"Phone-free" club events rose by 567% globally in 2025, new data reveals

The number of "phone-free" events increased by around 567% globally last year, a new study from Eventbrite has revealed.

Entitled Offline by Design: The Rise of Phone-Free Experiences in 2026’s Analog Era, the study analysed event listings ranging from "raves to analogue game nights" featuring "phone-free" or "photo-free" terminology in the calendar years 2024, 2025 and Q1 of 2026, finding a huge surge in the number of events and attendance in that time period.

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The UK was found to be the "global leader" in phone-free events, with the number increasing by 1,200% in that same period, and attendance at said events growing by 1,441%. The study claims that this is driven by "innovative organisers who have successfully scaled unplugged formats into the cultural mainstream."

In the US, the number of listings rose by 337% through the same period, though attendance had grown by 913%, which the report claims represents a "transition to larger, communal experiences where average event sizes are more than double."

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In the first quarter of 2026, phone-free events have already increased by over a third of last year's global event volume. The study references data from Eventbrite's Reset to Real research, in which 79% of Gen Z and Millennial adults said that they feel it's important for events to "feel spontaneous and unpredictable."

You can read the full study here.

Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow her on X