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Controllers over Concerts: Gaming Festivals Beat Likes of Glastonbury for Gen’s Z and Alpha first festival experience of choice

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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.

George Miller (Gyorgy Molnar) started his career in content marketing and has started working as an Editor/Content Manager for our company in 2016. George has acquired many experiences when it comes to interviews and newsworthy content becoming Head of Content in 2017. He is responsible for the news being shared on multiple websites that are part of the European Gaming Media Network.

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Top live game show with multiplied thrills on the wheel

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SA Gaming has launched a game show: Carnival Treasure!

Carnival Treasure is a spectacular live game show where the game itself is a fast-paced and exciting money wheel game designed to bring players thrilling experiences. To win, players have to predict correctly which numbered segment the wheel flapper will land.

SA Gaming’s Carnival Treasure consists of numbered segments and bonus segments. All 52 numbered segments pay the number (1, 2, 4, 7, 18 and 40) on the segment. When the flapper lands on one of the two bonus segments, “2x” or “10x”, there will be a bonus spin and the winnings will be multiplied accordingly. Bonus spins continue as long as the flapper lands on a bonus segment, allowing a maximum payout of 10,000x!

To enhance interactivity, Chat Room is now available at Carnival Treasure! Players can chat with the host and other online players in it. With the “Gifts” function, players can tip the hosts to show their appreciation and get real-time reactions from them! The chat room is certainly the tool to add fun and engagement to any game!

The post Top live game show with multiplied thrills on the wheel appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Party the Night Away in BGaming’s Fiesta Clusters

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Rapidly expanding content provider takes a trip to Mexico with its vibrant new title, Fiesta Clusters

Popular iGaming content provider BGaming brings the party to the reels with the release of its latest slot, Fiesta Clusters.

This vibrant, highly volatile slice of action combines the celebratory spirit of Cinco de Mayo with the expressive artistry of Día de los Muertos, delivering vibrant thrills for players and a seasonal spike potential for operators around Halloween.

The game uses a cluster pays mechanic, with refilling reels and multipliers up to x256, designed to create explosive winning sequences. These features are also on display in the Free Spins bonus. The game’s colourful visuals, combined with its action-packed gameplay sequences, make it a perfect option for mobile players and streamers.

Fiesta Clusters pulls players in with its festive design that performs beautifully across all devices and operating systems. Players can also skip the queue or enhance their chances of triggering a bonus using the Buy Bonus and Chance x2 features.

Being a BGaming slot, Fiesta Clusters is also packed with winning potential. Players can land a maximum win of 5,000x their stake, with the slot boasting an RTP of 97%.

Alex Baliukonis, Game Design Team Lead at BGaming, said, “Cinco de Mayo and Día de los Muertos are always extremely popular themes with slot players, so we decided to bring the two together for a giant Mexican-themed fiesta around Halloween.

Not only does Fiesta Clusters perfectly capture the spirit of these holidays with its visuals, but it also recreates their excitement with its thrilling Bonus features and gameplay.”

The post Party the Night Away in BGaming’s Fiesta Clusters appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Big Time Gaming drops big scares in Castle of Terror II

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Provider’s bone-chilling slot is back for a second instalment and with bigger bonuses, bigger frights and even bigger wins

Think you are brave enough to return to the Castle of Terror? This lab experiment-horror sequel from Big Time Gaming is a bone-chilling adventure packed with electrifying features designed to give you the fright of your life.

This is a slot where players find themselves in a spooky lab where they must brace themselves for Bonus Respins that are triggered by landing Scatters. When they drop, they awaken monstrous reels with different Bonuses coming into play depending on where the Scatter lands.

This includes:

Brains – extra Brains land on the reels.

Alive – A random Win Multiplier is applied to all wins.

Shock – Wilds reveal Random Multipliers.

Monster – A random symbol becomes Wild on reels two to five

Horror – A random reel will be filled with Wilds.

If one or more Scatters appear during the Bonus Respin, the lab erupts into chaos, triggering 10 Free Spins for a spine-tingling time. But if two or three Scatters drop, the experiment escalates with another 10 Free Spins awarded.

During Free Spins, the Win Multiplier begins at 1x but mutates after every winning spin, amplifying rewards with each electrifying jolt. Free Spins also come infused with Bonuses, which collide to make each round terrifying and thrilling.

Depending on which reels the triggering Scatters landed, players might find that the machine gun surges again, granting four Extra Spins plus two more for each additional Scatter beyond the second.

For those who dare to take control, the Bonus Buy feature lets players pull the lever instantly. For 100x the stake, charge up 10 Free Spins with two bonuses, or for 300x, unleash 10 Enhanced Free Spins with three bonuses.

With Castle of Terror II, players get to step into the lab but must brace themselves… their creation may be more powerful than they ever imagined.

Nik Robinson, CEO at Big Time Gaming, said: “Castle of Terror II is a terrifying slot that’s not for the faint-hearted. Players find themselves in a spooky lab where creepy experiments take place, but if they can hold their nerve, there are plenty of bonus features to discover.”

“The action starts with the Bonus Respins and the various features that can play out across the reels. But the real experimental stuff happens in the Free Spins, where bonuses collide and big wins can emerge from the chaos.”

“Castle of Terror II really does put players on the edge of their seats with heart-stopping action and plenty of unexpected jump scares. Think you have what it takes to enter the Castle of Terror for the second time? There’s only one way to find out.”

The post Big Time Gaming drops big scares in Castle of Terror II appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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