Whether for a concert, market, festival, or fancy gala evening, an event website should prominently display event details, include captivating visuals, and encourage website visitors to register. An attractive design, an engaging event description, trust elements, and a seamless purchasing process are further features needed to sell the experience.
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Zarla checks that sites meet basic web standards for mobile and desktop. We also use Google's PageSpeed Insights, and WAVE, a service that evaluates accessibility for individuals with disabilities. PageSpeed scores and accessibility are important factors for search engine rankings. PageSpeed scores may not match user experience and can vary substantially.
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
The New Orleans Wine & Food Experience is an annual culinary event in New Orleans that is now in its fourth decade of celebrating the best local as well as new and innovative flavors from chefs around the city.
The website effectively showcases the festival experience and entices viewers with attractive imagery and a visually appealing design. Information about the event and tickets is easy to find, along with accommodation recommendations and contact details.
The site features comprehensive information about the event and attractive visuals to build excitement. The site has a consistent theme across all pages and ample noticeable CTA buttons. Site visitors are also provided with accommodation recommendations.
There is no live chat feature for easy assistance, map integration, or route descriptions to help visitors plan their trip to the event. WAVE flagged more than 10 contrast issues as well as some redundant links and very small text.
The reel of images showcasing the event's festive atmosphere on the home page has a greater impact on a larger desktop view than on smaller mobile screens, effectively conveying the spirit of the event and building anticipation.
The desktop site features a prominent CTA button in the top-right corner of the page, using the same color combination for other CTA's across the site. While the desktop site scored 90-100/100 for accessibility and SEO on Google's PageSpeed Insights test, its performance score was much lower at 56/100.
While the site resizes to fit a smaller screen and maintains its easy navigation, the quality and scaling of its visual content as well as its spacing between content elements varies, making the user experience less pleasing and seamless than on a desktop.
The mobile site is also missing the prominent CTA button present on the desktop version. On Google's PageSpeed Insights test, the mobile site had similarly good scores for SEO and accessibility as the desktop version but an even lower performance score of 34/100.
https://www.silverscircus.com.au
Gisborne, Victoria, Australia
Silvers Circus is an Australian circus that promises its patrons a reimagined, modern circus spectacular with a twist. The website has ample visuals to give visitors a taste of the show acts to anticipate but does not overcrowd individual pages with content. Show dates and details are easy to find, and photos from the early days of the circus as well as a well-written overview of the circus's history add a personal touch.
The concise page contents and conspicuous CTA buttons facilitate a pleasant user experience. The FAQs page provides additional information to answer common questions about the show, giving site visitors a comprehensive idea of what to expect.
The site is missing a live chat feature for easy user assistance and a reviews or testimonials page to build trust and add credibility. WAVE flagged more than 10 low contrast errors and a few alerts, including redundant links.
The hero image on the desktop site's home page is rather dark, merely spotlighting two of the circus's acts, but provides a decent contrast for the upcoming shows banner and the CTA button encouraging visitors to purchase tickets to stand out. The concise top menu and reasonably brief content on every page make the information search and browsing experience quick and simple.
The site's content resizes adequately on a smaller screen, with appropriate spacing to maintain a pleasant user experience. However, some headline text sizes should be reduced for a more aesthetically pleasing look. Unlike the desktop version, the mobile site's top menu does not float, making navigation less seamless. The mobile site scored 44/100 in Google's PageSpeed Insights performance category.
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Outside Lands Music Festival is a three-day event in San Francisco that celebrates music, food, wine, beer, art, cannabis, and the Bay Area. The website uses brightly colored quirky graphics and bold typography to achieve a retro-inspired look and joyful energy reflective of the festival. Ample visuals and information related to the festival give visitors a good impression of what awaits.
A good balance of visual content and colorful design elements effectively conveys a festival spirit. The site has a page dedicated to accessibility, covering the topics of both web accessibility and festival accessibility, and there is a lineup planning feature, helping visitors plan their festival days.
The bold font in the lineup poster has an overwhelming effect. The site is missing a live chat feature and maps integration or directions to help visitors make their way to the festival. WAVE flagged a lot of errors, including empty buttons and contrast issues.
