Bringing Everyone to the Festival – Without Breaking the Bank
How can a folk festival welcome fans of all incomes while still covering costs? By embracing innovative ticket pricing strategies that put community first.
Inclusivity has become a key goal for festival producers around the world. For folk festivals – often rooted in community and tradition – the challenge is making events accessible to all without hurting the festival’s finances. One solution gaining momentum is “pay-what-you-can” pricing and equity tickets. These approaches allow attendees to pay reduced prices (or even choose their price) based on their means, with others paying a bit more to help bridge the gap. The result? A more diverse audience, stronger community goodwill, and a festival that truly lives up to its folk roots of togetherness.
This approach is the opposite of profit-driven dynamic pricing schemes that raise prices with demand (often frustrating fans). Instead of charging more in a hot market, you’re intentionally charging less or flexible rates for those who need it – a strategy that aligns with the community-first spirit of folk events.
But implementing a sliding-scale ticket model requires careful planning and execution. From deciding how many tickets to allocate, to training staff on sensitive entry procedures, every detail matters. Below, seasoned festival organisers share practical steps – backed by real-world examples from festivals large and small – on how to successfully introduce pay-what-you-can and equity ticketing for your event. Whether you run a cosy local folk festival or a major international gathering, these tips will help you broaden access while keeping your budget intact.
Allocate a Clear Percentage for Sliding-Scale Tickets
The first step is deciding how many tickets to make available under a pay-what-you-can or sliding-scale scheme. Rather than an open-ended offer, successful festivals set a clear limit or percentage of total tickets for these equity-priced admissions. This ensures the core budget remains stable while still opening the door for those who need a discount.
Planning the Percentage: Many festivals allocate roughly 5–10% of their tickets to low-income or pay-what-you-can buyers. For example, the massive Burning Man event in Nevada reserves around 4,000 tickets (about 6% of attendees) at a much lower price for those on limited incomes. In Australia, Strawberry Fields (a music and arts camping festival) offers 500 discounted tickets (approximately 5–7% of its capacity) specifically for low-income attendees each year. As Strawberry Fields festival director Tara Benney noted when introducing this policy, “it’s not really a huge sacrifice” to set aside a small portion of tickets if it means more people can enjoy the event. By capping the number of sliding-scale tickets (and requiring an application or proof of need if appropriate), the festival can limit revenue loss to an acceptable, budgeted amount.
Budgeting for the Shortfall: Be prepared to cover the difference for those paying less. In some cases, other audience members effectively subsidise those who pay less – community solidarity at work. Dublin Fringe Festival, for instance, trialled a pay-what-you-can night where “some pay more so others pay less,” and the festival organiser covered any shortfall to ensure performers still received their full fees. If your event doesn’t have the margins to absorb a loss, consider finding sponsorship or dedicated funding for your equity tickets. A local business, arts council or grant might be keen to support access for low-income groups in exchange for a simple sponsorship mention. Alternatively, slightly increasing standard ticket prices by a tiny amount can collectively offset the discounted tickets. The key is to build the sliding-scale allocation into your budget projections from the start – treat it as an expense (or reduced income) line item that’s planned and accounted for, rather than a surprise.
Tiered Pricing Options: Pay-what-you-can doesn’t always mean people pay any random amount. Festivals often define a few price tiers and let attendees choose what they can afford. For example, a festival might offer a “supported” ticket at $20, a “standard” ticket at $40, and a “pay-it-forward supporter” ticket at $60 – all for the same access, with buyers self-selecting the level that suits their finances. The Glasgow Short Film Festival and Transform Festival (UK) have used similar tiered models, listing options from as low as £2 up to the regular price or higher. Publishing a brief guideline (e.g. “If you’re comfortably able to pay the standard price, please do – it helps cover those who can’t”) encourages honesty. Many audience members are surprisingly willing to pay the recommended or higher rate, knowing it supports the community vibe. By contrast, those truly in need can pick the lower tier without jumping through hoops. This tiered approach removes the pressure to justify one’s choice and keeps the process universal and fair.
