Translate an event budget into a usable amount per paying guest. This festival capacity tool separates fixed costs and contingency from the guest-driven spending pool, helping planners see how attendance changes the money available for each attendee.
The main result is the portion of the budget available for variable guest costs, divided by expected paying attendance.
Recheck taxes, ticketing charges, artist or vendor settlements, and restricted funds before committing the calculated amount.
With a $120,000 budget, $50,000 fixed costs, a 10% reserve, and 3,000 paying guests, the spendable pool is $58,000. The variable budget is $19.33 per paying guest.
Fixed costs do not scale directly with attendance, so removing them isolates the pool available for guest-driven expenses.
They do not divide the per-paying-guest result, but they still increase total attendance and should be included in service planning.
No. The selected contingency is reserved from the total budget before the variable pool is calculated.
The calculator stops and asks you to reduce costs, lower the reserve, or increase the budget.
No. It is a spending allowance; ticket pricing also depends on revenue sources, taxes, fees, demand, and profit goals.
| Amount | Treatment |
|---|---|
| Total budget | Starting funding limit |
| Fixed costs | Removed before per-guest allocation |
| Contingency | Reserved from total budget |
| Variable pool | Divided by paying attendance |