First published on Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Last updated on Wednesday, July 16, 2025
British summers are always full of culture, and 2025’s been no different. Only this year one was on our doorstep. From our office here in Manchester, we watched the city transform as fans flooded in for a week of reunion gigs at Heaton Park. With many fans travelling more than Liam and Noel have managed to get along in decades. But only weeks before there was Glasto, which is always a phenomenon.
But did either of these events cause a ripple through UK workplaces AND what can that teach you about preparing for events like these in the future? Let’s look at the data.
Spoiler: it’s might not be what you’d expect.
Cum on feel the noize (and numbers)
We pulled absence data from thousands of UK businesses around both events. Here’s what actually happened:
Glastonbury weekend (June 25-29):
Friday June 27th: 74,247 planned absences (6.1% higher than the June Friday average): someone’s got their priorities straight
Monday June 30th: 63,877 planned absences (11.4% higher than typical June Mondays): and also, their recovery game sorted
Oasis reunion - First weekend (July 11-14):
Monday July 14th: 63,882 planned absences (11.4% above the June baseline): they definitely maybe needed the day off
The pattern’s clear: when massive cultural events happen, people plan around them. Properly plan. The Monday after Glastonbury shows nearly 64,000 people thought ahead and booked their recovery day. Turns out muddy fields and questionable festival toilets do require some bounce-back time. And if your employer knows, there’s no demand to be here now the Monday after.
But what about the sickies?
Here’s where it gets interesting. While planned absences spike around these events, the actual sickness data tells a different story.
Looking at our June and July 2025 figures, sickness rates don’t explode the way you’d expect. In fact, they trend downward through July despite the ongoing Oasis tour and festival season.
Take those post-event Mondays. Traditionally prime “sickie” territory. June 30th (post-Glastonbury) saw 4,097 sickness reports. July 14th (after the first Oasis weekend) dropped to 2,933 sickness reports (a 28.4% decrease) despite being another post-event Monday was part of a flattening trend. Where’s the supersonic spike in sickness?
Turns out when people have the tools to book time off to recover from singing “Wonderwall”, they’re less likely to develop mysterious 48-hour bugs. Instead, they just roll with it.
The Madchester view
Watching the Oasis reunion from Manchester gave us a front-row seat to how these events actually work. The city was mental (in the best way). Hotels full, pubs rammed, Adidas tops and bucket hats donned, with people travelling from everywhere for what many thought they’d never see. It was a sight to behold.
The businesses that thrived weren’t the ones fighting it. They were the ones who saw it coming and planned accordingly. Which they could do with our absence management tools and easy to follow policies. Because let’s face it: when the Gallagher brothers finally sort their differences out for a week, that’s not exactly a “maybe I’ll catch them next time” moment.
Many of our own team feel the same way and booked time off well in advance. And because we’re now prepared, we can just acquiesce.
What this actually means
The data shows that when people can easily and openly plan time off for cultural events, they’re less likely to unexpectedly call in sick on Mondays.
There’s no need for a masterplan. Give people a simple and transparent way to book holidays for Glastonbury or to see Oasis, or whatever else (Women’s Euros final, maybe?), and they’ll use it. Force them to pretend they don’t care about once-in-a-lifetime events, and they’ll invent food poisoning that could impress any festival-goer.
The businesses seeing stable sickness rates during festival season? They’re the ones with absence management that works with for their people, not against them.
Get your absence policy festival ready
Festival season happens whether you plan for it or not. Smart businesses just plan better.
Whether it’s Glastonbury, Oasis, or whatever massive cultural moment comes next (Women’s Euros final, maybe?), your workforce will prioritise these events. The question isn’t whether they’ll go, it’s whether they’ll be honest about it.
The data shows that transparency works. When people can plan their holidays openly, everyone benefits. More predictable staffing, fewer last-minute surprises, and staff who respect the system because the system respects them.
That’s not about being the “rock ‘n’ roll star” employer. Some might say it’s being the competent one.
Download our free absence policy template and build a system that works with human nature, not against it. Because festival season happens whether you plan for it or not.
