Event Cancelled? Ticket Refund Rights in the EU and UK (2026)

If an event is cancelled, you get the ticket price back in every EU country and the UK, even when the cause is outside the organiser's control. The right comes from national contract law rather than a single EU regulation like the one for flights: the organiser can't deliver what you paid for, so it can't keep the price. If an event is postponed or substantially changed, you can usually choose between keeping the ticket and a refund; your claim is against the organiser, whose official ticket seller usually handles it. This guide covers the rules as of November 2026, with country examples and email templates for organisers.

Key takeaways

• Cancelled: you get the ticket price back. Force majeure frees the organiser from holding the event and from paying damages, not from refunding the price.
• Postponed or significantly changed: in most countries you can keep the ticket or ask for a refund. In Germany, courts treat the date as essential.
• There is no 14-day withdrawal right for dated event tickets (Consumer Rights Directive Art. 16(l)), but that only covers changing your mind, not cancellations.
• Booking fees and travel costs: the face value is refunded as a minimum; fees depend on the country and terms; travel and hotels usually only if part of a package or the organiser is at fault.
• The 2020 pandemic voucher schemes have expired. A voucher instead of cash needs the buyer's agreement.

This guide is not legal or tax advice.

Cancelled, postponed or changed: what's the difference?

A cancellation means the event won't happen and there is no replacement date. A postponement moves it to a new date. A change affects the line-up, venue or start time on the same date. An abandonment ends an event that has already started.

Irish and English consumer guidance treats a significant change of date or venue like a cancellation.

Is there an EU law on refunds for cancelled events?

No. Air, rail, bus and ship passengers have EU regulations that set out refunds and compensation. Event tickets do not.

Instead, two layers apply:

1. National contract law. A ticket is a contract: you pay, the organiser provides the event. If the organiser can't perform, the general rules on non-performance in each country require it to return what was paid. The wording differs, but the outcome for cancelled events is the same across the EU and the UK.
2. EU consumer law around it. The Consumer Rights Directive (2011/83/EU) sets information duties and the 14-day withdrawal right for online purchases. Art. 16(l) excludes "services related to leisure activities if the contract provides for a specific date or period of performance" from that withdrawal right. So you can't cancel a dated concert ticket just because you changed your mind. This exception says nothing about the organiser cancelling, and doesn't reduce your refund right in that case.

So "no refunds" in ticket terms covers change-of-mind cases, but in our view it cannot remove the refund when the organiser fails to deliver the event.

What do national laws say? Country examples

The table shows how selected countries handle a cancelled event (as of November 2026). It reflects the legal basis or official consumer guidance we could verify. Where we couldn't, we say so.

Germany: § 326 BGB

When the organiser cannot perform, its claim to the price lapses (§ 326(1) BGB), and the buyer can reclaim what was paid (§ 326(4) with § 346 BGB). This applies whether or not the organiser is at fault. The consumer centre of North Rhine-Westphalia (Verbraucherzentrale NRW) considers that presale and shipping fees may also have to be refunded. For postponements, a local court (AG Uelzen, 9 February 2026, 17 C 8237/25) treated the ticket as a fixed-date contract and awarded a refund including the service fee. The German Federal Court of Justice (BGH, VIII ZR 317/21) held that a ticket agent selling on commission has fulfilled its duty by delivering the ticket, so the organiser is liable for the refund.

UK: Consumer Rights Act 2015

Under the Consumer Rights Act, a trader must perform a service with reasonable care and skill (s. 49) and, where the service isn't provided as agreed, the consumer can claim a price reduction that may be the full price (s. 56), with refunds due within 14 days. Citizens Advice puts it simply: if you bought from an official seller, you can get a refund if the organiser cancels, moves or reschedules the event. You'll probably get the face value back. Booking or card fees may not be refunded, and travel and accommodation usually aren't unless they were part of a package.

Ireland

Citizens Information says that if an event is cancelled, it is up to the seller to resolve the issue, for example by rescheduling, or, if that isn't possible or doesn't suit you, by giving a refund. Flights and hotels for a cancelled event abroad are usually not covered unless they were sold as a package with the ticket.

Does force majeure cancel the refund?

No. Force majeure means an event outside the organiser's control that could not reasonably be foreseen or avoided: a storm, a flood, a ban by the authorities, a regional power cut. France codifies it in Art. 1218 of the Code civil. Germany has no specific force majeure clause in the civil code but reaches the same result through impossibility rules.

Force majeure has two effects:

• The organiser doesn't have to hold the event and usually doesn't owe damages (hotel, travel, a day off work), because it isn't at fault.
• The organiser still has to return the ticket price, because it can't keep payment for a service it didn't provide.

"No refund in case of force majeure" clauses are therefore very risky in consumer terms. Insurance for the organiser's costs exists for exactly this situation; it doesn't replace the refund.

Are pandemic-era vouchers still allowed?

No. In 2020 several countries let organisers issue vouchers instead of refunds for a limited period. Germany's scheme (Art. 240 § 5 EGBGB) has been repealed and covered only tickets bought before 8 March 2020. Today, a voucher instead of cash is only acceptable if the buyer freely chooses it.

Who pays the refund, and what about booking fees?

Your contract for the event is with the organiser. The official ticket seller usually acts as an agent and processes refunds on the organiser's behalf, but legally the organiser carries the obligation. Austria's consumer association VKI has made a similar point: when an event is cancelled, the cancellation is down to the organiser and the box-office agent has done its job, so a claim for the agent's booking costs can at most lie against the organiser.

