Why more people are attending gigs, festivals and clubs alone

21 October 2025

Solo clubbers and ravers say they talk to people they would never have met if they’d been out with friends. Photograph: Slavica/Getty Images

Across the United Kingdom over the past few years, a quiet transformation has been unfolding at live-music events: growing numbers of fans are choosing to attend gigs, festivals and club nights on their own. A recent survey by Ticketmaster UK highlights the shift while only about 8 per cent of festival-goers reported attending solo in 2019, that figure has surged to around 29 per cent in 2025.

For many of the solo participants this isn’t a matter of circumstance but of choice. One 26-year-old Londoner described the freedom she feels walking into a venue without company: “If I go to an event with someone else I can spend the night doing their night. When I’m alone I get to do whatever I want in the moment.” This impulse to act on instinct to go to the front row, wander between stages, or be spontaneous is increasingly driving the trend.

Researchers point to several key motivations. A strong reason is genre-specific interest: when friends do not share a particular musical taste, individuals may decide not to wait but to attend solo to explore the music they care about. Financial pressures also play a role in a cost-of-living era, coordinating with a group can become harder, making solo attendance more viable. Another factor is societal change: attending events alone is increasingly accepted, even encouraged. The stigma once attached to solo outings has diminished as more people embrace independence and self-driven experiences.

Live-music events themselves are adapting. Festivals like Reading and Leeds Festival have introduced dedicated camping zones for solo attendees, mirroring earlier moves by festivals such as Download Festival which had pioneered “lone wolf” areas. These measures reflect an awareness that solo festival-goers represent a growing demographic with distinct needs.

The trend also aligns with broader cultural shifts: people are increasingly placing value on experiences rather than possessions. As one academic put it, today’s crowd may be less concerned with owning things and more focused on living memorable moments. Solo attendance enables a personal form of experience-consumption, where the individual controls the pace, the soundtrack and the memory.

At the same time solo attendance brings its own form of social possibility. Far from being lonely, many attendees say that going alone helps them meet new people and join spontaneous groups. One festival-goer described detaching from her usual social circle: without the safety net of known friends, she said she ended up “adding onto a group of Dutch friends I’d never met before” while at an event abroad. For her that wouldn’t have happened if she had attended with her friends.

Safety and welfare remain factors, but attitudes are evolving. Researchers note that festivals and club nights are increasingly equipped with harm-reduction and welfare services which make solo attendance feel more legitimate. That said, lone club-goers express concerns particularly around harassment and spiking. One participant admitted she felt more accepted in a rave environment than in a standard club.

Age and life stage also influence the shift. Some observers suggest that as people get older they are more comfortable going out alone. In fact solo festival-go-ers may increasingly represent an older cohort rather than just younger independents. And in a world where social lives are often mediated online, real-life communal experiences like live music carry added appeal.

The economic impact of more solo goers is also interesting. Festivals and venues may need to rethink logistics, from campsite layouts to ticket pricing and social programming. Solo-friendly spaces, meet-ups, single-ticket bundles and communal lounges may become more common. Event organisers already talk about meet-and-greet zones, networking events at day-festivals and shared transport options to make lone-going more accessible.

Culturally the shift is significant. It suggests that the idea of music fandom is changing from “going with friends” to “going for the music and maybe friends will form there.” It points to a new confidence in individual agency and a willingness to craft one’s own experience rather than follow a group plan. In this sense going solo becomes an act of self-definition.

Looking ahead the challenge for venues and festivals will be balancing the needs of group attendees with those of solo ones. Creating spaces that feel inclusive for someone walking in alone without it feeling like a fringe activity will shape how live-music is produced and experienced in coming years. The impulse to attend alone may continue growing as cultural acceptance, economic viability and social infrastructure