Festival travel insurance is not standard travel insurance. Festival cancellation, medical coverage at the site, and equipment coverage are different from what a standard policy provides. Here is what to look for.
Standard travel insurance covers medical emergencies, trip cancellation due to illness, and lost luggage. Festival trips have additional risks that standard policies often don't cover: the festival itself being cancelled, camping equipment theft, medical costs at a remote festival site, and travel disruption in the days surrounding the festival. Understanding what your policy actually covers — and what it doesn't — before you need it is the point of this guide.
Festival cancellation cover
If the festival is cancelled due to weather, force majeure, or organiser failure, a standard travel insurance policy typically does not cover your ticket cost. You need specific "festival cancellation" or "event cancellation" cover. Some policies include this as an add-on; specialist festival travel insurers (in the UK: Insureandgo, Staysure, and specialist festival policies from Campbell Irvine) offer it as standard.
What festival cancellation cover typically reimburses: the face value of your festival ticket, pre-paid accommodation that is non-refundable, and in some cases pre-paid travel costs. It does not cover tickets purchased through secondary market sellers — the insurer requires proof of purchase from the official seller.
Medical coverage
Festival medical cover has two distinct components that standard travel insurance may handle differently:
- On-site first aid and medical treatment. Most festival sites have on-site medical facilities. Treatment at these facilities is typically free. The question is what happens if you need hospital evacuation — a helicopter to a hospital costs £8,000+ in the UK and significantly more internationally. Your standard travel insurance should cover this, but verify the medical evacuation limit.
- International travel medical coverage. If you're attending a festival abroad (Coachella from the UK, Exit Festival from Australia), standard travel insurance provides medical coverage in the destination country. Verify the coverage limit — US medical costs require a policy with at least £1m/$1.5m medical coverage. Most good policies provide this; budget policies may not.
Camping equipment and personal property
Camping equipment (tent, sleeping bag, camping stove) is typically covered under the personal property section of a travel insurance policy, subject to per-item and total limits. The standard per-item limit of £250–500 is often insufficient to cover a good tent. Festival-specific policies may have higher per-item limits or an add-on for camping equipment.
Electronic equipment (cameras, phones, laptops) is typically covered only if stored securely — not left in an unattended tent. A camera stolen from an unattended tent at a festival is a common claim that is commonly rejected on the grounds that it wasn't kept in a "locked, secure location."
Trip cancellation and curtailment
If you can't travel due to illness, injury, or the illness/death of a close family member, standard trip cancellation cover reimburses your pre-paid, non-refundable costs. The festival ticket is the expensive item. Many festivals now offer ticket cancellation insurance at purchase — this is often more specific and better value than adding festival-specific cover to a travel policy, as it covers the full ticket face value without requiring a specific covered reason.
What to actually buy
The practical approach for most festival travellers:
- For a domestic festival: Buy ticket cancellation insurance from the festival at time of purchase. Your existing contents insurance may cover equipment theft — check the policy for "away from home" cover. Medical care domestically is covered by your domestic healthcare system.
- For an international festival: Standard annual multi-trip travel insurance covering the destination country, with verified medical cover limits. Add festival/event cancellation cover if the total ticket and accommodation investment is above £500 and the festival is from a smaller organiser (larger festivals like Glastonbury and Coachella have strong track records and low cancellation risk).
- For a remote festival (Burning Man, AfrikaBurn, Wonderfruit): Verify your policy covers the specific location (some policies exclude certain countries or remote areas). Check the medical evacuation limit specifically — remote festivals can require helicopter evacuation, which is expensive.
The documentation requirement
Insurance claims require documentation. For a festival trip, keep: your festival ticket purchase receipt (email), your travel booking confirmations, your accommodation booking confirmation, and any medical receipts or police reports (for theft). A claim without supporting documentation is a rejected claim. Keep everything in a dedicated folder in your email.