bars, Seabrook’s Trebles
PMP range, Fridge Raiders’ new
Chicken Grills range, Pringles’
new Spicy Pickle and Blazin’
Fried Chicken and Mr. Porky’s
new protein-packed Porky Puffs
will keep your range interesting
and something to scan on.
Each morning during a
festival weekend, local stores
see crowds seeking coffee,
breakfast rolls, and recovery
aids. Hot food-to-go (if avail
able), pastries, and bacon
sandwiches tend to sell strongly
in festival areas.
Not to forget the reusable
and refillable vapes and
cigarettes. Many festival
attendees who run out of
supplies turn to the nearest
shop for refills.
The same is true with
personal hygiene products.
Multi-day festivals, especially
camping ones, create a need for
travel-size and emergency
toiletries. Top sellers include
baby wipes, tissues, hand
sanitizer, sunscreen, lip balm,
sanitary products, and dry
shampoo.
Block Your Dates
Keep the list handy
and stay updated on
what all is
happening in the UK
this summer:
St. Paul’s Carnival – Bristol – July 5, 2025
Manchester Caribbean Carnival – Manchester – August 9–10, 2025
Notting Hill Carnival – Notting Hill – August 24–25, 2025
Leeds West Indian Carnival – Leeds – August 25, 2025
Wireless Festival – London – July 11–13, 2025
Latitude Festival – Henham Park, Suffolk – July 24–27, 2025
Tramlines Festival – Sheffield – July 25–27, 2025
Brecon Choir Festival – Brecon – July 17–20, 2025
We Are Wirral – Birkenhead – July 19–20, 2025
Rebellion Festival – Blackpool – August 7–10, 2025
Edinburgh Fringe Festival – Edinburgh – August 1–25, 2025
Shambala Festival – Northamptonshire – August 21–24, 2025
Reading Festival – Reading – August 21–24, 2025
End Of The Road Festival – Dorset – August 28–31, 2025
Lindisfarne Festival – Northumberland – August 28–31, 2025
Moseley Folk & Arts Festival – Birmingham – August 29–31, 2025
Totally Thames – London – September 1–30, 2025