While the line-up might get you through the gates, it’s a festival’s personality that keeps people coming back.
Some are gloriously chaotic, some are almost oppressively cool, and others know exactly who they are and have absolutely no interest in changing for anyone.
The same is true of drinks. So we paired some of the UK’s and the world’s best-loved festivals with the drink we’d expect to find in the hand of the person who calls it home.
Ready?
Leeds Festival – Vodka Red Bull
If Leeds is your festival of choice, chances are you’ve never believed bedtime should get in the way of a good story.
There comes a point every weekend when sensible decision-making quietly packs its bags and goes home. A Vodka Red Bull exists for precisely that moment.
Born during Britain’s late-1990s nightlife boom, it became the unofficial drink of people convinced another hour awake was always a fantastic idea. Whether you remember it fondly or with mild psychological scarring probably depends on how recently you’ve had one.
It isn’t pretending to be sophisticated, and neither are you.
Sometimes the best weekends begin with excellent intentions and end watching the sunrise wondering where yesterday went.
Download Festival – Proper Cask Ale
If this is where you are pitching your tent this summer, there’s a good chance trends have never interested you all that much.
Every few years someone confidently announces that cask ale is dying, but pints still get pulled.
Unlike keg beer, cask ale continues fermenting inside the cask before it’s reaches your glass, producing a softer, more characterful beer that changes subtly until the very last pour. It’s survived changing fashions simply because the people who love it have never felt any need to chase the next big thing.
You don’t need constant reinvention when you already know what you like. Yes, new bands arrive and legends return but ultimately it’s all about the guitars staying loud.
Latitude – Gin & Tonic
Attendees of Latitude like discovering a new author as much as a new band, and you’re suspicious of anyone who says culture has to fit neatly into categories.
That makes you a Gin & Tonic lover, but like a proper one.
Like Latitude, it’s deceptively simple, four ingredients at most – but the cleverness is hidden in the details.
You’ll have done extensive taste tests into which gin you prefer with which tonic, and have strong feelings about what garnish is acceptable and why the glass should definitely have been colder.
Green Man – Pet Nat
You are probably the sort of person who gets a little easily distracted. You might have gone to see a band, but come home talking about fungi, folklore and a fascinating lecture you accidentally wandered into.
Which means you’re almost certainly drinking Pet Nat.
Rather than carefully managing a second fermentation like Champagne, pétillant naturel (Pet Nat) takes a far more go-with-the-flow approach. It’s bottled while it’s still fermenting, leaving nature to finish the job. As a result, every bottle develops a personality of its own.
Neither you nor your drink is chasing perfection, character has always been much more interesting.
Boardmasters – Txakoli
Some festivals happen beside the sea, but for you, the sea is the reason you’re there in the first place.
You’re drinking Txakoli.
Produced along Spain’s rugged Basque coastline, it’s a lightly sparkling white famous for its citrus fruit, mouthwatering acidity and unmistakable saline freshness. Traditionally poured from shoulder height, it somehow tastes like sea spray found its way into a wine glass.
Wilderness – English Sparkling Wine
If Wilderness is your festival, you’re probably not looking for the loudest, biggest or most mainstream weekend of the summer. You’re looking for quality across the board. A brilliantly curated meal, an inspiring talk, a swim in the lake, a memorable live set and a glass of something interesting all matter just as much as the headliners.
English sparkling wine has followed a similar path.
For years, it was judged on a single question: “Is it as good as Champagne?” That positioned it as an imitation rather than a destination. But as vineyard sites improved, winemakers gained confidence and the quality kept rising, English sparkling stopped trying to prove itself. Today, people seek it out not because it’s an alternative to Champagne, but because it’s exceptional in its own right.
It’s thoughtful rather than flashy, quietly ambitious rather than attention-seeking, and all the better for it.
Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival – Scrumpy
You’re all about the sort of weekend where people still stop to chat to strangers.
So we’re pouring you a scrumpy.
True, it’s more closely associated with the orchards of the West Country than the Scottish Highlands, but no other drink captures the feeling of Belladrum quite so well.
Traditionally made on farms to be shared with family, friends and neighbours, scrumpy has always been as much about bringing people together as the drink itself. It’s unpretentious, generous and happiest when enjoyed in good company.
Belladrum feels much the same.
It’s the kind of festival where conversations start easily, neighbours become friends and the sense of community is every bit as memorable as the music.
