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Gaming festivals are officially overtaking music as the first big cultural milestone outing for Britain’s youth. According to a new study by ESL FACEIT Group, 90% of UK teens say they are more likely to attend a gaming festival, such as DreamHack, before ever setting foot at a traditional music festival like Glastonbury, with 92% of 13-19 year olds actively preferring the prospect of going to a gaming festival experience over a musical one with their friends.

With 94% of Gen Alpha regularly playing video games, up 4% from Gen Z, gaming has become a central social and cultural outlet for young people worldwide*. This new research reveals that it now even surpasses music, with 91% of respondents saying gaming plays a bigger part in their young lives. The survey of 2,000 UK teens aged 13-19 was commissioned to celebrate the announcement of DreamHack Birmingham 2026, taking place in March next year at the prestigious NEC Birmingham venue.

With 43% of young people not allowed to attend their first music festival until the age of 18, more teenagers are experiencing their first ‘festival moment’ at a gaming event than ever before. On average, the study highlighted that teens are allowed to go to a gaming festival at just 14, with nearly half (49%) permitted before their 16th birthday. It’s no surprise then that 94% see attending a gaming festival with friends as a modern rite of passage, and 96% say they want to take part.

The phenomenal rise in interest in these gaming events is linked to the perception of safety: 97% of teens say they feel safer at a gaming festival, and their parents agree – 92% say they’d be more comfortable, and even prefer taking their children to a gaming festival over a music one.

Gaming stars are the new pop icons: 88% of teenagers say that famous gaming creators and professional esports players are just as important – if not more so – than top music artists. Half (50%) believe they hold equal status among their peers, while 38% place them above pop stars entirely. Their devotion runs deep too, with teens willing to travel up to 152 miles – the distance from Cardiff Castle to Kensington Palace – just to meet or watch their favourite pro gamer or streamer.

Top 10 ‘festival’ experiences young people look forward to:

1. Hands-on gaming and participating in community tournaments – 53%

2. Seeing celebrities and creators up close and meet & greets – 43%

3. Watching favourite esports pros compete on stage – 32%

4. Meeting / making new friends with people from across the country / world – 32%

5. Sense of community / Finding communities – 23%

6. Playtesting new and upcoming indie games – 22%

7. Spending quality time with friends / creating memories with friends – 18%

8. Being away from home – 11%

9. Meeting online friends for the first time – 9%

10. Discovering new talent – 8%

For female UK teenagers, gaming is also now taking centre stage. 84% of girls said gaming plays a bigger role in their daily lives than music, and while 55% have yet to attend a gaming festival, the appetite is clear – 93% would go given the chance. Safety and accessibility are key drivers: 84% believe their parents are more likely to let them attend a gaming festival over a music one, and 93% think their parents would feel more comfortable with that choice. Reflecting this, 95% of female teens say they would personally feel safer at a gaming festival, with 87% even preferring it outright to a music festival.

The research also uncovered why teens are turning to gaming festivals as their go-to social experiences, with music festivals increasingly out of reach. A striking 96% of UK teens believe music festivals are unaffordable for the average teen, who typically has just £197 of their own money, or £200 from their parents, to spend on tickets. As a result, teenagers report attending fewer than two music festivals on average. Teenagers in Wales and Scotland face significant differences in festival affordability. Welsh teens can contribute £142 on average towards tickets, with parents adding £130 – both well below the national average – while Scottish teens can put in £206 and receive £212 from parents. Cost remains a major barrier, with 100% of Welsh and 95% of Scottish teenagers saying music festival tickets are too expensive.

DreamHack Birmingham tickets start at £39.00 for a 3-day ticket during the first two weeks (will be priced from £59.00 thereafter) compared to over £373 for a single Glastonbury ticket.

Shahin Zarrabi, VP Festivals at ESL FACEIT Group said: “Gaming isn’t part of the culture; it is the culture. DreamHack Birmingham 2026 will be where the UK gaming community comes alive: safe, authentic, unforgettable. No mud-fields, no chasing influencers, no £300 wristbands. Just pure gaming.”

DreamHack Birmingham (March 27 – 29, 2026) will mark the festival’s first time in Birmingham, uniting gaming communities for three days of hands-on gaming, creator meet-ups, esports, cosplay, live entertainment, and playable moments. DreamHack is the world’s leading gaming lifestyle festival, bringing together all gaming communities to celebrate games and internet pop culture.

The post Controllers over Concerts: Gaming Festivals Beat Likes of Glastonbury for Gen’s Z and Alpha first festival experience of choice appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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RankRadar, the innovative game tracking and analytics platform for game providers, is excited to announce a new partnership with TaDa Gaming, a leading multi-licensed iGaming provider known for its innovative and diverse portfolio of casino games.

With certifications from key regulators such as the MGA, UKGC, Sweden, Greece, and Romania, TaDa Gaming has rapidly expanded its global presence, offering over 200 titles across slots, fish-shooting, crash, bingo, and table games. Their unique features, including GiftCode, WIN CARD, and TriLuck, have positioned them as one of the industry’s most creative developers.

Through this collaboration, TaDa Gaming will gain access to RankRadar’s advanced analytics platform, enabling them to track game performance across operators, identify new opportunities, and strengthen their expansion strategy in both established and emerging markets.

This partnership marks an important step in combining data-driven insights with innovative game design, ensuring players around the world enjoy engaging, localised, and highly optimised content.

RankRadar Co-Founder & CEO Gjorgje Ristikj commented: “Partnering with TaDa Gaming reinforces our mission to empower leading providers with smarter data, sharper insights, and sustainable growth.”

The post TaDa Gaming and RankRadar enter a new partnership appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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