Event Planner

Festival Ticketing Software: Multi-Day Passes, Timed Entry, and Cashless Sales

  • Vikram Bodas
    by Vikram Bodas • April 5, 2026

Festival Ticketing Software: Multi-Day Passes, Timed Entry, and In-Person Sales

Festival ticketing software should do more than sell tickets. It should help you control entry, manage lines, handle on-site sales, and get paid without waiting weeks.

SimpleTix gives festival organizers the tools they need: multi-day passes, timed entry, mobile scanning, and in-person and online payments with Square and Stripe. You also get same-day payouts and simple pricing at $0.79 + 2% per ticket. No contracts. No subscriptions. No fees on free events.

Get started — $0.79 + 2% per ticket

Festival ticketing software for festival operations

Festivals are messy. Gates get backed up. Staff changes every shift. Vendors need fast checkout. Guests show up early, late, and all at once.

That is why festival ticketing software has to work beyond the checkout page. SimpleTix helps you manage the full flow, from online sales to gate scanning to on-site purchases.

With SimpleTix, you can:

  • Sell general admission, timed entry, and Flex Passes for multi-use or re-entry
  • Scan tickets from the Organizer app on iOS and Android
  • Keep scanning in offline mode if service gets spotty
  • Sell at the box office or gate with POS tools
  • Accept payments with Stripe, Square, PayPal, and Venmo
  • Offer Apple Wallet and Google Wallet passes
  • Run promos, BOGO offers, and quantity discounts

If you are comparing platforms, start with the basics: price, payout speed, and feature set. You can review our full ticketing features and pricing before you switch.

Multi-day passes and re-entry without the usual headaches

Many festivals need more than a one-time barcode. You may sell weekend access, VIP access, or repeat-entry admission across multiple days. As a result, your platform needs to support that without workarounds.

SimpleTix includes Flex Pass ticketing for multi-use and re-entry passes. It also supports attendee photo verification, which helps your team confirm the right person is using the pass.

That matters when you need tighter control at the gate. It also matters when guests leave and return later in the day.

For organizers, this means fewer manual exceptions. For staff, it means clearer check-in decisions. For attendees, it means a smoother experience.

Timed entry helps manage crowds before the gate gets slammed

Not every festival wants everyone arriving at once. Some events need staggered arrivals for parking, security, shuttles, or capacity control.

SimpleTix supports General Admission with timed entry and capacity management. In other words, you can spread arrivals across time slots and reduce the rush at opening.

This is especially useful for:

  • Food and drink festivals
  • Holiday festivals
  • Agritourism events
  • Family festivals with peak daytime traffic
  • Festivals with limited parking or shuttle timing

If your event needs that kind of flow control, festival ticketing software should make it simple to configure timed entry and capacity limits. For festival-adjacent events, you can also explore our farm ticketing software and broader festival ticketing page.

Festival ticketing software with in-person payments and same-day payouts

Ticket sales are only part of festival revenue. On-site sales matter too. You may be selling add-ons, merch, tastings, parking, or day-of admission. Therefore, your system should connect ticketing with payments that work in the real world.

SimpleTix integrates with Square and Stripe. That gives organizers flexibility for both online and in-person sales.

With Square, you can use POS tools, gift cards, and catalog upsells. With Stripe, you can process online sales and in-person payments through the Organizer app. In addition, PayPal and Venmo checkout are available.

The bigger win is speed: same-day payouts.

That cash flow matters when you are paying vendors, staffing up, or covering event-week expenses. If in-person payments are a priority, see our Square ticketing software page for more detail.

Faster gate entry with mobile scanning and offline mode

The best marketing in the world cannot save a bad entry experience. Long lines create stress fast. The right tools help keep people moving.

SimpleTix includes:

  • Mobile scanning through the Organizer app
  • Offline scanning mode
  • Scan-only mode for staff
  • Group admit for batch check-in
  • Hardware scanner support, including Socket Scanner and gate systems
  • Mobile ticket printing

This is where festival ticketing software earns its keep. You need something seasonal staff can use quickly. You also need something that still works when cell service drops.

