A new survey from electrical retailer AO.com has revealed the British people prefer to watch festivals from the comfort of their own home, rather than attending them.
Despite the UK’s continuing love of experiencing huge festivals such as Glastonbury and Reading and Leeds in person, almost two thirds (64%) of respondents admitted they would rather watch a live event on their TV.
The costs of tickets and travel to get to the event was partly to blame, but the British public were not shy in naming and shaming other un-pleasantries.
The top five annoyances were:
- Disgusting public toilets (38%)
- Over-priced refreshments and merchandise (38%)
- Long queues (27%)
- Drunken crowds (27%)
- Bad British weather (21%)
Of course, there are always exceptions! The survey, which targeted 1,200 people across the UK, also asked:
“Which music event in history do you wish you could have attended?”
The most popular answers were…
- Live Aid
- David Bowie headlining Glastonbury
- Jimi Hendrix at the Isle of Wight Festival
- Elvis during his Las Vegas residency
- Michael Jackson live in concert
- Woodstock 1969
- Frank Sinatra in concert
- Prince during his 2016 tour
- Joy Division at the Hacienda
For these events the UK public would be willing to pay, on average, £1,418 to go back and experience the atmosphere in person.
13.4% of people would pay more than £1,600 to attend their dream event, with 4.5% of the public willing to break the bank and spend over £10,000 on their dream ticket.
The survey was conducted in support of AO.com’s “Bringing the Summer Home” campaign, designed to make sure the UK public can experience every major live event this summer, thanks to the wide range of audio visual products .
Featuring a rundown of 12 of the biggest events in the summer calendar, the interactive hub calculates how much it would cost you to travel to the event and experience it in person, before suggesting ways of how you can transport the atmosphere and excitement of the event right to your front room.
Andrew Kirkcaldy, group brand director at AO.com said:
“We believe that just because you can’t get a ticket to an event, doesn’t mean you can’t have just as much fun at home experiencing it. I think anyone who watched the excitement of Glastonbury at home will agree!
“So, if you missed out on tickets to your dream summer event, don’t despair. We created the Bringing the Summer Home guide to help you throw the perfect party for the iconic summer events, AO style – complete with themed food and drinks, and the latest in AV technology to enhance your viewing experience.”
You can take a look at the Bringing the Summer Home campaign here – http://ao.com/life/bringing-the-summer-home/