5 Factors that Influence Music Festival Ticket Purchases

As part of their annual 360 Report, demographics giant Nielsen undertook a study that queries festival fans what is most likely to sway them towards a particular festival. The results are nothing short of illuminating, especially when they so closely reflect Intellitix’s own findings in our State of Live report. We take a closer look below.

Lineup

First and foremost in prominence: 86% of fans state that the lineup is of major importance. With booking fees occupying so much of festival budgets, this should come as no surprise. However, it would be incorrect to assume that this data suggests that a bigger budget lineup is necessarily a better one.

Location

75% of festival attendees prefer to attend events that are near to their home. Although major events like Coachella and EDC Vegas may draw in people from around the globe, the bread-and-butter of a festival enterprise is people who live within 200 miles of the event. Much of this has to do with the added and inhibitive cost of travel—airplanes, hotels, time off work.

Price

Fittingly, 68% of festival attendees queried stated that price is a major factor in their decision to purchase festival passes. It’s fair to consider price and location indicators as somewhat intrinsic to one another.

Who Else Is Going

An often overlooked aspect of the ticket purchasing decision process: 66% of fans say that whether or not their friends are attending the festival affects their decision. For most people, going to a festival by yourself is no fun at all. Although a promoter can control the lineup and the price, how can a savvy outfit make sure that the festival is squad-friendly? Group tickets, group camping accommodations, and good social media outreach can make an event more attractive to groups of friends looking for a weekend out.

Tradition

Lastly, 56% of attendees state that they often return to festival brands year upon year like an annual tradition. Achieving this is contingent upon building a strong and stable festival brand that people can trust. After a number of years, people look out for their favorite festival more than they do national holidays! However, this strong base—over half of all attendees—is only attainable after satisfying the previous four indicators. So, all in all: 86% of fans prioritize lineup, 75% prefer to stay close to home, 68% hinge their attendance on price, while 66% go with the flow of their friends, and 56% are brand loyal die hards that can be counted on to attend year after year. In building your festival brand, making sure that your event appeals to all 5 of these factors will increase your likelihood of attendance, retention, and success.

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