Sell more before and during the festival

Most organizers do not need more features. They need better follow-through. Specifically, they need tools that help convert more buyers and recover missed sales.

SimpleTix includes practical sales tools such as:

  • Promo codes
  • Special offers
  • BOGO deals
  • Quantity discounts
  • Waitlists for sold-out events
  • Abandoned cart recovery emails
  • Custom attendee questions at checkout

These features help support revenue without adding extra steps. For example, you can use quantity discounts to drive group sales. Meanwhile, abandoned cart emails help recover buyers who got distracted before checkout.

You can also track marketing performance with Google and Facebook pixels, use embeddable widgets on your website, and connect tools like Mailchimp, HubSpot, Zapier, and SmartWaiver.

Why festival organizers switch to SimpleTix

Some platforms feel built for huge teams, long setup cycles, and expensive add-ons. That works for some events. It does not work for everyone.

Here is what stands out:

  • Lower pricing: $0.79 + 2% per ticket
  • No contracts: stay because it works, not because you are locked in
  • No subscriptions: pay when you sell
  • No fees on free events: useful for community programming or RSVP-only days
  • Same-day payouts: better cash flow

If you are still comparing providers, our guide to Eventbrite alternatives and our SimpleTix vs Eventbrite page can help you compare options.

Festival ticketing software that stays simple when your event gets complicated

The closer you get to opening day, the less patience you have for clunky software. You need ticketing that works for multi-day access, timed entry, gate scanning, and in-person sales without a long learning curve.

SimpleTix supports online sales, mobile scanning, capacity management, and same-day payouts with clear pricing and no contract baggage.

Try SimpleTix free

FAQ

What makes SimpleTix good festival ticketing software?

SimpleTix supports the workflows festivals often need. That includes multi-day Flex Passes, timed entry, mobile scanning, offline mode, and on-site sales. In addition, it offers same-day payouts and simple pricing.

Can I sell weekend passes and allow re-entry?

Yes. SimpleTix offers Flex Passes for multi-use and re-entry admission. It also supports attendee photo verification for added control.

Does this festival ticketing software work for gate scanning without service?

Yes. The Organizer app supports offline scanning mode. As a result, your team can keep entry moving even when internet service is unreliable.

Can I use Square for festival ticketing and on-site sales?

Yes. SimpleTix integrates with Square for POS, gift cards, and catalog upsells. It also integrates with Stripe and supports PayPal and Venmo checkout.

How much does SimpleTix cost?

SimpleTix costs $0.79 + 2% per ticket. There are no contracts, no subscriptions, and no fees on free events.

Latest News

Related Articles

Product News

Introducing SignPayGo: Permission Slips, Waivers & Payments in One Link

  • Vikram Bodas
    by Vikram Bodas • May 14, 2026

Today we are launching SignPayGo. It is a new product from the team behind SimpleTix. SignPayGo is all-in-one permission slip software that combines waivers, e-signatures, and payment collection in a single link. And we built it for camps, schools, sports programs, and youth organizations. If you run programs with permission slips, liability waivers, and parent payments, you know the workflow. First, paper slips come back half-completed. Then a separate e-signature tool handles the legal parts. Finally, Venmo or checks handle the money. So SignPayGo replaces all three with one link. signpaygo.com — Get started free Why we built SignPayGo The same problem kept showing up in conversations with SimpleTix customers. Ticketing worked fine. But the paperwork around their programs did not. For example, permission slips lived on paper. Meanwhile, liability waivers lived in a separate DocuSign account. Deposit payments lived in Venmo. Full payments came by check. And balances lived in a spreadsheet. Every program admin we talked to was doing the same manual reconciliation at the end of every week. So we built SignPayGo to solve that specific problem. First, one link goes to a parent. Then the slip, the signature, and the payment all happen in a single flow. The parent fills it out on their phone. Meanwhile, the admin sees it in the dashboard. No more chasing paperwork. If you trust how SimpleTix handles event ticketing, expect the same standard here. Clear pricing. Real support. And software built by the same team. What SignPayGo does Six features cover the entire permission slip workflow. Here is how each one works. Permission slips and waivers First, you get custom fields, ready-to-use templates, and liability language your attorney will approve. Also, you can build a permission slip in under ten minutes from a template. Or start from scratch with custom...

