More than 90% of festivalgoers would feel confident attending a live event this year, according to research by end-to-end festival ticketing and experience provider Festicket.

The survey of more than 140,000 Festicket customers found 79% would feel comfortable attending a live event this summer between June and August – with that number rising to 90% for events in the final four months of the year.

Festicket said 82% of respondents plan to attend two or more festivals or live events this year, while more than half of respondents said they would be happy booking tickets for both international and domestic events.

The survey also found Festickets’ customers had “clear expectations” regarding the transparency of refunds and the communication of health and safety measures in advance. Just 7.9% of respondents said they would only feel comfortable attending an event if they had already been vaccinated.

In terms of the changes festival-goers want to see on-site, the most prevalent was extra cleaning and hygiene measures – 58.5% deeming this essential – followed closely by a desire for contactless and cashless systems to be in place. Some 52% said the need for reduced queues along with contactless ticketing and contactless access control at the door would be key in their decision to attend.

Festicket, which introduced its Covid-ready services at the end of last year, reported that 70% of those surveyed would be more encouraged to attend a live event if it had a cashless system on-site for all forms of payment.

Festicket 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.

“Coupling customer opinion with ongoing event partner conversations puts us in a strong position to help the industry bounce back successfully. 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.”

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