What is Festival Insurance?

Insurance for fairs and festivals is an event insurance plan. Composing this are coverages that take care of expenses if accidents, delays, and cancellation happens. As an organizer, you need festival insurance because an event planner insurance bundle only takes care of the exposures you face and not the exposures unique to the festival you’re in charge of.

Festival insurance is designed to cover the following:

Oktoberfests
Hot air balloon festivals
Summer festivals
Cultural and heritage festivals
Food festivals
Fireworks festivals
Beach fests
Others

Some types of festivals with highly specialized risks such as art festivals, music festivals, and diwali have their own tailored festival insurance package. We’ll discuss their features later.

How Does Festival Insurance Work?

	Festival Insurance Policy Duration
Thimble	1-6 days
CoverWallet	1-6 days
RV Nuccio	1-20 days
Markel	1-30 days
Event Helper	1-52 days
ACT	1-90 days

Since it’s an event policy, festival insurance works as a temporary coverage. Festival insurance lasts depending on how many hours or days you want it to be active. The festival insurance of companies have their respective durations. Use the table above to see how long the festival event insurance of some insurance companies lasts.

Common Coverages Included In Festival Insurance

Your festival insurance will offer liability insurance, event cancellation coverage, liquor liability coverage, and accidental medical coverage.

Festival Liability Insurance

	CoverWallet	Thimble (Best)	RV Nuccio	Markel	Event Helper	ACT
Per occurrence limit	$1,000,000	$1,000,000/$2,000,000	$500,000	$1,000,000	$1,000,000	$1,000,000
Aggregate limit	$2,000,000	$1,000,000/$2,000,000	$5,000,000	$2,000,000	$3,000,000	$2,000,000
Products and completed operations aggregate limit	$2,000,000	$1,000,000	$1,000,000	Included	$2,000,000	$2,000,000
Advertising injury coverage aggregate limit	$1,000,000	$1,000,000	$1,000,000	Included	$1,000,000	$1,000,000
Tenant’s legal liability coverage limit	$100,000	$5,000	$50,000	Included	$300,000	$300,000
Can you get a certificate of insurance online?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Included	Yes	Yes
Name additional insureds?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Deductible	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0-$1,000	$0

Use the table above to see which company offers the best liability coverage in its festival insurance plan.

Festival liability insurance is usually offered as a general liability policy. General liability insurance will kick in if the attendees, independent contractors, volunteers, and other third parties in your festival file a claim for property damage or bodily injuries after an accident.

Here are some situations where general liability insurance for festivals can help:

An independent contractor falls from a height while installing the stage lights
A prop hits an attendee by accident
A volunteer’s laptop gets while charging because of an electrical surge

The general liability policy of festival insurance similar to the general liability policy of concert insurance automatically offers these add-ons:

Rented premises liability coverage
Products and completed operations coverage
Medical expense coverage

Festival Public Liability Insurance

Some festival insurance plans will offer a public liability policy instead of a general liability policy. Don’t bug about things if this happens to you. Festival public liability insurance works the same as general liability insurance. That said, it will grant coverage against claims for bodily injuries or property damage.

Liquor Liability Insurance For Festivals

	Liquor Liability Insurance Limits
Thimble	$1,000,000 per occurrence $1,000,000 aggregate
CoverWallet	$1,000,000/$2,000,000 per occurrence $2,000,000 aggregate
RV Nuccio	$500,000/$1,000,000 per occurrence $1,000,000/$2,000,000 aggregate
Markel	$1,000,000 per occurrence $2,000,000 aggregate
Event Helper	$2,000,000 per occurrence $3,000,000 aggregate
ACT	$2,000,000 per occurrence $2,000,000 aggregate

Use the table above to see which company offers the best liquor liability coverage in its festival insurance bundle.

Alcoholic drinks are usually sold at festivals. This is why a liquor liability policy is always included in festival insurance. Liquor liability insurance will cover settlements and defense costs if a drunk guest sustains an injury or property damage and decides to file a claim. You can also use this insurance if drunk attendees assault others and victims hold you liable.

Festival Cancellation Insurance

	Event Cancellation Insurance Limit
CoverWallet (Best)	$25,000 (minimum)
RV Nuccio	$15,000 (minimum)
Event Helper	$10,000 (minimum)

Use the table above to see which company offers the best cancellation coverage in its festival insurance plan.

Festival cancellation insurance will reimburse nonrefundable costs for equipment rental, professional services, props, and other necessities for the festival. This will kick in if the festival is canceled or delayed due to rain, sandstorm, conflicting schedules, and other covered perils.

