Queen’s performance of We Will Rock You, at Live Aid in 1985 (27%) is the most iconic festival moment of all time, according to a nationwide poll.
David Bowie headlining Glasto in 2000 (13%), Adele mesmerising Worthy Farm in 2016 (11%) and Rihanna duetting with Eminem at V Festival 2011 (10%) are other memorable moments for festival loving Brits. Kyle Minogue’s triumphant return to Glastonbury in 2019, after her cancer diagnosis forced her to cancel 14 years before (12%) Jimi Hendrix setting his Stratocaster alight at Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 (10%) and Oasis’ last ever gig at V Festival 2009 (8%) also featuring highly.
The study, which celebrates the virtual return of Virgin Media’s V Festival, also found more than a third of Brits feel festivals are the thing they miss the most about the summer, with 38% longing to connect with family and friends on the festival fields.
In an effort to replicate the experiences they’ve missed out on this summer, a quarter (24%) of Brits have considered hosting a festival in their own garden, and a fifth (19%) have re-watched their favourite festival moments online.
Whilst half (50%) of Brits admit there’s simply nothing better than live music, a third (33%) are even missing the less enjoyable elements of the festival experience, including not showering for days (21%) and forgetting where they’ve pitched their tent (27%).
And it seems we love festivals whatever the weather, as over a third (36%) miss being rained on, 24% are happy to go without sleep and a quarter (24%) even miss the ubiquitous hangover (24%).
It’s no surprise then, that 29% of Brits claim they will be booking tickets to festivals as soon as it’s confirmed safe to do so – with 40% of the public hoping that festivals, as we previously knew them, will be back in the UK next year.
Britain has a strong music pedigree, with homegrown musicians such as Adele, Amy Winehouse, Prodigy and Oasis dominating the list of iconic festival moments. Brits recognise this, with 44% of admitting that seeing British artists perform at festivals makes them feel proud to be British. 49% of the Britons surveyed went as far to say that classic festival moments have had a huge impact on our culture and music scene.
Cilesta Van Doorn from Virgin Media commented: “Over the years, festivals have offered the chance to connect with our favourite artists, friends and family and create some truly unforgettable moments. Although festivals haven’t taken place physically this year, we’re delighted to have brought back Virgin Media’s V Festival in virtual form, rekindled some memories, and enabled people to re-connect to the experiences they love.”
All three nights of Virgin Media’s V Festival 2020 are available to watch on the ITV hub, featuring new live performances from headliners Anne Marie, Olly Murs and Dizzee Rascal. A fourth show featuring bonus archive footage lets viewers take a nostalgic look back at some of the most iconic V Festival sets of all time, including Amy Winehouse, Ed Sheeran and Tinie Tempah.
The most iconic festival moments of all time:
| Queen playing We Will Rock You at Live Aid, 1985 | 27% |
| David Bowie at Glastonbury, 2000 | 13% |
| Kylie Minogue performing at Glastonbury, 14 years after she was forced to cancel due to her cancer diagnosis, 2019 | 13% |
| U2 at Live Aid, 1985 | 12% |
| Adele headlines Glastonbury, 2016 | 11% |
| Jimi Hendrix burning his guitar mid-session at Monterey Pop Festival, 1967 | 10% |
| The Who, Woodstock 1969 | 10% |
| Bob Marley performing at Smile Jamaica, two days after being shot, 1976 | 10% |
| Eminem and Rihanna performing “Love the way you lie” together at V Festival, 2011 | 10% |
| The Rolling Stones performing at Glastonbury, 2013 | 10% |
| Oasis performing at Glastonbury for the first time, 1994 | 10% |
| Beyonce becoming the first solo female performer to headline Glastonbury, 2011 | 9% |
| Amy Winehouse’s last performance at the Belgrade Tuborg Festival, 2011 | 9% |
| Nirvana at Reading Festival in 1992 – Kurt Cobain arriving in a wheelchair and a hospital gown | 8% |
| Led Zeppelin playing to 200,000 at the Bath Festival 1970 | 8% |
| Oasis performing together for the last time at V Festival 2009 before cancelling the second night | 8% |
| Beyonce surprising fans by performing with Destiny’s Child at Coachella, 2018 | 8% |
| Joe Cocker performing With A Little Help From My Friends, Woodstock, 1969 | 8% |
| Stevie Wonder headlining the Sunday night at Glastonbury, 2010 | 8% |
| Lady Gaga’s V Festival set in 2009 | 8% |
| Beyonce becoming the first black female to headline Coachella, 2011 | 8% |
| Amy Winehouse almost missing her performance slot at V Festival, 2008 | 8% |
| Johnny Cash performing at Glastonbury, 1994 | 7% |
| Prodigy stopping their V Festival 1997 set for 15 minutes to avoid crowds getting crushed | 7% |
| Snow Patrol performing Wonderwall when standing in for Oasis at V Festival 2009 | 7% |
| Bob Dylan performing after his motorcycle accident at the Isle of Wight Festival, 1969 | 7% |
| Bruno Mars performing The Lazy Song at V Festival 2011 | 7% |
| Bob Dylan going electric and getting booed off at the Newport Folk Festival, 1965 | 7% |
| Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds performing Don’t Look Back in Anger at V Festival 2012, three years after no show with Oasis | 6% |
| Underworld performing “Born Slippy” at Reading Festival 1996 after Trainspotting was released | 6% |
| Kings of Leon headlining V Festival, 2004 | 6% |
| Jay Z performing Wonderwall at Glastonbury, 2008 | 6% |
| A holographic Tupac performing with Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg, Coachella 2012 | 6% |
| Arctic Monkeys at Reading Festival, 2005 | 6% |
| Janis Joplin playing Monterey Pop Festival, 1967 | 6% |
| Rage Against The Machine’s naked protest at Lollapalooza, 1993 | 6% |
| The Verve performing at V Festival, a year after they released Bitter Sweet Symphony, 1998 | 6% |
| Dizzee Rascal’s set at Glastonbury, 2013 | 6% |
| Blur reuniting to perform at Glastonbury, 2009 | 5% |
| Oasis’ cover of the Who’s “My Generation”, V Festival, 2005 | 5% |
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