Insurance for concert promoters, festivals and open air events in Germany
A concert is over in a few hours, but the risk starts months earlier. Fees are paid in advance, stage and equipment are booked, tickets are sold. Then the headliner cancels, a thunderstorm sweeps across the site, or someone is hurt in the crush in front of the stage. Whether you are one of the concert promoters running club gigs, a city festival, a small festival or a large open air event in Germany, this page explains which insurance you need and what it costs.
Who pays if my festival has to be cancelled because of a storm?
Only event cancellation insurance. Depending on the policy it reimburses costs or lost profit if the event is cancelled, abandoned or postponed for an insured reason. Weather, illness of artists and official bans must be included explicitly. Take it out well before the date, not once the storm warning is out.
What goes wrong in this trade
01
Crush at the stage
Visitors are pushed against the barrier, someone falls and is injured.
02
Storm
Wind and lightning force an interruption or evacuation; stage parts or tents are damaged.
03
Headliner cancels
The main act cancels due to illness and visitors want their money back.
04
Equipment
Hired lighting and sound equipment is destroyed by rain, power surges or theft.
05
Damage to the site
Lawns, paths or the hall floor owned by the municipality are damaged by vehicles and visitors.
06
Helpers and crew
Volunteers or temporary staff get hurt during set up and take down.
07
Ticket shop
The online ticket shop is attacked and customer data is stolen.
For your own material in storage: barriers, tents, bars and decoration.
What it costs: example prices
Event liability depends on visitor numbers, type of event, duration and site. Cancellation cover is priced by sum insured, the reasons included and the weather risk.
Insurance
Example
Typical range
Business liability
Single club gig with 300 guests
about €150 to €350 per event
Business liability
Annual policy for a promoter with 40 events of up to 1,500 guests
about €1,500 to €4,000 a year
Business liability
Two day open air with 5,000 visitors
about €1,500 to €4,500 per festival
Business interruption
Cancellation cover for an open air with €150,000 costs, including weather
about €3,000 to €9,000 per festival
Electronic equipment
Hired equipment worth €200,000 for one weekend
about €400 to €1,200 per event
For comparison: Liability cover for a club gig costs about as much as ten tickets.
All figures are guide values from our quoting work, excluding German insurance premium tax,
as of October 2026.
Large festivals are priced individually;
the sources document the artists' social levy and music licensing.
Six things that really happen to promoters, all on one festival Saturday. Tap through and see who pays.
Damage so far€80,500
During set up a forklift drives over the municipal lawn and damages an irrigation pipe.
€6,000 · Paid by: Business liability
The headliner cancels due to illness and visitors demand refunds.
€40,000 · Paid by: Business interruption
A thunderstorm forces an evacuation and rain gets into the hired sound system.
€15,000 · Paid by: Electronic equipment
In the crush in front of the stage a visitor falls and breaks her leg.
€12,000 · Paid by: Business liability
A volunteer injures his hand while dismantling the barrier.
€3,000 · Paid by: Group accident insurance
An agency demands the full fee although the show was dropped after the evacuation.
€4,500 · Paid by: Business legal expenses
Which package would you have had?
Paid by insurance: €0
Out of your own pocket: €80,500
Illustrative amounts before any excess.
What is paid depends on the policy terms.
Practical tips from your broker
Take out cancellation cover early, at the latest when you pay deposits, and check that weather and illness are included.
Have damage to rented sites and halls written into your event liability policy.
Ask the municipality and the venue early which sum insured they require.
Clarify with equipment rental companies who insures the hired gear.
Register music use with GEMA in good time; usually the promoter is responsible.
Check your artists' social levy if you pay fees to self employed artists.
Why NAMMERT for your business
Liability and cancellation together
As an insurance broker we compare several insurers and align event liability and cancellation cover so that cancellation, abandonment and damage are all thought through.
We take weather seriously
Having looked after boat owners for decades, we know storms. We check the weather clauses in your cancellation cover.
One contact for the season
Norman Nammert, your insurance broker, handles single events and annual policies from one place.
Family business, placing cover since 1989
Our work is free for you; the insurer pays our commission. We advise in English or German.
Frequently asked questions
Questions and answers
Is event liability insurance compulsory in Germany?
Not generally by law.
Cities, municipalities and landlords almost always require it,
and without proof there is often no permit and no rental contract.
What does event liability insurance cost?
About €150 to €350 for a single club gig and about €1,500 to €4,000 for an annual policy with many
concerts.
These are guide values from our quoting work.
What does event cancellation insurance cover?
Costs or lost profit if the event is cancelled, abandoned or postponed for an insured reason,
such as weather or an artist's illness.
Who registers music with GEMA?
As a rule, the promoter.
GEMA explains on its website how events are licensed.
Do I have to pay the artists' social levy?
Concert and touring agencies and businesses that arrange performances are liable under section 24
of the Artists' Social Insurance Act.
Are volunteers covered for accidents?
Not automatically.
Group accident insurance pays fixed benefits after an accident during set up or take down.
NAMMERT insurance broker
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