Making Music Festivals Financially Accessible for the Under 25s

Demand for music festival attendance appears strong with the larger more popular events still reporting being sold out. However, recent media coverage suggests that the under 25s are less inclined to attend driven by a concern about affordability and financial constraints. How can organisers help facilitate attendance from this group who will be the future of music festivals.

The global lock down caused by the coronavirus pandemic meant an absence of live events which especially impacted a key demographic for festival organisers, the under 25s. They are the future festival-goers but with current economic woes hitting around the world affordability is one of the key objections for this youth group in considering music festival attendance. Festival organisers should focus on helping this key demographic group to overcome their financial concerns by using creative initiatives. 

Ticket Purchase Options and Discounts. 
Organisers are already active in making festival tickets easier to purchase by using a variety of early bird discounts and the ability to spread payments with installments. Other initiatives include group discounts and ambassador schemes which enable friends to sell tickets at discounted prices and earn further rewards. In some countries there are member schemes run specifically for younger people and students and organisers can offer discounts based on membership of such a scheme. These scheme administrators can often provide some publicity and access to their membership in return for discounts making it an attractive option for organisers and potential ticket buyers too. 

Travel and Accommodation Initiatives. 
For a remote based music festival organisers will usually offer a variety of accommodation options, and this should include low-cost alternatives targeted at the under 25s. This will invariably be camping which can be offered on a no-frills basis with discounted pitch rates for students and group bookings. Organisers can also negotiate favorable travel options with bus and train companies specifically for these target audiences. 

The Volunteer Route. 
Becoming a volunteer has always been an attractive option for those who just cannot afford the price of a multi-day festival ticket. Working for an agreed number of hours every day in exchange for event entrance benefits both organisers and volunteers and still remains one of the most popular alternatives for the younger demographic. 

Local Community Festivals. 
For those that cannot afford to attend one of the larger mainstream festivals there are a huge variety of community and locally based music festivals available, many of which are entirely free. If entrance charges are made, they are usually much lower than attending a regular large music festival. Attendance at a smaller local event can give still give this younger group access to a live music experience without breaking the bank. They will also get the opportunity to see many up-and-coming artists too as they often start out at such events. 

Financial Planning Education Assistance. 
Organisers can consider initiatives with local universities and schools to offer guidance and education about managing personal finances. This can enable the younger generation to better manage their expenses freeing up funds for travel and festival attendance. This may take a simple form of sponsorship by a festival orgainser with a local education establishment for example. 

These are just some of the initiatives that younger people and festival organisers can consider to make their events more financially accessible for them. This helps to ensure that younger generations can participate and enjoy the music festival experience without facing significant financial barriers and helps to build future festival-goers. 

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.

Image by Wilson Vitorino via Pexels

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