Partner with Community Groups for Distribution
A sliding-scale program is only as effective as its reach. Who gets access to these equity tickets? To ensure the tickets benefit the intended audiences – people who otherwise couldn’t afford to attend – it’s wise to partner with community organisations for distribution. Folk festivals, with their deep community ties, are especially well-placed to do this.
Leverage Local Networks: Identify local groups, charities, or community centres that serve populations who’d love to attend your festival but face economic barriers. These might include youth clubs, cultural associations, student unions, low-income family support charities, or organisations in the folk music community (like folk music societies or schools). Work with them to spread the word about the pay-what-you-can tickets or to actually distribute a set number of ticket codes/vouchers to their members. Community partners can help vet recipients in a respectful way – for instance, a neighbourhood association could quietly offer discounted tickets to families they know could use a night out.
Real-World Example – Shambala’s Outreach: Shambala Festival in the UK provides a great case study. Known for its socially conscious approach, Shambala piloted an outreach ticket scheme in 2022 by collaborating with local organisations in its region. They partnered with groups like a children’s trust for care leavers and a community eco-village project to find people who would not normally attend a festival. Over time, they even expanded the programme nationally by working with a platform originally created to provide event tickets to NHS workers, repurposing it to reach those on low incomes. This kind of partnership not only gets the tickets to the right people, it also builds goodwill with the community. Local leaders see the festival giving back, and recipients often become loyal fans who appreciate the gesture.
Clearing the Distribution Hurdles: To make partnerships work, keep the process simple. Provide community groups with an easy way to redeem the tickets – for example, a special promo code on your ticketing platform (like Ticket Fairy) that unlocks the discounted price, or physical ticket vouchers if your audience isn’t online. Make sure the allotment per group is clear (e.g. “We have 50 pay-what-you-can tickets reserved for XYZ Community Centre members”) and set a reasonable deadline so you can re-release any unused tickets to the general pool if they’re not claimed. Also, communicate any basic rules (such as age restrictions or one ticket per person) so the partners can handle questions upfront. By enlisting trusted community intermediaries, you extend your festival’s reach to new audiences in a respectful manner – and you might even attract new sponsors or grants by demonstrating this community engagement.
Avoid Stigma at Entry – Train Your Staff
One of the most important principles of equity ticketing is that no guest should feel singled out or embarrassed when they attend. The festival experience should be equally welcoming whether someone paid full price, half price, or nothing at all. Achieving this requires thoughtful logistics and staff training to remove any potential stigma at the entrance and on site.
Discreet Ticketing Processes: Ideally, the ticket or wristband for a pay-what-you-can attendee should look the same as any other. Avoid creating separate “low-income tickets” that would be obvious at a glance. Most modern ticketing systems allow you to simply issue the same type of e-ticket or wristband for all general admissions, regardless of what was paid. If you must use different codes or categories internally, ensure that scanners or door staff aren’t displaying a label that could tip off other guests. For example, do not have a big red stamp that says “Discount” on the ticket – use a subtle code if needed that only staff can see. The goal is that once a person is through the gate, no one besides a select few organisers knows who paid what.
Staff Training on Sensitivity: Front-of-house and security staff should be trained to treat all attendees with the same upbeat, respectful welcome. Brief your door staff that some tickets were distributed through community programmes or on a sliding scale, and that no further questioning or ID checking for those tickets should happen at the gate beyond the normal scanning. If some equity tickets require ID verification (for example, if you issued them by application with names attached), arrange for this to be handled discreetly in advance or at a dedicated window away from the main queue. Ensure staff never say things like “Oh, you’re on the free list” within earshot of others. In smaller venues, it might be as simple as the event manager personally handling any will-call pickups for sponsored tickets quietly.