If you bought on a secondary site or from a private seller, the refund goes to the original buyer's payment method. Our guide to ticket resale rules in Europe covers this risk.

Example (organiser view): a club sells 600 tickets at €25 for an open-air show, €15,000 in total. Three days before, the authorities ban it because of a storm warning. All €15,000 goes back to buyers. Costs already incurred, such as €2,000 for staging (50 % cancellation term), €1,500 artist fee without a cancellation clause, €800 for advertising and €400 security cancellation fee, total €4,700 that the organiser carries unless insured. Example figures only.

What if the organiser doesn't refund?

1. Contact the official seller and the organiser in writing. Give your order number and a deadline, for example 14 days.
2. Use dispute resolution. In the UK, check whether the seller is a STAR member and use its complaints procedure. In Ireland, contact the CCPC or use the small claims procedure.
3. Cross-border purchases: if the seller is based in another EU country, Iceland or Norway, contact the European Consumer Centre in your own country. The ECC Network is co-funded by the European Commission.
4. Chargeback as a last resort. If you paid by card, your bank may be able to reclaim the money when a paid service wasn't provided. The card scheme's rules and deadlines apply, so don't wait months. A SEPA direct debit can be reversed within 8 weeks without a reason. Only use a chargeback once the organiser has had a fair chance to refund.

Templates: emails for organisers

Tell buyers first, then the public, honestly and with clear next steps.

Cancellation email

Subject: Cancelled: [Event] on [date] – how you get your money back

Hello [Name],

We're sorry to tell you that [Event] on [date] in [place] is cancelled. Reason: [short, honest reason]. There will be no replacement date.

You will get your money back. We will refund the full ticket price [including fees] for order [number]. You don't need to do anything. The refund goes to the payment method you used and normally arrives within [period].

[Optional: "If you'd like to support us, you can choose a voucher for [amount] for our next event instead. Just reply to this email."]

Questions? Contact us at [email].

[Name, organisation, address]

Postponement email

Subject: New date: [Event] moves to [new date]

Hello [Name],

[Event] can't take place on [old date]. Reason: [short reason]. The new date is [day], [new date], [time], [venue].

Your ticket stays valid. You don't need to do anything. The QR code from order [number] works on the new date.

Can't make the new date? Then you'll get your money back. Reply to this email or write to [email] with your order number by [date, e.g. 4 weeks]. We will refund the full ticket price [including fees].

See you soon,

[Name, organisation, address]

Organiser checklist

• Decision and reason documented (official notice, weather warning, medical certificate)
• Ticket sales stopped
• Buyers emailed first, then website and social media updated
• Suppliers, artists, venue and authorities informed
• Refunds started, or a deadline set for refund requests after a postponement
• Insurer informed within the policy deadline
• All refunds reconciled and documented

How to do this with Eventoren

On Eventoren, buyers receive their tickets as a PDF with a QR code by email and see their tickets, orders and invoices in their customer account. For the cancellation or postponement email, export your orders as CSV or XLSX so you have every order email and order number in one place.

Refunds for a cancelled event are handled by you as the organiser via the platform, together with Eventoren support. Get in touch as early as possible via the contact form, ideally as soon as you decide, and agree how fees are treated. Payouts normally go by bank transfer to your IBAN at the latest on the 7th bank working day after the event ends; after a cancellation, agree the process with support.

For a postponement, clarify with support how existing tickets apply to the new date. On the day, helpers scan as usual in the smartphone browser without an app. If a buyer can't come but wants to send someone else, you can edit the participant name on the ticket. Buyers with questions can write to support@eventoren.de. The German-language guide Veranstaltung absagen oder verschieben covers German law in more depth.

Frequently asked questions

Do I get a refund if a concert is cancelled in the EU?

Yes. National contract law in every EU country requires the organiser to return the price for an event it doesn't deliver, including in force majeure cases. Contact the official seller you bought from; it usually processes the refund for the organiser.

Do I have to accept a postponed date?

Usually not. Official guidance in Ireland and England says you can get a refund if the new date doesn't suit you, and German courts treat the date as essential. Many organisers keep tickets valid for the new date and offer refunds to those who can't come.

Can I cancel my ticket within 14 days?

No. The EU's 14-day withdrawal right doesn't apply to leisure services with a fixed date, such as concert or match tickets (Consumer Rights Directive Art. 16(l)). Organisers may offer a voluntary returns policy.

Is the booking fee refunded when an event is cancelled?

It depends. You can always expect the face value. Whether booking or service fees come back depends on the country and the seller's terms: German consumer advisers and a 2026 court decision say yes, while Citizens Advice in England says you might not get them back.

Can an organiser give me a voucher instead of a refund?

Only if you agree. The temporary voucher schemes from 2020 have expired. If you'd rather have cash, you can insist on the refund.

Sources

• Directive 2011/83/EU on consumer rights (consolidated), Art. 16(l)
• Citizens Information (Ireland): Tickets for events
• Citizens Advice (England): Getting a refund on an event ticket
• Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 56
• § 326 BGB (Germany)
• Art. 240 § 5 EGBGB, repealed voucher scheme (Germany)
• BGH, judgment of 13 July 2022, VIII ZR 317/21 (PDF)
• AG Uelzen, 9 February 2026, 17 C 8237/25 (NI-VORIS)
• Verbraucherzentrale NRW: festivals, concerts and sports events
• Légifrance: Code civil Art. 1218 (force majeure)
• VKI Konsument (Austria): Ö-Ticket refund after cancellation
• European Commission: European Consumer Centres Network (ECC-Net)