82% of festivalgoers ready to return to live events

A recent survey carried out by music festival marketplace Festicket has shown that the demand for live events post-coronavirus is high, with over 80% of 110,000 festivalgoers surveyed saying they would attend an event within six months of lockdown being lifted.

A third of respondents, which include music fans in the UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands, say they would feel confident to attend a festival “immediately” after lockdown is lifted, with a further 35% saying they would return to events between two to three months after easing. An additional 16% would attend events within six months of lockdown being lifted.

Festivalgoers displayed high hopes for the 2021 season, too, with over three quarters saying they would feel confident booking tickets for next year within the next two months.

The lasting impact of Covid-19 is plain to see, however, as the option for free cancellation of tickets and health and safety measures are now among the most important factor for fans, coming second only to an event’s line-up when choosing which festivals to attend.

Day festivals and weekend festivals proved the most popular choices for fans to return to first, with 83% and 68% saying they would happily attend each. Respondents seemed more reluctant to return to indoor events, with 45% saying they would feel comfortable attending a gig and 43% a club night after lockdown.

“Despite all the current uncertainty, it’s reassuring to see a high percentage of festivalgoers have a positive outlook for the live events industry”

Six out of ten respondents also said they would be up for attending international music events in the next year.

Despite concerns about the economic impact of coronavirus, fans surveyed by Festicket still appear willing to spend big on their festival trip, with 34% saying they’ll spend between €250 to €500 on future trips, while another 24% said they’ll spend more than €500.

Meanwhile, 60% of fans are getting their live event fix via livestreams, with almost the same number (58%) saying they are happy to pay to watch live events this way. Festicket is among companies to launch a livestreaming service, creating Festicket Live, which gives promoters and artists the ability to host both free and ticketed live streams on YouTube or Vimeo.

“Despite all the current uncertainty, it’s reassuring to see a high percentage of festivalgoers have a positive outlook for the live events industry, backed up by over 75% saying they’d feel comfortable booking events for 2021,” comments Festicket marketing director Luis Sousa.

“Unsurprisingly, we are of course entering the beginning of a ‘new normal’ for events where festival-goers – in the short term at least – will expect promoters and venues to adapt their offering to ease anxieties. We’ve already seen this in some venues that have begun opening their doors again, with measures such as reduced capacity and compulsory table service being part of the deal of reopening.”

Find out what leading festival professionals have to say about the future of the sector here.

Festival leaders talk uncertain future in latest IQ Focus session

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