From Stage to Screen: Essential Design & Features Every Music Festival or Venue Website Needs

Written by: Steve Berg

Why Your Music Festival or Venue Website Design Matters

With the music industry rapidly becoming "digital-first", a music venue's or festival’s website is more than a brochure—it’s a ticket booth, information hub and community platform rolled into one. The front door analogy has now become apt and the norm: excited attendees visit your site first to check show dates, the artist lineup, and to figure out how ticketing and the logistics work. A poorly designed site forces them to search elsewhere for such information, while a well‑designed one converts casual visitors into ticket buyers and donors. With most users browsing on mobile devices today and deciding whether to stay on a site within seconds of going to the website, festivals and venues can’t afford to treat web design as an afterthought. Here are some guidelines to follow to ensure your music festival or venue website attracts visitors to your event.

1. Make Information Accessible: Dates, Agenda & Location

Establish Clear Dates and Times

Your site’s first job is to answer the basics of any event details: when and where. Display event dates and times prominently on the homepage and on individual event pages so users can’t miss them, regardless of how they access the website or where they first visit. Simply put, users won’t attend if they don’t know when or where it is happening. Consider implementing an "events" calendar on your website if you're hosting several events a month, or a timetable of set times if you're promoting several bands within a set timeframe. If possible, make your event calendar or timetable interactive, where visitors can filter by time, date, genre, or any other category you desire. This gives the visitor a sense of personal power or control when searching on your calendar, which may lead to curiosities about other shows/events that they may not be interested in yet.

Provide a Detailed Agenda and Line‑Up When Possible

Beyond dates, festival‑goers want to know what’s happening. Provide a detailed schedule that outlines performance times, workshops or special sessions and link artist bios to each slot. In my redesign of the Victoria Jazz Society's website, I created dedicated festival and artist pages for their music festivals with structured information and markup, allowing performances to appear in search snippets. A clear agenda helps fans plan their visit and ensures they don’t miss the acts they care about most.

Don't Skimp on Location, Directions and Venue Details

Attendees can often travel from out of town and may not be familiar with the area where the show is. So include maps, parking information and nearby accommodations to remove any potential uncertainty and lower the need for the attendee to "educate themselves". Make it as easy as possible for them to decide whether to attend or not, because if you don't, another event will likely take its place. This also includes presenting accurate capacity and amenity details alongside transportation and accommodation options. Consider embedding Google Maps or interactive venue maps that enhance usability where possible. And lastly, to improve local search visibility, mark up your venue pages with event structured data—fields such as name, starting time, location and offers to help Google display rich event results.

2. Promoting Artists and Experiences is Key

Combine Line‑up Announcements with Artist Exposure

While the trend of an all-encompassing "festival experience" that drives potential show-goers, fans still often decide which festival to attend based on the performers at the event. Building on the concept of "digital-first", you can provide more information about a performer by linking to their music streaming page(s), their website (if they have one), or past performance videos. You should feature headline acts and lineup announcements on the homepage in a concise format and use separate artist pages for bios, images, and audio clips. This not only engages visitors but also gives artists valuable exposure. You may not be able to convert the visitor to an attendee, but you can still convert their friends and/or family instead.

Include Media Galleries & Video Embeds

A media gallery showcases photos and videos from previous events, building excitement and providing visual proof of your festival or venue's atmosphere. In addition to embedding videos from YouTube or other sources to further enhance visual proof, it also increases dwell time on your website and encourages sharing amongst their social network. You're aiming for as much time spent consuming your website's content, in this case, checking out several events, artists, or otherwise, as much as possible. Choosing a website builder or CMS that integrates easily with your event management software, so media galleries update will keep your media in line and ensure you're not missing showcasing any incredible performance moments at essential sections of your website.

3. Simplify Ticketing & Registration

Ideally, buying tickets should be a seamless process. A complex checkout process is a conversion killer, as potential attendees may become frustrated and abandon the process when they are likely to make a purchase. Whether you use an online ticketing provider or handle everything in-house, the ticket-purchasing system should be straightforward and intuitive. Offering packages and early-bird discounts can boost sales. Clear “Buy Tickets” buttons and concise forms reduce abandonment. If your festival or venue offers multiple ticket types (e.g., VIP, day passes), list them with precise descriptions and ensure pricing is transparent.

4. Encourage Vendor and Sponsor Engagement

Vendors and sponsors create a vibrant festival and venue ecosystem. Therefore, provide an intuitive vendor application process to make it as easy as possible for them to participate in an event. Promoting vendor spotlights builds buzz and community through their range of influence, making the event a communal activity. You may also consider showcasing sponsor logos and offering vendor or sponsor endorsements on your website. It not only supports local businesses but also demonstrates social proof for attendees.

5. Optimize for Conversion: CTAs, Integrations & SEO

Implement Clear Calls to Action (CTA) Statements

Universally, all websites should guide users toward an action. This is no different for music festival and music venue websites, which often feature CTAs such as “Request a Quote” for planners and “Buy Tickets” or “Schedule a Virtual Tour” for attendees. Use action verbs like Download Brochure, Contact Us or Book Now and test variations to see which perform best. Place CTAs prominently in the navigation and at the end of key sections.

Integrate into as Many Processes as Possible

Have smooth integrations that allow attendees to purchase tickets, reserve seats or join mailing lists without leaving your site. During my JazzFest SEO project, I redesigned the landing pages and incorporated dynamic content sections to enable quick updates to lineup and ticket information. This allowed for the early publication of lineup and ticket pages, which improved indexing and user discovery.

6. Make your Website Mobile‑First with an Accessible & Consistent Design

Over 70 % of venue and festival website traffic now comes from mobile devices. Users are impatient—47 % won’t wait longer than two seconds for a page to load. To maximize engagement:

• Prioritise performance: Optimize images, use a content delivery network (CDN) and minimise scripts so your pages load fast.

• Design for touch: Use large buttons and straightforward navigation so visitors can tap CTA elements easily on small screens.

• Focus on accessibility: Nearly 1.3 billion people live with disabilities, yet only 3 % of websites are considered accessible. Provide descriptive alt text, closed captions on videos, keyboard navigation, high contrast, and readable content.

• Keep it consistent and straightforward: You have a tiny window of seconds to capture a user’s attention. A clear layout, high‑quality visuals and concise copy communicate essential information quickly. Maintain consistent branding and offer customization for planners and attendees, such as interactive floor plans or personalized schedules.

Conclusion

A festival or venue website isn’t just a digital brochure — it’s the heartbeat of your audience’s experience before the first note is played or the curtain rises. The best sites blend design, functionality, and storytelling to bring events to life online, guiding visitors seamlessly from curiosity to attendance. From showcasing performers and sponsors to simplifying ticket sales and building long-term engagement, every design choice should serve your audience and your mission.

If your current website doesn’t reflect the energy and professionalism of your events, it’s time for an upgrade. I specialize in festival and venue website design that unites creativity with measurable performance.