How to run a festival guest list
A practical, step-by-step guide to running a festival guest list: collect artist and crew guests, set limits, approve requests, and check everyone in across multiple stages and days, online or offline.
A festival guest list is not one list, it is dozens: artist guests, crew, production, press, VIPs, spread across stages, days and gates. Run it in spreadsheets and you get duplicate names, blown limits and a bottleneck at the gate. Here is a workflow that keeps everything in one place and moves fast at the door.
Step by step
- 1
Set up the event as day blocks
Create a multi-day event where each day is a block that shares one guest list and one crew. That way a guest or crew member added once is available across every day and stage, instead of maintained in separate spreadsheets.
- 2
Collect artist guest lists with forms
Send each artist or their booker an automated email with a form. They submit their own guests, you set the guest limit per artist, and you approve or reject each request before anyone reaches the door.
- 3
Gather crew and accreditation
Let companies fill in their own crew forms. Approve the crew, then track accreditation and handouts (meals, walkie-talkies, wristbands, parking) with a requested-versus-given tracker across the whole crew.
- 4
Assign stages and stage managers
Give stage managers a PIN-protected link to view the timetable, riders and artist info for their stage, without access to the rest of your account.
- 5
Share PIN-protected door links per gate
Generate a public check-in link protected by a 4-digit PIN for each entrance. Door staff open it in any phone browser, no account and no app download, and can only check guests in.
- 6
Check everyone in, online or offline
Look up guests by name or scan a QR code with the phone camera. Every check-in syncs in real time across all gates and devices, and keeps working when the festival wifi drops.
Do it in GuestAccess
GuestAccess is built for exactly this. One live guest list across every stage and day, automated artist and crew forms with per-person limits, handout tracking for meals and wristbands, PIN-protected door links per gate, and full offline check-in. Recurring festivals reuse last edition's guests, forms and settings, so next year is set up in minutes.
Frequently asked questions
How do I manage a festival guest list across multiple stages?
Set the festival up as day blocks that share one guest list and crew. Collect artist and crew guests through forms, set limits, approve requests, and check everyone in from the same live list across every stage and day.
How do I collect guest lists from artists before a festival?
Send artists an automated email with a form where they submit their guests. You set the limit per artist, approve or reject requests, and approved guests are added to your main door list automatically.
Can multiple gates check people in at the same time?
Yes. Each gate gets its own PIN-protected check-in link, and all check-ins sync in real time across every device, so a guest checked in at one gate shows as arrived everywhere.
What happens if the festival wifi goes down?
Check-in keeps working fully offline. Every scan and lookup is stored on the device and syncs automatically the moment the connection returns.
Run your festival guest list on GuestAccess.
No credit card · Full access · Cancel anytime
Or get the app