The desktop website makes a bold, joyful impression at first sight, with animated elements in the lineup graphic, which in itself is rather too big, bold, and busy, adding dynamism. However, some images should be optimized for a better loading speed.
Otherwise, the desktop site features quirky details, such as the line beneath the "LEARN MORE" prompt on the Experiences page animating when the cursor is moved onto it, making the user experience more fun.
The site scales down suitably for viewing on smaller screens but loses some of the panache of the desktop version when the images in the tickets section on the home page are collapsed. However, this gives more prominence to the CTA buttons in the section.
The lineup poster on the home page also resizes to fit a smaller screen, but its text content becomes rather small for reading and may pose difficulty for users with low vision. The mobile site scored 42/100 for performance in Google's PageSpeed Insights test.
https://london.tastefestivals.com
London, England, U. K.
The Taste of London Food Festival is a five-day culinary event that takes place once a year in Regent’s Park in London. The website features a multitude of event images and video reels, with ample information about what to expect, and plenty of opportunities for visitors to engage. Notable features on the site include the gallery, about section, and accessibility page.
There are several CTA buttons and a live chat feature to engage and assist visitors. Plentiful visuals effectively showcase the spirit of the event, with a countdown timer adding a sense of urgency, excitement, and motivation to secure a ticket.
accessScan detected no accessibility system on the website and assessed it as semi-compliant with common industry standards. Aside from CTA buttons and a countdown timer designed to encourage users to engage, the site does not have interactive features, such as a visit planner, scheduling tools, or a live map of the event.
The desktop site's strong focus on visual elements creates an almost immersive experience, although this could be enhanced with interactive features. While the "BOOK TICKETS" CTA button and the social media buttons stand out with a contrasting color, the live chat feature is easily overlooked. While the site does not have a scheduling tool, it does provide convenient search filters on several pages.
The site renders well on a smaller screen, maintaining its visual appeal with adequately resized images, for the most part, and featuring a sticky CTA button for booking tickets. However, due to the sheer volume of content, the site is rather overwhelming on a smaller screen. The mobile site scored 40/100 for performance in Google's PageSpeed Insights test.
https://www.vancouverchristmasmarket.com
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
The Vancouver Christmas Market is an annual celebration inspired by German Christmas markets, getting visitors into the holiday spirit with festive food, wine, and artisan stalls with handcrafted gifts. The website features Christmas market footage and holiday-inspired graphics, giving it a warm, welcoming appeal and successfully conveying its festive energy.
The site features a simple layout with festive visuals, contributing to an intuitive and enjoyable user experience. Animated graphics on the home page add a fun touch, and the site features several resources, including a venue map, to help prospective attendees plan their visit.
The site is missing interactive features to engage visitors, such as a scheduling tool or a live chat feature. WAVE flagged more than 30 linked images missing alternative text and some low-contrast issues.
The desktop site's good-quality video reel demonstrating the Christmas market experience is more engaging on a larger desktop screen than on a smaller mobile one. The concise top menu with large lettering makes the navigation experience quick and simple, making it easy for visitors to seek out information quickly. On Google's PageSpeed Insights test, the desktop site had a performance score of 70/100.
The site adapts well to a smaller screen size, with the video reel displaying beautifully in good quality and the remaining content scaled down adequately to maintain a pleasant user experience. The mobile site features a floating hamburger menu button, offering a similarly intuitive browsing experience as the desktop version.
However, the mobile site had a lower performance score of 53/100 on Google's PageSpeed Insights test compared to the desktop version.
The best event websites engage visitors, build excitement, and encourage visitors to sign up or purchase tickets to attend the event. Have a look at our curated list of great event website examples.
Event websites may be specific to one event or a series of events and feature information related to the event, including what visitors can expect, where and when it will take place, a pricing list, an online ticket purchasing option if it's a paid event, contact information, and any other related information.
Use a clean, modern design with high-quality images and videos. Add interactive elements and compelling content with details about the event and descriptions that sell the event and draw in visitors. The event's branding should be consistent across the website.
Select a website builder with event features or choose an event management system integration that allows you to create a simple and intuitive registration form that supports multiple payment options. Pricing information should be transparent and clearly displayed, and users should receive automated confirmation messages following their purchase. Other features to look out for include mobile-friendly registration, social media and calendar integrations, and help and support features.
