US festival offers refunds for extremely hot days

US festival Hinterland has introduced a 90 Degree Guarantee which allows ticket holders the option to request festival admission ticket returns for any day that is predicted to reach 90° (32C) or higher.

Last year, the Iowa-based festival came under fire for a lack of water during the peak of the state’s hottest temperatures, which typically reach over 100°F.

With an “extreme heat belt” emerging in the centre of the country – stretching from Texas to Iowa – these states will reportedly experience days that feel like 125°F at least once a year by 2053.

“As global temperatures continue to rise every year, Hinterland is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of our attendees,” reads a statement from the organisers.

“For Hinterland 2025, we’re offering a 90 Degree Guarantee. If the weather reaches 90º or above on any of the three days of Hinterland 2025, you have the opportunity to request a ticket return for each day the forecast is 90º or higher.”

Organisers of the festival, which takes place between 1–3 August in Saint Charles, explained how the refund process works.

“If on 29 July at 10am CT, the weather.gov forecast for 1, 2 or 3 August has a true temperature of 90° or higher for the 50240 zip code, ticket purchasers will have the option to request a return of their festival admission ticket for that day.

“Return requests are only available for the day/s the forecast is 90° or higher. Three-day ticket holders can request a return for specific day/s at a rate of 1/3 of the total three-day ticket price.

“As global temperatures continue to rise every year, Hinterland is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of our attendees”

“To qualify for a return, ticket holders must fill out the 90° Guarantee Ticket Return Request Form prior to 1pm CT on Tuesday 7/29 and returns will be processed within as little as 10 days. The policy only applies to festival admission tickets and does not include camping, parking, or shuttle tickets.”

The news comes as festival organisers around the world grapple with the impacts of extreme weather on their events, including adverse weather insurance.

Speaking to IQ, leading insurance broker Martin Goebbels at Miller Insurance says that a policy like Hinterland’s 90-Degree Guarantee would not necessarily be covered.

“Adverse weather insurance has always been available and is often purchased, although only relates to weather making it too dangerous for the event (or perhaps part of it) to proceed as decided by local authorities in conjunction with production heads – this can include excessive heat as well as storms etc,” he explains. “However, it would only apply when it is deemed too dangerous rather than refunds at a specific temperature.”

Jeff Torda, from US-based insurance broker Higginbotham, adds: “I could see two potential ways for a client to cover this exposure. They can share this ticket refund policy with the insurers from the onset and try to get the standard event cancellation insurers to agree to cover their lost revenues for any ‘returned/refunded tickets’ should the temperature get over 90 degrees. But I would say that 90 degrees is a fairly low US summer temperature for underwriters to get comfortable covering, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the standard event cancellation markets declined to cover this.

“If the standard event cancellation underwriters declined to offer cover at this low of a temperature threshold, then the likely other solution would be through a Parametric Weather Policy. In the parametric insurance market, the client can would simply set a ‘policy trigger’ of “If the temperature hits 90 degrees on dates x,y,z, then Insurers will pay insured $xxx”. This policy can often be quite expensive, but it is very straightforward from a claims-handling perspective. If the temperature hits 90 degrees in that city, on the day of any of the insured events, then there would be a flat agreed payment made to the insured client to help cover any ticket refund costs, lost revenues, etc.”

Hinterland’s 90 Degree Guarantee is part of the festival’s wider efforts to improve the festival for 2025 after last year’s criticisms, including backlash about overcrowding.

“We heard your feedback and have made it our mission to improve your Hinterland experience in 2025,” reads a statement from the festival. “To start, the Hinterland Main Stage is moving to a bigger space within the festival grounds. Our new amphitheatre will have an expanded footprint with more space to spread out, more trees and shade structures, and better water access. We’ve also got a number of other changes in the works to improve the attendee experience, which we’ll share soon.”

The festival has also implemented a new ‘Free Look’ return policy for 2025, whereby if VIP & Saints ticket holders aren’t satisfied with the premium amenities, they can return their ticket up to one hour after entering.

Hinterland 2025 is headlined by Tyler, The Creator, Lana Del Rey and Kacey Musgraves, with additional acts including Clairo, The Marías, Bleachers, Remi Wolf, Sierra Ferrell, Still Woozy, Royel Otis, Wyatt Flores, Role Model and more.

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