Festicket Survey Suggests Music Fans Will Soon Be Ready For Festivals

For those keeping score, it has been 77 days since Live Nation, AEG, and a slew of other live events companies announced that all concerts would be postponed indefinitely due to the ongoing global health crisis. A new survey by music festival marketplace Festicket claims that demand for live events remains high despite the risks associated with large gatherings.

Festicket surveyed 110,000 festival-goers in the U.K., France, Germany, and the Netherlands, with 82% responding that they would attend a live event within six months of eased lockdown restrictions. A third of those respondents, over 33,000, said they would attend a festival immediately following the lifting of lockdowns, while 35% would wait two or three months. Over 75% of those surveyed claimed they would book tickets for the 2021 festival season within the next two months. Furthermore, 60% said they would consider an international music event in the next year.

Additionally, the survey also asked respondents about their preferred event type, with 83% and 68% claiming they would attend day and weekend festivals respectively. Many were less enthusiastic about the return of indoor events, however. Only 45% of those surveyed claimed they would feel comfortable attending a gig, while 43% would hit the clubs following the lockdowns. Of the 60% of respondents who tune-in to livestreams, 58% claimed they don’t mind paying to consume live events virtually.

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

“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,” he continued. “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.”

While fans may be eager to return to live events, it seems as though most musicians are looking to 2021 for any type of large gathering. Be sure to check out Live For Live Music‘s concert cancellation tracker for daily updates on concerts around the world.