Tinder launches Festival Mode ahead of summer concert lineups

New feature allows Tinder users to connect based on music festivals they attend

(Getty Images / iStock Photo)

Festivals are not just for enjoying live music. Apparently, they’re for making love connections too.

The dating app Tinder launched a new Festival Mode feature on 14 April, just one day before the start of this year’s Coachella festival in Indio, California. The new feature allows Tinder users to connect based on the music festivals they attend, starting as early as a month before the scheduled festivities begins.

Festival Mode, which can be found in the Tinder Explore section of the app, will feature more than 20 of the year’s biggest festivals, including Bonnaroo, Stagecoach, and Governors Ball. However, absent from the list was the consecutive three-day Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, which takes place from 15 to 17 April and 22 to 24 April.

Luckily, the feature will also include a “Festival Goers” space for those who don’t see their event listed to connect, or for those who are are simply fans of festival culture.

“Music is a universal language and the number-one interest among Tinder members worldwide,” said Kyle Miller, VP of product innovation at Tinder. “We wanted to build on that excitement and offer them a head start at meeting someone new ahead of one of the biggest festival seasons in years.”

In a survey, Tinder reported that nearly one in three singles plan on attending a music festival or concert this year, while 64 per cent of singles say they enjoy meeting new people at live music events.

Festival Mode is just one of the many features introduced to the dating app within the last year. Last month, Tinder launched a new tool to let users run background checks on their matches before going on a date. The rollout of the low-cost feature began in 2021 as an effort to ensure safety among Tinder users, months after the app let users verify their identity with a blue check mark. In February, the app launched Fast Chat — a blind dating feature which pairs members up without them being able to view each other’s profile — and a “Plus One” feature last October, which helps single people find dates to weddings.