Festivals throughout the U.K., whether held in an urban park or on a rural farm, use organized ticketing systems to control crowd sizes and assist with festival preparation. In addition to providing festival-goers with various options for attending their favorite music events, ticket structures allow festival organizers to estimate how many attendees will be present based upon ticket sales. They also assist in managing the financial aspects of their festival; and to give their customers choices as to which types of attendance options are available.
Festivals held on rural land are generally more flexible with their ticket options than those located in cities. As rural festivals can run for multiple days and also may provide camping accommodations to the attendees, some festival-goers attend the event for the entire weekend, whereas others prefer to only attend the event for a single day.
Therefore, by providing the festival-goers with various ticket options, festival organizers can meet the differing needs of their attendees while maintaining a regulated number of attendees per festival.
Types of Festival Tickets
UK festivals generally provide a variety of ticket classifications to enable the festival-goer to decide how he/she wishes to participate in the event. The most popular classification provided for rural festivals is the weekend pass.
This ticket generally grants the attendee admission to the entire festival, which includes all stage performances, and, when applicable, entrance into the campground where camping accommodations are provided by the festival.
The day pass is another commonly used ticket classification for festivals. When purchased, this ticket grants the attendee admittance to the festival for a single day.
Day passes are generally purchased by individuals who wish to attend the festival for a limited period of time to either witness a particular artist perform, or to experience the overall atmosphere of the festival for a short duration.
A third type of festival ticket classification is the early release ticket. These tickets are generally sold prior to the announcement of the complete festival schedule or line-up. A discount is usually given to ticket purchasers who purchase the early release ticket.
By selling the early release tickets, festival organizers can gain an early source of revenue for their event, and also to recognize and reward the early commitments from their festival-goers.
The typical ticket options used by many festivals will generally fall into the categories below:
- Weekend tickets (also known as weekend passes) will grant visitors access to the entire festival from start to finish (the first day of the festival until the last performance).
- Day tickets (or day passes) will grant visitors access to the festival for one specific day. These options will generally attract people who have less time available during the festival.
- Early bird tickets (also known as early release tickets), will be sold at a lower cost prior to the complete line-up being revealed.
- Camping or vehicle passes (if available) will be sold to those who plan to camp or bring their vehicles to the festival site.
The variety of ticket options will provide flexibility to festival-goers and assist organisers with predicting how many attendees there will be at each stage of the festival.
Phased Ticket Releases
Many British festivals now use staged ticket sales rather than selling tickets all at once. The staged sale of tickets creates an opportunity to stagger ticket sales over a number of different stages that take place over a period of weeks/months prior to the event taking place.
Typically, the staged sale of tickets starts with early bird tickets which are the cheapest option. Due to the fact that these tickets are limited, they tend to sell out very quickly. The next phase of ticket sales will occur as more information regarding the festival has been confirmed (such as the names of the performers/programme details).
Staged ticket sales also assist with managing demand and provide a fair way of accessing tickets. In some cases, some festivals may also create a resale system where ticket buyers can return/take back their tickets if they cannot attend the festival and others can purchase them.
Common phases of ticket sales include:
- Early Bird tickets will go on sale months prior to the event, at the cheapest price point.
- Tickets in Phase 2 will be made available shortly after the first announcement of the line-up.
- Final tickets will be sold closer to the date of the festival when most of the remaining details have been confirmed.
- Resale systems may be put in place allowing ticket holders to return/resell their tickets and therefore make tickets available to other potential attendees.
The staged nature of the sale of tickets will prevent the sudden increase in demand for tickets and will enable organisers to measure interest in tickets over time.
Pricing and Digital Ticketing
Many things affect how much it will cost to buy tickets to an event (a concert, festival, etc.) when you consider the production of the event on stage, what the artists are paid, what the festival has done to provide a safe environment for its visitors (security, restrooms, medical support), and the temporary infrastructure that may have been built (e.g., lighting systems, roads) to accommodate the event (in rural areas).
The use of digital ticketing provides some additional benefits.
- Once a ticket has been purchased, electronic tickets can be sent immediately to the purchaser.
- The use of QR codes allows festival staff to quickly scan and allow entry to the festival grounds once the purchaser arrives.
- Using digital systems helps festival staff to keep track of who attended and to eliminate duplicate entries.
- By using mobile devices to sell and deliver tickets, there is less need for physical printing and postage.
Therefore, digital ticketing provides improved simplicity and efficiency when compared to traditional paper-based methods of selling and delivering tickets.
Refund Policies and Industry Practices
Ticket sales policies for most festivals outline the terms for refunds, exchanges/transfer, and cancellation. Due to the large scale and the financial implications associated with preparing for and staging a festival, many festivals have limited options for returning a ticket to the purchaser.
Industry standard practices regarding refunds typically include:
- Tickets sold are generally non-refundable except when the event is cancelled or postponed/rescheduled.
- Official resale platforms offer a secure method to transfer unused tickets.
- In some cases, a festival may permit transfers or name changes prior to a specified date/time.
- The terms and conditions outlined by the organizer describe the roles and responsibilities of both the organizer and the attendee.
Basically, the ticketing process plays a significant part in how UK music festivals are organized and managed. Whether it is through early bird ticket sales, or through the use of digital scanning systems for entry into the festival, these ticketing processes enable organizers to effectively manage large crowds, while providing visitors with multiple ways to access and enjoy the music festival experience.