Terms and conditions for a festival organiser

A festival sells thousands of small contracts months before it knows who will perform or what the weather will do. The ticket terms decide what you owe when the line-up changes, the site floods or the event moves, whether the booking fee is part of the price, and who can be refused at the gate. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Organisers of music, food, arts and community festivals in England and Wales selling tickets online, through agents and on the gate, with a public of consumers and a separate set of business relationships with traders, sponsors and performers. This page is about the public-facing ticket terms.

What matters in festival ticket terms

What a ticket is and what it promises

A ticket is a licence to enter the event on the terms you set, not a contract to see a particular act. The terms should say that the line-up, running order and site layout may change, that a change of artist is not a cancellation, and that the event is what the ticket buys. That term determines whether a change of headliner produces a refund claim.

Cancellation, postponement and refunds

Where the event does not take place at all, consumers are entitled to their money back, and the terms should say how and when, and whether the booking fee is refunded. Where the event is postponed, the terms should offer transfer of the ticket to the new date with a refund as the alternative. Tickets bought online are for a leisure event on a specific date, which regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 excludes from the fourteen-day cancellation right, so the terms should say that tickets are not refundable except as they provide.

Prices, fees and resale

Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 a headline price shown to consumers must include all mandatory charges, so booking and transaction fees have to be in the advertised price, not added at checkout. The terms should also deal with resale, on which sections 90 to 95 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 impose information duties on resellers and platforms: whether tickets may be resold, the use of an official resale platform, and cancellation of tickets sold outside it, which only works if the terms said so at purchase.

Entry, conduct and removal

The terms should set the conditions of entry: age limits and ID, prohibited items, searches, the right to refuse entry or remove anyone who breaches the site rules or the licence conditions without refund, and the position on re-entry. They should say that the conditions of the premises licence or temporary event notice under the Licensing Act 2003 bind everyone on site and that instructions from stewards must be followed. Photography and filming of the audience for marketing should be disclosed here.

Weather, safety and things beyond your control

Outdoor events depend on weather, and the terms should say that the event goes ahead in most conditions, that customers attend at their own risk as to weather, and what happens if severe weather forces a stage closure, an evacuation or a cancellation. The terms cannot exclude liability for death or personal injury caused by your negligence, so safety procedures, capacity limits and medical cover are what protect you rather than a clause.

What it costs

Customer or supplier terms and conditions, £995. One set of terms, customer-facing or supplier-facing, drafted for your business. Five working days.

Review of your existing terms, £495. You already have terms and want them checked and brought up to date. Returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Email me at geoffrey@caesar.co.uk with what you need and any documents, and I will confirm the scope and the fee in writing, usually the same working day.

What you get

• A full set of bespoke terms drafted for your business, reflecting the legal requirements that apply to your business and sector
• A note in plain English explaining the terms I have drafted for you
• Liability, payment, termination and IP provisions that protect your position and are drafted to withstand scrutiny from the other side
• Guidance on how to incorporate the terms properly
• Your questions and comments answered by email or phone
• One round of amendments to finalise the terms ready for use

What is not included

• Negotiating your terms with individual customers (I am happy to quote for this as an additional service if required)
• Sector-specific regulatory compliance beyond the contract terms themselves
• Website privacy notice and cookie compliance, which I quote separately
• Terms governed by the law of another country
• Tax advice

Questions I am often asked

Do I have to refund if the headline act cancels?

If the terms say that the line-up may change and that a change of artist is not a cancellation of the event, and the event goes ahead, there is no right to a refund. Without that term, a customer who bought the ticket for the headliner has an argument.

Can I cancel a ticket that was resold on a secondary site?

The terms can prohibit resale and provide for cancellation of tickets resold in breach, provided the buyer agreed to that at purchase and the terms are clear. Enforcement at the gate has to be consistent to hold up.

Are my traders and sponsors covered by these terms?

They are not. Ticket terms govern the public. Traders, sponsors and performers need their own contracts, which are business-to-business documents with different provisions.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Terms and conditions for a conference and exhibition organiser

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.