Accidental Medical Coverage

Accidental medical coverage will cover the treatment of participants if they sustain injuries during the festival and need emergency medical treatment or hospitalization. This is a no-fault coverage, which means that it will take care of costs regardless of who is at fault for the injury.

What Are Some Specialized Types Of Festival Insurance?

Art festival, music festival, and diwali festival insurance are some specialized variations of the generic festival insurance we defined previously. The sections below quickly discuss each.

Music Festival Insurance

Inclusions	Limits
General liability insurance	$1,000,000/$5,000,000 per occurrence $2,000,000/$5,000,000 aggregate
Liquor liability insurance	$1,000,000/$5,000,000 per occurrence $2,000,000/$5,000,000 aggregate
Excess liability insurance	$25,000,000
Accidental medical coverage	$50,000-$100,000
Hired/non-owned auto liability coverage	$300,000/$1,000,000
Inland marine coverage for owned, rented, or borrowed equipment	$50,000 (minimum)

Music festival insurance is the appropriate coverage for rock fests, jazz fests, folk festivals, EDM festivals, and other related events. This consists of general liability, event cancellation, equipment breakdown, rental equipment, and liquor liability coverage. The table above shows the features of music festival event insurance based on a quote we found online.

Art Festival Insurance

Inclusions	Limits
General liability insurance	$500,000/$2,000,000 per occurrence $1,000,000/$2,000,000 aggregate
Business property coverage	$5,000-$10,000 aggregate
Professional liability coverage	$100,000 per occurrence $200,000 aggregate

Art festival insurance provides comprehensive coverage for large-scale art exhibitions and expos. The primary inclusion is a general liability policy. Optional policies are available such as professional liability and business property coverage. Use the table above to see the features of art fair insurance based on a quote we found online.

Diwali Insurance

Diwali is celebrated for over five days, during which a lot could go wrong. As you partake in this celebration, you want to rest assured that in the event that a mishap occurs, you do not run the risk of mounting financial obligations, possible legal ramifications, and the likelihood of business closure. Diwali insurance offers just that by ensuring comprehensive coverage during the five days of Diwali.

Carnival Ride Insurance

The liability coverage of your festival insurance plan might not extend to bodily injuries or property damage caused by roller coasters, merry-go-rounds, bucking machines, Ferris wheel, and other rides.

Because of this, you need to get separate carnival ride insurance. What you can use is a short-term general liability policy. A short-term general liability policy lasts for hours, days, weeks, or months and offers $1 million-$5 million coverage. We suggest trying Thimble.

Note that some authorities require carnival rides to have liability coverage. New Mexico, for example, mandates festival rides to have a general liability policy with a $1 million per occurrence and $3 million aggregate limit.

Festival Vendor Insurance

Organizers of a festival will require vendors to get the minimum level of coverage. Concessionaires can easily comply with this requirement by getting a festival vendor insurance plan. This offers a $1 million-$2 million general liability policy wherein festival organizers can be named as additional insureds.

Food Vendor Insurance For Festivals

	Limits
General liability insurance	$2,000,000 per occurrence $2,000,000 aggregate
Products and completed operations coverage	$500,000 per occurrence $2,000,000 aggregate
Advertising injury coverage	$500,000 per occurrence $2,000,000 aggregate
Tenant legal liability coverage	$300,000 per occurrence $300,000 aggregate
Business equipment coverage	$5,000/$15,000

Ice cream trucks, hot dog carts, and other related concessionaires can get food vendor insurance for festivals. Policies offered in this coverage are general liability, tools and equipment, and product liability insurance. The table above shows a sample quote of the food vendor insurance for festivals.

Festival Ticket Insurance

Festival ticket insurance will reimburse costs for transportation, lodging, and other expenses of the insured if the festival they wish to attend gets canceled. This will also kick in if the policyholder can’t attend the festival due to an illness, unexpected arrangements, flight delays, and traffic accidents. The minimum amount of reimbursement that the insurance for festival tickets gives is $10,000.

Festival Insurance Cost

The average festival insurance cost is $150 for a one-day coverage of a $1 million general liability policy. But note that your actual rate will be lower or much higher depending on how long the festival will last, its size, the cost input, its location, the number of attendees, and the risks involved. Take a look at the table below to know the rate of the $1 million liability policy included in the festival insurance of the best companies:

	Cost for One Day Coverage	Best for
CoverWallet	$39	Festival insurance quotes comparison online
Thimble	$42	Basic general liability insurance for festivals
ACT	$49	Craft festival insurance
RVNA	$50	Festival general liability insurance with terrorism coverage
Markel	$75	Cancellation insurance that provides coverage for festival cancellation, delay, or postponement due to extreme weather

Event Helper	$231	Festival insurance that meets the requirements of venues and facilities

Always compare quotes to find the best coverage for your festival. Check the offers and pricing of different insurance companies. Start doing so by clicking the "Get Quotes" button on this page.

