More than half of people ‘hoping to attend live events in next 12 months’

More than half (59%) of people are hoping to attend big events such as a music concert, a festival, a comedy or theatre show, or live sports in the next 12 months, a survey has found.

On average, they hope to attend two big events over the next year – one less than before the coronavirus pandemic, according to Nationwide Building Society.

More than three-quarters (78%) of people who go to large events book their tickets online, the society found.

On average, people expect to spend £168 attending a live event, including the cost of the ticket, plus additional expenses such as travel, food and accommodation.

James Smith, Nationwide’s director of digital, said: “The nation is already eager to get back out there and see their favourite band, team or idol in the flesh.

“That eagerness can bring with it a rush to book tickets, and sometimes at the expense of our own safety and security.”

Nationwide said a banking security measure called strong customer authentication helps to keep people safe when shopping online.

It requires shoppers to complete an extra security step to confirm who they are when making certain payments. This helps to weed out attempted frauds by criminals who have stolen someone else’s personal details.

The society said it has several ways to protect members from online fraud, including using their app to authenticate the transaction, receiving a single-use passcode via text or email, or using their card reader to generate a unique code.