Event ticketing

Tap to Pay on iPhone with Square: Accept Ticket Payments Without a...

  • Vikram Bodas
    by Vikram Bodas • May 5, 2026

Tap to Pay on iPhone with Square: Accept Ticket Payments Without a Card Reader If you sell tickets at the door, Tap to Pay on iPhone can make that process simpler. You can accept contactless payments directly in the SimpleTix Organizer app using Square, with no extra card reader needed. That means your staff can take payments on an iPhone Xs or later using physical debit and credit cards, Apple Pay, and other digital wallets. Why Tap to Pay on iPhone matters for event organizers Many events still need a way to take payments on site. Farms, festivals, popups, attractions, and community events may want a simple option for in-person sales. Previously, that usually meant a separate reader. However, Tap to Pay on iPhone removes that extra device. If your team already has an iPhone, they can take contactless payments right from the phone. This can be useful when your sales setup is mobile or temporary. For example, maybe you sell from a gate, a folding table, a merch tent, or while walking the grounds. It can also help keep sales inside the same Organizer app you already use for box office and check-in. What Tap to Pay on iPhone does inside SimpleTix SimpleTix supports Tap to Pay on iPhone in the Organizer app, powered by Square. That means organizers can accept contactless in-person payments without a separate reader. Here is what it supports right now: Physical contactless debit cards Physical contactless credit cards Apple Pay Other digital wallets There are a few important details to know: It works on iPhone Xs or later The phone should be running the latest iOS It works inside the SimpleTix Organizer app It is powered by Square Stripe support is coming soon for Tap to Pay on iPhone That last point matters. Stripe...

Event ticketing

Eventbrite’s New Owner Just Cut Staff: What It Means for Event Organizers...

  • Vikram Bodas
    by Vikram Bodas • April 21, 2026

Eventbrite's New Owner Just Cut Staff: What It Means for Event Organizers in 2026 If you run events and use Eventbrite, the last 30 days have been noisy. In March 2026, Italian software holding company Bending Spoons completed its $500 million acquisition of Eventbrite, taking the platform private. In April, new leadership announced staff cuts and a shift to operating with what they called "a leaner team." Here's what actually changed, what it could mean for your events, and why a lot of organizers are quietly evaluating their options. The quick version of what happened December 2025: Bending Spoons announced the acquisition March 2026: Deal closed at roughly $500 million. Eventbrite is now a private company, no longer publicly traded April 13, 2026: New Eventbrite leader Andrea Parodi announced staff cuts and a new product roadmap Headcount trend: Eventbrite went from 866 employees at the end of 2023 to 636 at the end of 2025 — and the latest cuts bring it lower Bending Spoons isn't new to this playbook. They've acquired Vimeo, WeTransfer, Evernote, and AOL in recent years. Each acquisition has followed a similar pattern: buy the product, cut a significant portion of the workforce, consolidate operations. That's the backdrop. Now the organizer question: what does it mean for you? What organizers should actually be watching 1. Support quality Fewer people usually means slower replies. If you've ever been 48 hours out from doors opening and needed a fast answer from support, you know how much that matters. Watch your response times on tickets opened after April 2026 and compare them to what you got in 2024-2025. If things slow down, that's not a one-off — it's the new steady state. 2. Product direction New ownership always means a new roadmap. Parodi's announcement talked about faster event creation,...

Sell More Tickets—More Easily

Attractions, seasonal events, performing arts centers and festivals love SimpleTix because it makes selling tickets… Simple!

GET STARTED FOR FREE