With days getting longer and the temperatures already reaching 32°C, it’s safe to say Summer has well and truly arrived. For music fans that means one thing – months of festivals to look forward to.

From hard rock to indie, pop to classical, there’s a music festival out there for everyone, and 2023 is lining up to be one of the best years yet. Now the pandemic is becoming a distant memory, attendance figures at the world’s biggest and best music festivals are expected to soar – and people are travelling far and wide to see the acts they love.

Glastonbury alone has upped its maximum capacity to a huge 210,000 people, which equates to more than two Wembley stadiums full of music lovers. Spain has its own answer to Glasto in the shape of the Benicassim festival, with 18,000 Brits expected to travel to the heart of Valencia in mid July to see an eclectic mix of acts including Kasabian, The Offspring and Orbital. Holland’s Dekmantel festival is a must for electro fans, with 5,000 a day travelling to various locations across Amsterdam for three days of house and techno, while Croatia’s Outlook festival is a favourite for grime, garage, afrobeats and reggae enthusiasts.

Over in the USA, Coachella may have been and gone this year but the Burning Man at Black Rock City never disappoints, and this August tens of thousands of visitors are expected to gather in the Nevada desert for a week of music, art and mayhem. Japan is also becoming an increasingly popular destination for festival lovers, thanks to events like Summer Sonic and the Fuji Rock Festival 

A music festival essential

Seasoned festival goers will be well versed with what to pack in their rucksacks, with suncream, wet wipes, water, loo roll and sachets of hangover medicine featuring high on the list (and the obligatory wellies for Glastonbury and other UK festivals). But no matter how prepared they are, one thing that’s a perpetual disappointment at music festivals, especially those involving overseas travel, is the distinct lack of reliable, affordable mobile data.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of globetrotting festival goers grapple with bad signal, experimenting with numerous ‘hacks’ including waving their mobiles in the air, disabling 4G and – bizarrely – placing them in (hopefully empty) plastic beer glasses. If they do manage to get a signal it often comes at a cost, with unscrupulous mobile service providers hitting them with extortionate roaming fees. Thankfully, there is a solution, and savvy travel and events providers are getting in on the act.

eSIM technology presents the perfect opportunity to grow ancillary revenue and build customer loyalty by giving music loving customers access to what they’ve been crying out for for years – reliable data at a fair price. By joining forces with eSIM Go, businesses like Wizz Air and Sydney Airport are solving the problems associated with mobile connectivity with their own branded eSIM; an add-on that’s fast gaining recognition as the ultimate travel essential.

How to market eSIM to festival goers

The eSIM industry is growing at an exponential rate, and the increase in passengers travelling with eSIM ready devices means the total serviceable market is set to reach £34.2 billion by 2025.

Festival season brings with it another rich array of opportunities to harness the power of eSIM. Partnerships with ticket sellers, sponsorship and signage opportunities and targeted social media/search advertising are just some of the ways businesses can market eSIM to festival goers. And to fully capitalise on the opportunity, special offers and SIM packages can be offered to the millions of music fans who travel to multiple festivals every year.

We’re helping our partners keep customers connected with cost effective data packages covering over 160 countries, 50 of which have 5G. Our services are available in many of the world’s hottest music destinations and we’re rapidly expanding.

To find out more about how your business can share the love this festival season, get in touch.