UK festival fans unperturbed by terror threats

Forget the threat of terrorist attacks, British concert goers are going to keep calm and carry on as usual. That’s the gist of a new U.K. report into the wants of festival fans.

In wake of alarming – and fatal — incidents in London and Manchester, ticketing agency Skiddle conducted a poll of nearly 1,000 people and found that 93% of those who purchased a ticket to a festival this year will go as planned, and more than three quarters of respondents won’t be scared-off from attending shows. Over half (55%) said they are unwilling to give up live music.

The study gives an insight into Britons’ stiff upper lip and it’s a prescient one, given Ariana Grande’s concert at Manchester Arena on May 22 was targeted by a suicide bomber, a tragedy which took the lives of 22 and injured many more.

Few, it would seem, are ignorant to these troubled times we live in. Slightly more than a third of those interviewed said they believe concerts and music festivals were safe to attend.

“It’s encouraging to see the results of this survey and we are delighted that people are embracing the festivals and live music events with more enthusiasm than ever before,” comments Skiddle co-founder and director Richard Dyer in a statement. “As we saw immediately after the attacks; community spirit and togetherness through music brought people closer together and it seems the public are refusing to let anything stop them from enjoying the festival season, which is a huge highlight of many people’s calendars.

“Skiddle have been based in the North West for over 16 years and all our staff are local to the area. As a result, the Manchester attack felt particularly close to home for us. They say the show must go on, and we are delighted to be able to do our bit to help people stick two fingers up at anyone who challenges this way of life.”

The agency’s research was conducted between June 27-29 with 958 people from its database.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.