Music festivals selling out after roadmap to ease lockdown announced

Ticketmaster has seen a 600 per cent rise in traffic since the plans were unveiled

Music festivals are selling record numbers of tickets after the government’s announcement of its roadmap out of lockdown in England.

Earlier this week, Boris Johnson unveiled his plan for easing restrictions, including the final removal of limits on social contact on 21 June.

In the wake of the announcement, music festivals such as Field Day have been selling out, despite uncertainty over what government support there will be if last-minute cancellations have to take place.

“Lots of our members have seen sale spikes since Monday, which has generated lots of consumer confidence,” Paul Reed, chief executive of the Association of Independent Festivals, told The Guardian.

“There is a huge appetite for live experiences and I don’t think that is surprising. It’s about communal experiences, being outdoors in groups.”

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Ticketmaster has seen a 600 per cent rise in traffic since the roadmap was unveiled. “It’s a week unlike any we’ve experienced in a typical February,” said the managing director of the site’s UK wing, Andrew Parsons. “The pent up demand to get back to live events is undeniable. Fans are ready to make up for lost time and it’s just brilliant to see.”

Many organisers are calling for a government-backed insurance scheme so they will not lose all their investment if festivals are forced to cancel at a later date.

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A Downing Street spokesman said: “We are committed to helping bring the music sector back to full strength as soon as it’s safe to do so. We’re looking at a range of support options to help the sector get going again, and we have heard these calls for an insurance scheme.

“We continue to engage very closely with the sector to understand the challenges ahead.”