Google has released its newest Summergeist report, a fresh look at what people across the country are searching for as the temperature climbs this year. Drawing on U.S. Google Trends data, the report pulls together the season’s biggest search trends across fashion, entertainment, food, and drink. One trend definitely stands out this year. The searches for “maxxing” have reached record-high numbers, and interest in summer trends is also record high. Here are some insights into what is currently trending on Google this summer.
The Summer of Maxxing
Before diving into specific categories, it helps to understand the theme tying this year’s report together. Google says search interest in the word “maxxing” has never been higher, and that pattern shows up across nearly every category below. People are not just following trends this summer. They are trying to squeeze the most out of them, whether that means optimizing their diet or picking the boldest possible shade of yellow.
Google frames Summergeist as a way to capture exactly what is on people’s minds and in their search bars at any given moment.. What makes the report unique and valuable for those who want to understand the consumer trends of the season is the fact that it draws on real-time searches, not surveys or assumptions. The interest in summer trends has never been so high, which means more and more people turn to Google to find what is worth trying, watching, wearing or eating in the summer of 2026.
Summer Songs
Although no official song of the summer has been defined yet, there is a clearly observable pattern regarding the trending songs over the last month. Each of the top trending songs was performed by a powerful female artist. Although Google does not name these artists in the report, the fact that women dominate the summer soundtrack in 2026 is definitely worth mentioning.
This kind of pattern can shift quickly over the summer, since a single viral moment, festival performance, or playlist placement can send a new track climbing the charts almost overnight. Those who are interested in tracking the music trends should definitely keep checking Google Trends data all over July and August because the current leader board is likely to change soon.
Summer Bites
Protein has been dominating the trend of nutritional preferences during the last couple of summers. However, this year searches for “dietary fiber” have reached their highest point yet, while “fibermaxxing”, which means maximizing fiber intake, has increased by 115% during the last 90 days. Such interest is consistent with the theme of the summer being the one of maxxing, when people not only observe the trends, but also optimize their health alongside the styles.
Summer Sips
Drink searches tell an interesting story this year. Sancerre and “chilled red” wine have both recently hit peak search interest, showing that wine trends are shifting with the season in new ways. Chilled red wine in particular suggests drinkers are experimenting more with how they serve familiar favorites.
Spritzes, as usual, are having their moment too. “What goes in an aperol spritz” broke out as a top search over the past month, while searches for “how to make a hugo spritz at home” have increased by 2,200%. That kind of jump suggests the hugo spritz is quickly closing the gap with the more familiar aperol version. Google has even managed to find out which states preferred which type of spritz between May 16 and June 16.
Summer Sweets
This summer, dessert searches reveal two major trends. Black sesame is having its biggest year yet, with people searching for ways to work the flavor into their summer treats. At the same time, frozen yogurt appears to be staging a comeback, led by New York. Searches for “frozen yogurt nyc” climbed 120 percent over the past 90 days, suggesting the city might be reviving a dessert trend that had cooled off in recent years.
Summer Shoes
Footwear searches this summer reveal a trend Google has been tracking since 2017. Footwear searches follow a pattern Google has tracked since 2017, with interest in slides spiking every June. This year, “jelly slides” topped the list as the most searched slide style. Searches for “flip flops,” “square toe flip flops,” and “wedge flip flops” have all reached new highs. Google also mapped which states favored flip flops versus slides between May 16 and June 16.
Summer Yellows
Color trends this summer are determined by one specific color. “Butter yellow nails” searches are at an all-time high, and “yellow lens sunglasses” ranks as the top trending search related to sunglasses lens color. All these searches prove that the butter yellow has become the key color of the summer appearing in the trends both of beauty and accessories industries.
Summerween Slashers
Early Halloween content is showing up this year, too. Searches for “summerween movies” have more than doubled during the last month, and among those searches, slasher movies emerged as the top searched sub-genre. It means that horror movie fans do not wait till autumn to plan their movies.
Summer Reads
Vacation reading is growing popular, too. Searches for “books to read on vacation” grew 110 percent during the last month, and Italy emerged as the top trending travel destination people searched alongside those book related queries. The pairing suggests plenty of people are planning both their next read and their next trip together this summer.
What This Means for Marketers and Content Creators
For marketers and content creators planning any campaigns this summer, the information provided in the Summergeist report may come in handy. The maxxing theme in particular signals that audiences are drawn to content framed around optimization, whether that is health, style, or lifestyle choices. Brands in food, beauty, fashion, and travel all have clear openings here, from fiber forward recipes to butter yellow product tie ins.
The regional search trends, such as spritz by state or footwear by state, should be analyzed more carefully by anyone planning any regional campaigns. Sometimes a trend, working on a national level, works differently on the local one. Google’s breakdown by state offers a more precise way to tailor messaging to what people in a specific region are actually searching for. All the findings of Google and charts by state are available on the Summergeist site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: What is Google’s Summergeist report?
Summergeist is a Google Trends report that highlights the biggest search trends of the summer season according to U.S. search data in categories like food, fashion, entertainment, and travel.
Q2: What is the biggest overall trend in Google’s summer 2026 report?
According to the report, “maxxing” is the key theme of this season, because searches for the term reached an all time high alongside with the record search interest in summer trends.
Q3: What food trend is topping searches this summer?
The most searched food trend is dietary fiber, because fiber searches reached the all time high, and “fibermaxxing” searches grew 115 percent during the last 90 days.
Q4: What drink searches are spiking this summer?
The searches for the spritz have been skyrocketing; for example, “how to make a hugo spritz at home” search grew 2,200 percent, and there was also growing interest in Sancerre and chilled red wines.
Q5: Is frozen yogurt trending again in 2026?
Yes, the searches for “frozen yogurt nyc” grew 120 percent during the last 90 days, which means that it is a trend initiated by NYC.
Q6: What footwear trend is leading this summer?
The top trending slide is jelly slides, but flip-flops, including square toe and wedge styles, have also showed the record level of search interest.
Q7: What color is trending most in Google searches this summer?
Butter yellow is the trendy color of this summer, because “butter yellow nails” are at the all time high, and “yellow lens sunglasses” lead sunglasses related searches.
Q8: Are people searching for Halloween content in the summer?
Yes, searches for “summerween movies” have grown more than doubled during the last month, and slasher films rank the first place in this trend.
Q9: What travel destination is trending alongside vacation reading searches?
Italy is the top trending destination associated with “books to read on vacation” searches, which are up 110 percent over the past month.
Q10: Where can I see the full Summergeist report?
Google’s complete findings, including charts and state level data, are available on the official Summergeist site linked from Google’s Search blog.
