StubHub debuts FestProtect platform

StubHub said Tuesday it launched FestProtect, a festival-focused expansion of its FanProtect Guarantee, days before Governors Ball opens in New York and as the 2026 summer festival season begins. The company said the platform is designed to handle festival-specific claims and experience issues, including weather cancellations, artist dropouts, set-time conflicts and on-site frustrations such as long lines or blocked views. StubHub described the program as the first by a major ticketing platform aimed specifically at festival disruptions. The launch comes ahead of Governors Ball, which is scheduled for June 5-7 at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in New York City. ### What is FestProtect supposed to cover? StubHub said FestProtect uses a three-tier structure tied to the type of disruption a fan encounters. For major disruptions, the company said eligible fans may receive access to future festival tickets or tickets to a future performance by an artist they missed. For scheduling conflicts, StubHub said select fans may receive tickets tied to artists they were unable to attend because of overlapping set times. (morningstar.com) For what it called everyday frustrations, the company said eligible fans may receive upgrades, rewards or future festival perks. Tuesday’s announcement also said fans can begin submitting festival-related claims and experiences through a dedicated FestProtect landing page starting immediately. StubHub said the program is meant to address both financial and “emotional” investment by fans attending multi-day music events. (morningstar.com) ### How is this different from StubHub’s existing buyer protection? StubHub already offers its broader FanProtect Guarantee across its marketplace. The company says that guarantee covers issues such as invalid tickets, failure to receive tickets in time, and canceled events, with replacement tickets or money back in qualifying cases. StubHub’s support material says canceled events that are not rescheduled can qualify for either a cash refund or credit, depending on the order and policy. (stocktitan.net) FestProtect adds festival-specific scenarios that do not fit neatly into a standard canceled-event claim. In the launch announcement, StubHub said those scenarios include weather disruptions, artist cancellations, overlapping set times, crowd congestion and blocked views. Morningstar’s copy of the Business Wire release also said FestProtect “is not a guarantee of compensation,” and that submitting a claim does not obligate StubHub to provide a reward. (support.stubhub.com) ### What evidence did StubHub cite for launching it now? StubHub said its research found that more than 85% of festival-goers had experienced common live-event challenges, including overlapping set times, artist cancellations, crowd congestion and weather disruptions. The company also said 76% of respondents reported receiving no meaningful recourse when something went wrong. StubHub added that nearly 80% of festival-goers told the company a protection program would make them more likely to buy festival tickets. (morningstar.com) Jill Gonzalez, StubHub’s head of consumer, product and tech communications, said in the release that fans are putting “more time, travel, and planning” into festival season and that the company created FestProtect to help them feel more confident buying tickets. (morningstar.com) ### Why did StubHub tie the launch to Governors Ball? Governors Ball is one of the first major U.S. festivals on the June calendar, and StubHub said FestProtect is launching ahead of that event and the peak summer festival season. The festival’s website says the event runs June 5-7 in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens. StubHub is also listing Governors Ball passes on its marketplace this week. (morningstar.com) June 5 is the next concrete test for the new platform. Fans attending Governors Ball can find festival details through the event’s official site, while StubHub said FestProtect claims can be submitted beginning June 2 through its dedicated landing page. (governorsballmusicfestival.com) (stocktitan.net)