Normalize the Experience: You can design your entry process so that pay-what-you-can attendees enter alongside everyone else. For instance, if you have early access or special lines for VIPs, make sure those with equity tickets are not forced into a visibly “different” line. Some festivals choose to email tickets or codes directly to recipients ahead of time through the community partners, so they just show up and get scanned like every other fan. The more seamless and normal the process, the more those guests can relax and enjoy the festival without feeling self-conscious. Remember: the whole point is to make these attendees feel like they belong – because they do! A little empathy and awareness in your team go a long way toward creating that inclusive atmosphere.
Track Uptake and Adjust in Real Time
Offering new ticket pricing options is a learning experience. It’s crucial to track the uptake and outcomes of your pay-what-you-can and equity ticket initiatives so you can adjust as needed – both during the on-sale period and for future editions.
Monitor Sales Data: Keep a close eye on how quickly the sliding-scale tickets are being claimed. Are the allotted equity tickets snapped up immediately, or are they slower to move than regular tickets? A fast sell-out of low-income tickets could indicate you underestimated demand – valuable insight for next year’s planning (you might consider expanding the percentage slightly or opening applications earlier). On the other hand, if uptake is low, it might mean the offer wasn’t advertised effectively to the target groups, or perhaps the pricing wasn’t quite right. Tools available in platforms like Ticket Fairy can help here: you can set up separate ticket categories or promo codes and then use real-time dashboards to see how many have sold and to whom. If you notice, for example, that only half of your allocated community tickets have been claimed one month out, you could do a second push via those community partners, or decide to widen eligibility criteria.
Collect Feedback from Participants: Data isn’t only numbers. Try to gather some qualitative feedback from those who used the equity tickets. A simple post-event survey or a few informal interviews can reveal a lot. Did these attendees hear about the programme in time? Did they feel comfortable using it? What was their experience at the festival – any suggestions? Perhaps you’ll learn that the online application form was confusing, or that people were shy to apply without more assurance it was meant for them. Use this input to fine-tune your approach. For instance, you might adjust the messaging in your marketing to emphasise that the pay-what-you-can option is really open to anyone who needs it (some folks hesitate out of pride or skepticism). Or maybe the feedback will tell you that you set the lowest price tier still a bit too high for some – informing a possible price tweak or the need for a sponsored “free ticket” pool.
Avoid Abuse, But Don’t Obsess: One concern organisers often have is “What if people who could pay full price just buy the cheapest ticket?” In practice, outright abuse tends to be limited – especially if you’ve worked through community groups or require a basic step like a sign-up or application. Most people understand these schemes are for genuine need and won’t risk the embarrassment of being caught gaming the system for a small saving. That said, you can do a gentle review of buyers if your system allows (e.g. if someone requests dozens of low-income tickets, that’s a red flag). Overall, focus on the big picture: how many additional people got to attend thanks to the programme, and was the cost to the festival reasonable. As long as the numbers align, a few bad apples using a discount they didn’t strictly need won’t outweigh the goodwill and expanded audience you’ve cultivated.
Iterate for Next Time: After the festival, convene your team and look at the outcomes. How many equity tickets were used in the end? How did that impact finances? Did the presence of new faces add to the festival atmosphere? Use these insights to adjust the percentage of tickets and the way you promote the scheme next time. For an annual folk festival, this might become an evolving tradition – maybe you start at 5% of tickets and eventually grow that to 15% as you find sponsors or new efficiencies to support it. Treat this like any other part of your marketing and ticketing strategy: test, learn, and improve.
Report Outcomes to Funders and Neighbours
Transparency and communication are the final pieces of the puzzle. Sharing the results of your pay-what-you-can and equity ticket efforts can yield multiple benefits – from satisfying grant requirements to winning over skeptical neighbours concerned about the festival’s community impact.
