272% Revenue Growth in Two Years: How Rock N Roll Circus Scaled with Boxbar Tech
- Alex Ogilvie
- 36 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Rock N Roll Circus is not your average festival.
Based at Don Valley Bowl in Sheffield, the event combines world-class live music with breathtaking circus entertainment. Since its debut, it’s brought together legendary acts and emerging talent on the same bill, featuring the likes of...
2023: Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Happy Mondays, Self Esteem
2024: Richard Hawley, Jake Bugg, Pete Doherty
2025: Queens of the Stone Age, Bryan Adams, James, Melanie C
In just three years, the festival has cemented itself as one of the most unique multi-day events in the UK. It has built a strong following and delivered growth year on year.
The Challenge
When Rock N Roll Circus first came to us in 2023, they faced two key challenges:
Long bar queues during peak event hours were frustrating customers and hurting the overall experience.
This also meant they weren’t making the most of their peak hours and were leaving potential revenue on the table.
The organisers wanted to:
Increase service speed in order to reduce waiting times and peak time queues
Increase bar capacity efficiently to maximise revenue
Improve customer satisfaction without inflating costs
Strategy and Implementation
From day one, our partnership was built on growth. Our self-serve technology was still in its infancy in 2023 and the festival was embarking on its first edition.
Over the years, the event grew into the well respected and popular festival it is today whilst the Boxbar technology was continuously improved, tested, deployed and iterated to become the leading solution it is today.
By 2025, the setup included:
21 self-serve points of sale across two locations on the festival site
2 Container Bars (patent pending), each delivering 6 points of sale and 12 serving taps.
3 upgraded 3-Bank Units, each delivering 3 points of sale and 6 serving taps
3 draught options: Madri, Cold River Cider, Atlantic Pale Ale
Why this setup?
Container Bars are designed for outdoor events and festivals. Their all-in-one design with integrated cellars allows all products, gas, refrigeration and carbonators to be stored within the unit itself. These new units are also all-weather capable, are able to process payments offline and have an integrated 15 minute power back up, all essential features when operating on greenfield sites.
Whilst our upgraded 3-Bank units featured faster pour speeds and larger signage for visibility.
Our target was made clear: keep queues moving, keep drinks flowing and keep customers happy.
The Results
Looking back across the full three year partnership with Rock N Roll Circus, the numbers tell a very interesting story...
Improved Revenues
We first investigated the revenues delivered, using daily averages to take into account the increased festival length from year to year.
2023 to 2024: Average daily self-serve revenue up 27% YoY
2024 to 2025: Average daily self-serve revenue up 194% YoY
Looking at the full three year picture:
From 2023 to 2025, average daily self-serve revenue increased by 272%.
Each point of sale became more profitable too:
2023 to 2024: Average revenue per POS per day increased by 69%
2024 to 2025: Average revenue per POS per day increased by 100%
Looking at the full three year picture:
From 2023 to 2025, the average revenue per POS per day increased by 254%
"Working with Boxbar has made a real difference to how we run our bars at Rock N Roll Circus over the past three years. Bar queues, especially during peak service hours, are a major challenge for all festival organisers, but the self-serve setup has helped significantly reduce waiting times, improve service and increase revenues year on year." Ali O'Reilly, Director, AGN Events & Rock N Roll Circus
Strong Return On Investment
It is well documented that costs for events and festivals are currently spiralling out of control. So it was key for the festival to achieve their goals without adding excessive additional costs to the balance sheet, ensuring a healthy return on investment.
2023 ROI: 269%
2024 ROI: 418% (55% uplift YoY)
2025 ROI: 851% (104% uplift YoY and a massive 751% uplift over two years)
The initial performance from 2023 to 2024 was enough for Rock N Roll Circus to sign a 3-year contract which they were then rewarded for with a bumper edition and record revenues in 2025.
"The ROI figures speak for themselves, but for me, the real win has been customer satisfaction. There really is nothing worse for a punter than an endless bar queue. But our fans are now used to grabbing a pint from the self-serve bars and being able to dive right back into the action in no time."
Customer Satisfaction
Since its inception, the festival has developed a loyal customer base who have become accustom to the Boxbar experience.
The speed of service (with 2 pints transacted in just 25 seconds), significantly reduces queue times both for those using the Boxbar units themselves and those opting for the traditional main bar, where customer volumes are reduced.
"Boxbar have been a reliable partner, supporting our growth and helping us deliver a smoother experience for our fans year on year."
Why It Worked
Three key factors drove success:
Tech evolution: Each year our units became faster, more reliable and more efficient.
Customer adoption: By year three, festival-goers were accustom to the experience.
Elevated expectations: Audiences now expect faster, smarter service at live events. Queues are no longer tolerated and customers are open to trying new experiences and technology.
Our partnership with Rock N Roll Circus shows how innovation, consistency and a long term approach can transform the customer experience while driving profitability.
As we see it:
Automated, self-service bars are no longer the future of festivals. They are the now.
