Tinder's New Feature Is Making Festival Hookups Less Awkward

According to a press release, this latest feature will allow users to match with people who are also going to some of the world's biggest music festivals this summer, including Bonnaroo, Governors Ball, Stagecoach and EDC. And the goal? For matches to connect before meeting IRL at the actual show, meaning they'll now be able to talk to each other almost a month ahead of time and get to know their matches before blindly making out, fueled on by the music, lights and $17 cocktails.

After all, surveys conducted by Tinder show that at least 1 in 3 pent-up singles plan to attend music festivals this summer, which makes sense, especially seeing as how "music" is the “number one interest among Tinder users worldwide,” as said Tinder’s VP of Product Innovation, Kyle Miller, said.

"So many of our members are excited to jump back into in-person events. 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," he said. “Festival Mode gives you a chance to get yourself back out there, meet new people and make friends before you hit the festival grounds. It’s a great, low-pressure way to make real world connections again.”

As of right now, "Festival Mode" is available through your Tinder Explore page, where you can pick which music festivals you're going to and get swiping. But even if your festival isn't amongst the ones listed, there will still be a "Festival Goers" page for other events and people who are "simply just fans of festival culture."

Find our more about "Festival Mode" here.

Photo Illustration via Getty / Rafael Henrique / SOPA Images / LightRocket