Events management platform Togather has analysed festival food and drink trends seen throughout the year across 2024 and have put together a report on some of the most interesting stats.
The company tracked data at over 100 major live events attended by over 10 million people, including GALA, Black Deer, Brighton on the Beach, Pride in London and many more. The results provide both an insight into the changing tastes of the UK’s event food scene, as well as the prevalence of old favourites.
These were some of the headline stats found.
– The popularity of vegan food has risen by 28% over the course of the last 12 months. This is perhaps unsurprising given that the number of people identifying as vegan in the UK has grown by an estimated 350% over the last 10 years and remains growing at 10% year-on-year. The most popular vegan dish sold was plant-based burgers with a side of fries.
– Sales of non-alcoholic cocktails and drinks grew by 35% across all the events, showing the continued rise in demand for non-alcoholic drinks. The most popular option was alcohol-free lager, with virgin mojitos second.
– The best selling dish across all the events – replacing Burger and fries in 2023 – was Chicken Tenders and fries. Sales rose 18% from 2023, potentially showing how attendees are continuing to move away from red meat, with consumption in the UK having dropped 15% since 2012.
– The best selling drink overall was a pint of lager. Despite the rise in popularity of non-alcoholic options, the best selling drink was still a pint of lager – outselling non-alcoholic options by five times. Sales of lager were up proportionately 15% on 2023, showing that while people are increasingly looking for non-alcoholic options – those who are drinking alcohol are doing so in higher quantities.
– The specific cuisine that saw the highest rise in popularity was Moroccan food, which rose a dramatic 300% in popularity – with the most popular dish being Harissa Chicken.
– Sales of babycinos rose by 60%, perhaps showcasing that parents are becoming more comfortable bring children along to events with them.
– The best selling genre of music festival was at Jazz events, with per head sales of 30% higher than other types of music.
Togather co-founder Hugo Campbell said ‘Given the well publicised growth of vegan and alcohol-free options, I can’t say I’m too surprised to see substantial rises in these areas, and it’s so important that event organisers factor this into their future plans.
‘While we’re still seeing the prevalence of old favourites such as a pint of lager or a burger, it’s important to recognise that the quality of these options has been rising and is very far away from events 15 years ago. I think I can officially announce that the age of the warm beer and plastic burger at a festival is over!’
