Note: (Software Development Kit, a toolkit that lets festivals integrate Ticketmaster features directly into their own apps).
This summer, Ticketmaster took festival tech to the next level, putting innovation front and centre of the live experience with the rollout of Ignite SDK across 12 festivals via 10 dedicated apps. The result? Stronger adoption than ever before, as more fans turned to the apps as their go-to festival companion.
From tickets and timetables to maps and merch, fans had everything they needed for the ultimate festival journey, all in one place.
Festivals integrated this year include Download, Reading & Leeds, Electric Picnic, Latitude, Wireless, Wilderness, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Lytham Festival, Beautiful Summer (Colchester Castle, Margate Summer Sessions, Hitchin Priory), and TRNSMT.
Key Benefits:
- One app, zero hassle – fans can access their tickets right inside the festival’s own app, no more digging through inboxes or juggling multiple platforms.
- Faster entry – digital tickets stored in-app make scanning at gates faster than ever, cutting queues and getting fans straight to the music.
- Smarter security – every ticket is SafeTix-enabled (our next-gen digital ticketing technology that generates a unique, refreshable barcode to prevent fraud and ticket duplication) and tied to a verified account, stopping touts in their tracks and reducing fraud and lost tickets.
- Engagement unlocked – once fans are in, festivals can instantly connect with them via live schedules, maps, F&B ordering, merch offers, and sponsor activations.
- Powerful insights – organisers get a clearer view of fan behaviour, helping them supercharge planning, marketing, and future sales.
- Marketing future events – new marketing capabilities, combined with the Retail SDK, enable festivals to promote upcoming shows and sell tickets directly in-app, giving fans seamless access to future experiences.
Sarah Slater, Managing Director, Ticketmaster UK said: “This summer has highlighted how technology can enhance the live experience. With our SDK built directly into festival apps, fans had everything they needed at their fingertips – from tickets to timetables – while organisers gained real-time insights that transformed how events were run. The response from both clients and fans has been phenomenal, showing that when cutting-edge tech meets the expertise of our on-the-ground teams, the result is smoother operations an superior experiences for everyone involved.”
Busy in the Fields
While technology enhanced the fan journey, our teams remained hands-on across the UK and Ireland, supporting over 660 events at 157 venues and scanning 5.8 million fans. From sold-out shows like Oasis, Lana Del Rey, and SZA/Kendrick Lamar to major festivals and sporting moments such as the Usyk vs. Dubois fight, our seasonal workforce kept events running smoothly, contributing over 25,000 staff hours.
Looking Ahead
Ticketmaster is gearing up for another busy season of major ticket sales and headline tours, with fans set to see artists such as My Chemical Romance, Take That, Biffy Clyro, Ariana Grande, and Lewis Capaldi. Our teams will continue delivering seamless live experiences for organisers, artists, and audiences across the UK, supporting shows throughout the rest of 2025 and into 2026 – both in-app and on the ground.