Like the best scrumpy, it’s proof that you don’t need to be flashy to leave a lasting impression.
Electric Picnic – Irish Coffee
If Electric Picnic is the highlight of your summer, you’re probably not the person frantically trying to tick every headline act off a list.
You’ll happily lose an hour in a comedy tent before wandering off in search of something good to eat, with no particular plan for what comes next.
Being in Ireland, the obvious choice would have been Irish whiskey, but that felt a little too predictable and not accurate to the vibe.
Created at Foynes in County Limerick during the 1940s, Irish Coffee somehow manages to combine things that have no obvious business working together. Whiskey, coffee and cream shouldn’t make perfect sense. Yet somehow they do.
Electric Picnic has the same magic. Music, theatre, comedy, food and late-night conversations all blend into something far greater than the sum of their parts.
Rewind Festival – Babycham
Chances are nostalgia isn’t something you apologise for. You know every word of your favourite band’s set, and you definitely still own some original vinyl. And you’re absolutely right that music was better back then… probably.
That puts Babycham in your hand.
Long before prosecco became Britain’s favourite celebratory fizz, Babycham was helping reshape who pubs and parties were designed for. One of the country’s first drinks marketed directly at women, it became far more influential than its playful image ever suggested.
Like the artists filling Rewind’s stages, Babycham isn’t remembered simply because it’s old. It’s remembered because it became part of British popular culture, creating memories that people still smile about decades later.
Roskilde – Aquavit
If Roskilde is your festival, you’re in it for the long haul. The festival stretches well beyond a week if you include the unofficial warm-up, giving you time to build your camp, get to know your neighbours and become part of a community long before the first headline act takes to the stage.
By the end, you’re not just packing up a tent. You’re saying goodbye to people who, only days earlier, were complete strangers.
That calls for aquavit.
Across Scandinavia, aquavit has long been more than just a spirit. It’s poured to mark occasions, shared over long meals and accompanied by songs, speeches and toasts that bring everyone around the table together.
Like Roskilde, the drink is only part of the experience. The real magic lies in the rituals, the conversations and the sense of belonging that grows when people choose to spend time together.
Benicàssim – Agua de Valencia
Being just a stone’s throw from the beach, Benicàssim feels every bit as much holiday as festival. Mornings drift into afternoons by the Mediterranean, and the music somehow becomes just one part of a much bigger summer escape.
So we’re pouring you an Agua de Valencia.
Created just down the coast in Valencia, it blends freshly squeezed orange juice with cava, vodka and gin into something bright, refreshing and deceptively easy to drink. It’s sunshine in a glass: vibrant, sociable and best enjoyed with nowhere particular to be.
Much like Benicàssim itself, it captures that blissful feeling of forgetting what day it is and simply enjoying the moment.
Primavera Sound – Saketini
If Primavera is your festival, chances are you enjoy discovering things before everyone else does.
You’d rather recommend an artist than be recommended one.
So we’re pouring you a Saketini.
A simple twist on the classic martini, it swaps vermouth for sake, creating something cleaner, lighter and quietly unconventional. It never became a mainstream crowd-pleaser, but those who know it tend to order it again and again.
Primavera has earned much the same reputation. Its line-ups have a habit of introducing audiences to artists long before they become household names, making the festival feel less like it’s following trends than quietly shaping them.
Tomorrowland – Champagne
If Tomorrowland is your dream festival, subtlety probably isn’t very high on your list of priorities.
You believe experiences should be unforgettable. That celebrations should actually feel like celebrations. And if you’re going to do something, you may as well do it spectacularly.
So naturally, your glass contains Champagne.
Not simply because it’s sparkling, but because no other drink understands theatre quite so well. The pop of the cork, the rising fizz, the anticipation as it’s poured – the celebration begins long before anyone takes the first sip.
Tomorrowland works the same way. Its stages become fantasy worlds, and its production borders on cinematic. Every detail is designed to turn a music festival into something that feels almost mythical.
Whether we got yours spot on or hopelessly wrong, one thing’s for sure: the festivals we return to year after year tend to say just as much about us as the drinks we keep ordering. If your favourite wasn’t on the list, let us know what it is – and what you think should be in your glass.
Looking for your next pour? Whether you’re planning your next festival or simply making the most of summer, we’ve got plenty more inspiration waiting for you.
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