The Summer of Ludd festival is a series of talks and activities focused on getting people off their phones and into community. The event, which runs through July 5, features workshops on mending, flirting offline, and fighting against data centers. A play about the Luddite movement, a group of artisans and textile workers who resisted the adoption of machines during the Industrial Revolution, is also part of the festival.
The festival is heavily associated with Gen Z, with many young people becoming increasingly critical of tech's omnipresence in society. A 2025 Pew Research study found that 48 percent of teen respondents said social media has negative effects on people their age. The festival's organizers, who wish to remain anonymous, believe that the event is a way to enact social change and create a space where people can meet up in physical space without the influence of Big Tech.
The festival has sparked a conversation about the role of technology in our lives, with some attendees expressing a desire to "defy consumption" and resist the prevalence of tech. While some experts doubt that the movement will have a substantial impact, others believe that it raises critically important questions about the way we live our lives and our relationship with technology.
