90% of festival-goers in the UK feel confident attending live music events in 2021

Festicket, the festival ticketing company, recently conducted a survey which showed 90% of previous UK festival-goers felt confident enough to attend live events this year.

Posted: 6 April 2021 Words: Tom Curtis-Horsfall

A recent survey conducted by Festicket suggested that 90% of UK festival-goers felt confident attending live events in 2021.

The festival ticketing company surveyed 140,000 customers with 79% feeling comfortable in attending live events between June and August, with that percentage rising to 90% in the latter months of this year when the full adult population of the UK are expected to be vaccinated.

Consumer confidence is evidently high amongst typical UK festival-goers, with only 7.9% saying they'd only feel comfortable attending an event if they had been vaccinated and 82% of those surveyed intending to buy tickets to two or more festivals this year. More than half of the customers that responded to the survey suggested they'd be happy to book festivals both domestically and internationally.

Since the UK roadmap was revealed in late February, demand for live events has risen dramatically with a host of UK festivals already selling out. Commenting on the results, Festicket and Event Genius CEO Zack Sabban said: "It's clear there has been a shift in perspective in the UK over the past month. Following the Prime Minister’s announcement in February, stories of 2021 events selling out have become common but we wanted to dig a little deeper.

"It’s important that the industry works within all government guidance available but more specifically, listening to your fans is essential and delivering events in the way they now demand is critical for success.”

Whilst the route out of lockdown seems to be going to plan so far, the lack of a government-backed insurance scheme means that it's still uncertain territory for promoters despite events with no social distancing measures expected to return from 21st June.

It doesn't seem to have affected festival customers' enthusiasm for live events, however, as long as clear communication and reassurance about refunds in the event of cancellation is prioritised when booking festival tickets and on-site hygiene measures (including contactless payment) are in place; the latter of which will undoubtedly become the norm as live events resume.