Impress the Stakeholders: If your festival received any special funding or sponsorship to support accessible tickets, those funders will want to know their money made a difference. Prepare a clear, concise report or presentation highlighting key outcomes: How many people attended on equity tickets? What percentage of total attendance was that? Include any heartwarming anecdotes or quotes from attendees if you can (“I never thought I’d get to attend this festival, it was magical to be there thanks to the programme”). Concrete data plus personal stories create a compelling narrative. This not only fulfills any reporting obligations but also positions your festival as a responsible, community-minded event – which can help in renewing grants or sponsorships in the future. For example, the team behind Scotland’s Doune the Rabbit Hole festival, which introduced a scaled ticket pricing in response to cost-of-living pressures, publicly shared that they welcomed hundreds of additional local attendees thanks to their discount scheme – a fact that likely reassured their sponsors and local council that the initiative succeeded.
Neighbourhood Relations: Festivals often worry about community relations, especially if residents near the venue are impacted by noise or crowds. One way to foster goodwill is to demonstrate how the festival gave back to the community. By reporting that “X number of local residents and low-income community members were able to attend thanks to our pay-what-you-can tickets,” you show that you’re not just parachuting a big event into the area – you’re actively involving those who live around it. Consider writing a short post-event community impact summary for local media or a letter to the neighbourhood association outlining positive outcomes (you might mention charitable donations or local hires as well, alongside the ticket programme). When people see that their neighbours or students from the local school got to enjoy the festival, they’re more likely to view the event as a positive presence.
Internal and Public Messaging: Don’t forget to celebrate the success internally and on your own marketing channels too. Thank your paying attendees for their part in making the festival accessible – if you invited higher-paying “supporter” contributions, let those folks know the result (“Thanks to those of you who opted for the higher ticket tiers, we raised an extra $10,000, which helped 200 community members attend the festival”). This kind of transparency can be a powerful marketing tool; it tells future ticket buyers that your festival cares about community and isn’t just profit-driven. It might even inspire more people to chip in or support the initiative next time. On your website and social media, you can share the story of this inclusion programme (with permission, share a participant’s story or a photo of families enjoying the show) to highlight the festival’s values. Just be sure to frame it as a celebration of community and solidarity, rather than the festival “charity”. The tone should be everyone came together to make this happen, rather than patronising those who received the discount.
By reporting outcomes widely, you close the feedback loop and set the stage for sustained support. Festivals that openly demonstrate their positive impact often find it easier to get permits, funding, and audience support year after year. In essence, you’re saying: our folk festival isn’t just an event, it’s a community institution that strives to include everyone. And that is the kind of message that resonates far and wide.
Key Takeaways
- Plan Your Allotment: Decide upfront what percentage or number of tickets will be offered as pay-what-you-can or equity tickets. Common practice is around 5–10% of total capacity, adjusted to what your budget can support.
- Budget for Inclusivity: Treat reduced-price tickets as an investment in audience diversity. Cover the revenue gap through slight increases on standard tickets, sponsor contributions, or by offering higher-priced “supporter” tickets for those who can pay more.
- Community Partnerships: Work with local community groups, charities, and networks to distribute discount codes or tickets. This targets the offer to those who need it most and builds grassroots support for your festival.
- No Stigma, No Barriers: Ensure the attendee experience is the same for all. Train staff to handle equity tickets discreetly and kindly. Avoid separate lines or any process that might single out or embarrass those using the scheme.
- Monitor and Adapt: Track how the scheme is used. Note the uptake rate and gather feedback from participants. Use data to adjust the number of tickets or pricing tiers in the future, and refine your outreach strategy.
- Share the Story: Communicate the results of your pricing initiative to stakeholders. Show funders, sponsors, local authorities and the community the positive impact (with statistics and stories) to gain their continued support and trust.
- Stay True to Your Mission: Remember that an inclusive folk festival ethos can also be a selling point. Modern audiences appreciate events that prioritise community and equity. By implementing pay-what-you-can and equity tickets thoughtfully, you not only do good for attendees – you build a stronger, more loyal festival community for years to come.
27th September 2025