Best festival management software

How this list is ranked

• Weighted for festivals whose income depends on vendor spaces and sponsors placed on a site map, and on attendees finding them on the day: how much of that runs in one tool, and whether the map vendors buy from is the same live map attendees use.
• Breadth counts next: vendor applications, volunteers, artists and ticketing. A festival built around a music line-up, a volunteer army or gate access control would rank these differently, and the section below names the better tool for each.
• Map D publishes this list, which is a conflict of interest. On this weighting Eventeny ranks above Map D, because it documents juried vendor applications, volunteer shifts and ticketing alongside a vendor map, and Map D's help documentation does not.
• Pricing is noted as published or not; no competitor figures are quoted.

1. 1

   Eventeny

   Festivals, fairs and markets that want vendors, volunteers, tickets and sponsors in one platform

   Strengths

   • Unlimited custom applications for artists, vendors and exhibitors, with conditional logic, e-signatures, and jurying by invited jurors with custom scoring criteria.
   • A map builder for indoor and outdoor events: approved vendors are linked to booths or choose their own, and attendees search vendors and sponsors on any device with no app or account needed.
   • Volunteer shifts with applications and waivers, and QR clock-in and clock-out, plus ticketing with a mobile check-in app.
   • Lists solutions for food and drink, art, music, pride and heritage festivals, fairs and markets, and publishes its rates, including a free Basic plan.

   Limitations

   • Mapping and volunteer management start on its Pro tier, and sponsor management and jurying on Plus, so the all-in-one platform is a higher-tier purchase than the free plan suggests.
   • Ticketing carries a percentage platform fee on every plan, separate from card processing, so cost grows with ticket sales.
2. 2

   Map D

   Festivals whose income comes from vendor spaces and sponsors sold from a live site map

   Strengths

   • The map editor draws the festival site to scale over an uploaded background image, and the published map lets attendees search for vendors and for places such as restrooms and entrances, on desktop or phone.
   • Vendors pick their space on the map, add services such as electrical, and pay online or offline. You choose whether orders need your approval, and can hold spaces back, for example for a sponsor.
   • With Insurance on your show, vendors buy liability cover through Vertical Insure or upload a certificate they already have, and a compliance tab shows who is covered.
   • Plans are published per event, from $1,500, with no per-booth fee and no Map D transaction fee on booth sales. Selling spaces online starts at Growth, $2,500 per event.

   See what Map D does with a floor plan

   Limitations

   • Volunteer scheduling, artist advancing and stage running orders are not in Map D's help documentation. A festival that wants those in the same tool needs Eventeny, FestivalPro or Lennd.
   • Map D's help documentation describes approving orders for spaces, not application forms scored by a jury panel.
   • Ticketing, check-in and the mobile app are quoted add-ons rather than part of the published plans, and no wristband or RFID access control is documented.
3. 3

   FestivalPro

   Festivals with a programme of artists and stages and a large staff and volunteer operation

   Strengths

   • Artist Liaison covers contracts, advancing, riders, catering, tech specs and accommodation, with a password-protected portal for artists and agents.
   • Stage scheduling with running orders and changeover times across multiple stages.
   • Vendor management with pitch fees, invoices, insurance document uploads, power and utilities per pitch, and vehicle permits.
   • Staff, volunteer and steward management with accreditation lists, its own barcoded ticketing, and published rates.

   Limitations

   • Its site planner shares the layout with the public as a PDF; an interactive public map is not described.
   • A percentage fee applies to ticketing and to invoices created through the platform, on top of payment processor fees.
4. 4

   Lennd

   Large festivals and live events whose hardest job is credentials and production logistics

   Strengths

   • Credential management with bulk and individual requests, and on-site badge printing with photo capture.
   • Portals where groups such as vendors, volunteers and speakers submit forms, documents such as certificates of insurance, and requests for equipment and meals.
   • Guest lists, catering and asset requests with approvals, and syncs with ticketing and event systems including Front Gate Tickets and Bizzabo.

   Limitations

   • Rates are not published; the site asks you to request a demo.
   • Its home page does not describe a site map, ticket sales of its own, or selling vendor space.
5. 5

   Front Gate Tickets

   Large ticketed festivals that need white-label ticketing and RFID access control

   Strengths

   • White-label e-commerce built for live events, with waitlist and layaway payment options.
   • RFID access control and credentialing.
   • Custom media plans and first-party fan data for marketing, with on-site and remote operations support and dedicated managers.

   Limitations

   • Rates are not published; its business page asks you to get in touch.
   • Its business page does not describe vendor applications, booth sales or a site map.
6. 6

   ZAPP

   Juried art fairs and festivals whose exhibitors are artists applying for a place

   Strengths

   • Custom application forms with conditional logic, reviewed by organizers or by juror accounts that score them, with invitations sent from aggregated scores.
   • Collects application, jury, deposit and booth fees.
   • Run by ZAPP Software, LLC, powered by Creative West (formerly WESTAF), as a platform connecting artists and art festivals.
   • Publishes its plan rates, with custom pricing for organizers managing ten or more events.

   Limitations

   • Plans carry a one-time setup fee plus licensing or per-application fees, and booth management is a separately priced add-on.
   • Built around artist applications; its organizer page does not describe a public site map or sponsor sales.

Frequently asked questions