Music Festival Accommodation Solutions.

Depending on the location of a music festival organisers have may have multiple options when considering accommodation for festival-goers, artists, crew and volunteers. What are the potential solutions for obtaining a variety of accommodation options that suit differing budgets and requirements.

For music festivals taking place in a public park or multiple venues in cities the options for accommodation will generally be limited to local guesthouses and hotels. For festivals taking place in remote countryside locations the accommodation options will have a different mix including both local hotels and onsite camping.

Understanding Requirements. 
Numerous factors will determine the type of accommodation that the organisers will need to provide. A large festival in a remote field will attract festival-goers more used to camping with limited facilities but with options for more luxurious glamping and hotels for artists and visitors with higher budgets. City festivals will attract people who are more likely to live locally so the number of rooms required will be much lower. Any data from previous events on accommodation booked can be used to estimate future requirements.

Hotels and Deals. 
Whether local hotels and guesthouses are independent or part of chains it’s always worth approaching them to see if any deals can be struck. An accurate estimate of numbers of rooms that will be required can help secure a good discount which can be passed on to festival-goers and artists. A favourable room rate can be incorporated into a packaged deal for potential tickets buyers who will probably be unable to obtain good prices for accommodation if they try booking direct. Any potential deal can be structured to suit the festival organisers who may confirm rooms for staff and artists but give an estimate for potential tickets buyers. The rooms will be made unavailable for general sale by the hotel potentially limiting availability for those who try booking direct making the festival's package deals look attractive.

Remote Site Land.
Organisers who secure a venue deal with landowners will usually plan their site layout to include camping zones. This may require facilities and infrastructure to be constructed on site including water, electricity and bathroom facilities. The camping zone land can be further split into dedicated glamping or camper van areas providing a tired pricing structure to festival-goers. If there is insufficient land available to provide space for anticipated camping bookers it’s worth having discussions with other local landowners to see if there are fields close to the festival site that can be used as a camping overflow option.

Alternative Solutions.
Organisers should also consider discussing accommodation options with online platform companies like Airbnb or similar organisations who have the ability to contact all their hosts with a blanket offer. This saves time contacting individual homestay owners and can benefit the operators of online schemes by raising awareness of their services to a wider audience.

It is expected by festival-goers that organisers will offer a variety of accommodation options at the same time that tickets go on sale. Accurate estimates of numbers and early negotiations with accommodation providers will help to secure favourable rates and make packaged deals possible.

For festival organisers planning their events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

Photo by cottonbro studio via Pexels

<< Back to articles