Best Festival Insurance Companies

If you are shopping for the best festival insurance companies in the market, here's a comprehensive list of providers with the best offers. Read to know their pros, cons, and pricing for a $1 million general liability coverage as included in a festival insurance plan.

CoverWallet Festival Insurance

Pros

Compare festival insurance quotes online
Buy a coverage immediately
Online payment of insurance premiums
Cancel a policy anytime

Cons

Doesn’t sell tailored insurance for festivals but only helps you find other companies selling the coverage

CoverWallet doesn’t have a tailored festival insurance. However, you might get coverage through its special event insurance that provides three primary coverages-general liability insurance, liquor liability insurance, and cancellation insurance.

Also, note that CoverWallet has an online quotes comparison platform you can use to find companies providing tailored coverage for festivals. All you have to do is provide basic information and the quotes of numerous carriers, showing pricing and features, will be sent within minutes.

Best for: Festival insurance quotes comparison online

Average cost: $39 for one-day coverage for festivals

Our rating: 10/10

Thimble Festival Insurance

Pros

You can purchase vendor insurance on an hourly basis
Zero deductibles
Policy limits of between $1 and $2 million

Cons

Customer support is only available online

Thimble started as a drone insurance provider in 2016. They've expanded their offerings in the past few years to include festival insurance. Their festival policy will set you back $200 on average for a one-day event. This insurance policy from Thimble is easy to buy and good for small vendors just starting out in the events landscape.

Best for: Basic general liability insurance for festivals

Average cost: $42 for one-day coverage for festivals

Our rating: 9/10

Markel Festival Insurance

Pros

Cancellation coverage available both for the US and international festivals
A $25 deductible for cancellation policy claims

Cons

Liability coverage is not available for international events
Property damage claims attract a $1,000 deductible

Set up in 1930, Markel is an American insurance, reinsurance, and investment company. This company doesn’t have a tailored insurance for festivals. However, it doesn’t also state that it can't provide coverage. To know if you can get your festival covered, contact a Markel representative. If coverage is granted, know that liability limit starts at $500,000. If you bundle your festival liability policy with the festival cancelation policy, you get a 15% discount. The cancellation policy is available in all 50 states.

Best for: Event cancellation insurance that provides coverage for cancellation, delay, or postponement due to extreme weather

Average cost: $75 for one day coverage for festivals

Our rating: 9/10

ACT Festival Insurance

Pros

Instant coverage is possible

24/7 access to policy documents

Cons

Exclusively for artisans and doesn't cover other types of vendors

Artists, Crafters, & Tradesmen (ACT) insurance was specifically established to provide these vendors with art festival liability insurance. As a festival vendor, you have two coverage options. The first is Show Policy which covers your business from liability for one or two shows per year. The other is the Annual Policy, which is more comprehensive. This policy is a great option for vendors that expect to attend shows throughout the year. You can also add professional liability for $125 and Business Personal Property coverage for $54 per year.

Best for: Craft festival insurance

Average cost: $49 for one-day coverage for festivals

Our rating: 9/10

Event Helper Festival Insurance

Pros

Flexible cover with several additional add-ons

Excellent claims handling

Cheap insurance cost

Cons

Discounts are only available if you bundle together two or more policies

Event Planner is available in all 50 states. Their festival insurance includes general liability, workers' compensation, and commercial auto insurance. To ensure that your festival insurance is tailored to meet the requirements of festival venues and facilities , Event Helper's liability insurance comes with host liquor liability coverage, waver of subrogation, and products and completed operations coverage. You can also get certificates of insurance and add additional insureds at no additional cost.

Best for: Festival insurance that meets the requirements of venues and facilities

Average cost: $231 for one-day coverage for festivals

Our rating: 8/10

RVNA Festival Insurance

Pros

Online quotes take just a few seconds
Affordable plans starting at just $50
You can cancel your policy just 48 hours before the event

Cons

Claims can only be made via the phone
$2,500 deductibles on property damage claims

RVNA (R.V. Nuccio and Associates) has more than 25 years of experience in the insurance field. When it comes to the provision of festival insurance, RVNA is a rare find as it provides equally great coverage for both small and large festivals. What sets RVNA apart is that its standard policy includes terrorism coverage. What's more, with the insurer, you are able to cancel your liability policy and still receive a full refund.

Best for: Festival general liability insurance with terrorism coverage

Average cost: $50 for one day coverage for festivals

Our rating: 8/10