To price your Airbnb for festivals, big events and long weekends, find the dates early, check what comparable homes near you charge for those same nights, set custom prices on them in your Airbnb calendar, and use the quieter nights around them to fill gaps. The goal is to be priced right for the dates, not simply higher.
Big dates are where hosts earn the most and lose the most. Price too low and the home is gone months ahead at your Tuesday rate. Price too high and it sits empty while the homes next door fill up.
Step 1: Find the dates early
Make a list for the next 12 months:
- Public holidays and long weekends, especially where a holiday falls on a Friday or Monday.
- School holidays in the places your guests come from.
- Festivals in your area or that bring people to it.
- Big events nearby: concerts, sports, conferences, weddings season, exhibitions.
- New Year and the end-of-year holidays.
Events matter most when they're close. A large festival in your own town moves demand a lot; one a couple of hours away moves it less, and only for guests who'll travel that far.
Step 2: See what comparable homes charge for those dates
Search Airbnb as a guest for the event dates, with your number of guests, and look at homes like yours nearby: same size, similar quality, similar location. Note:
- What they charge per night and in total for the stay.
- How many are already booked. If most comparable homes are gone, demand is high.
- Their minimum stays for those dates.
Airbnb's search compares your total price with comparable listings for the guest's dates, and listings priced below comparable ones tend to rank higher. So your event price should sit sensibly within what nearby homes charge, not far above it. See how Airbnb search ranks your listing.
Step 3: Set custom prices for those nights
In your Airbnb calendar, select the nights and enter a custom price. Airbnb says a custom price overrides your default nightly price, Smart Pricing, the weekend adjustment and long-term pricing for those nights.
A few tools help:
- Custom price per night: the main tool for event dates.
- Weekend adjustment: raise or lower Friday and Saturday nights by -50% to +50% of your base price. Airbnb notes you need Smart Pricing off to set it.
- Smart Pricing: if you use it, set a sensible minimum and maximum; you can still override specific nights with a custom price.
- Weekly and monthly discounts, for longer stays outside the busy dates.
A simple price ladder
Not every busy night is equal. Many hosts think in three levels:
| Level | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | Ordinary weeknights | Your base price |
| Busy | Regular weekends, school holidays | A step above base |
| Peak | The main nights of big festivals and events, New Year | Your highest price, in line with comparable homes |
Set the ladder once a year, then adjust as bookings come in.
Step 4: Think about stay length
Big dates attract short stays that can leave awkward gaps. Check your minimum-stay settings so a single booked night doesn't block a long weekend that would otherwise sell as a whole. Keep the minimum reasonable: too strict and guests who only need two nights book elsewhere.
Step 5: Fill the nights around the event
The nights just before and after a big event are often quiet. A slightly lower price there can attract guests who want to arrive early or stay on. It also helps search: more open, fairly priced dates give guests more reasons to find you.
Step 6: Watch and adjust
- Booked very fast? Your price was probably low for those dates. Note it for next year.
- Nothing booked close to the date, while nearby homes are full? Your price may be above what guests compare it with. Adjust.
- Comparable homes filling up? Demand is rising; hold your price.
Keep a short note after each event: what you charged, when it booked, what nearby homes charged. Next year's pricing gets much easier.
Getting the stay right
A busy weekend often means a full house, groups and a late arrival or two. Send clear check-in details the day before, ask for arrival times, and check in a few hours after arrival. See the check-in message every guest needs. Big weekends bring many reviews at once, so it's worth getting them right.
A checklist for each big date
- Is the date on my list, with the event and its distance from my home?
- What do comparable homes charge for these exact nights?
- Have I set a custom price on the peak nights?
- Are my minimum stays sensible for these dates?
- Have I priced the nights before and after to fill gaps?
- Have I written down what happened, for next year?
How Prohostings helps
Prohostings' pricing looks for events near your home, weighs them by how big and how close they are, and compares your price with similar homes nearby night by night. It suggests a nightly price for each date with the reason, so you can see why a weekend is marked busy or peak, and you set the prices in Airbnb yourself. Start with the free listing report.
Sources
FAQ
How much should I raise my Airbnb price for a festival or event?
Look at comparable homes near you for the same dates and price within that range. Demand differs by event and by distance from it, so there's no single percentage that fits every home.
How do I set a different price for specific dates on Airbnb?
Select the nights in your Airbnb calendar and enter a custom price. A custom price overrides your default price, Smart Pricing and weekend adjustments for those nights.
Does Airbnb's weekend pricing apply to long weekends?
Airbnb's weekend adjustment covers Friday and Saturday nights. For the extra night of a long weekend, set a custom price on that date.
When should I set event prices?
As soon as you know the dates. Guests book big weekends early, and a price set late means the early bookings went at your normal rate.
Can I use Smart Pricing for events?
Smart Pricing adjusts prices based on demand within your minimum and maximum. You can still set a custom price on specific nights; it overrides Smart Pricing for those nights.