Ticketmaster has seen a “colossal” 600% rise in traffic to its website this week, following the announcement of a road map out of lockdown.
The ticket sales company said Boris Johnson’s announcement on Monday prompted “a week unlike any we’ve experienced in a typical February”, with some two million potential buyers visiting its site.
Browsing and purchasing was up across the board – with all genres, from music to comedy, seeing increased traffic.
🎊 Boomtown Chapter One is officially SOLD OUT!! 🎊We are completely overwhelmed by the support shown by our incredible community… Please rest assured we will be doing everything possible to make sure that we can come together this August for the ultimate celebration ❤️ pic.twitter.com/2cxcjzU03X
— Boomtown Fair (@BoomtownFair) February 25, 2021
Ticketmaster also saw 500,000 visits to its festival finder guide, nine times the number of visits compared to this time last year.
Creamfields in Cheshire, Boomtown near Winchester and Field Day in London are among the events which sold out their 2021 editions this week, following a boost in demand.
Reading Festival has also sold out, less than two days after organisers confirmed it was going ahead this August – while its sister Leeds Festival has only limited tickets remaining.
Andrew Parsons, managing director of Ticketmaster’s UK wing, said: “Monday’s announcement kicked off a colossal 600% spike in traffic this week and there’s no sign of it slowing down.
Wow! Tickets for Field Day 2021 have sold out. Thank you so much to everyone who bought a ticket. If you missed out you can sign up to the waiting list via the website for further ticket updates 💜💚
Sign up here 👉 https://t.co/pTsszDISZh pic.twitter.com/NaYvJFIdQm
— Field Day (@fielddaylondon) February 25, 2021
“We’ve had around two million fans on our site with half a million visits to the Ticketmaster Festival Finder guide, it’s a week unlike any we’ve experienced in a typical February.
“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.”
According to plans announced on Monday, the Government hopes to lift all remaining restrictions on social contact by June 21 at the earliest.
This would mean larger events can go ahead and nightclubs can finally reopen.