Burning Man-inspired festival in Bali goes full Web3: Here’s how

The journey from niche technology to mainstream adoption often hinges on finding tangible use cases that resonate with everyday people. Web3 and related technologies, such as nonfungible tokens (NFTs) , are no exception.

While early adopters and tech enthusiasts have eagerly embraced these innovations, the broader public remains largely unfamiliar with their practical benefits. Bridging this gap requires demonstrations of how these technologies can seamlessly integrate into everyday experiences, providing real value and convenience.

One promising real-world application of Web3 technology is NFT ticketing. Unlike traditional tickets, which can be easily lost, counterfeited or scalped, NFT tickets provide a secure and verifiable method of event entry. Each NFT ticket is a unique digital asset stored on a blockchain, ensuring its authenticity and ownership. This enhances security and offers new opportunities for fan engagement and interaction, as NFT tickets can include additional perks such as exclusive content, merchandise or access to special areas.

Moreover, NFT ticketing leverages the decentralized nature of blockchain technology to create a more transparent and efficient ticketing process. Event organizers can easily manage ticket sales, transfers and resales, while attendees benefit from a simplified and secure experience.

By utilizing NFTs for ticketing, events can reduce fraud, streamline operations and offer a modern, tech-savvy experience that appeals to both Web3 enthusiasts and those new to the technology. This innovative approach to ticketing exemplifies how NFTs can bring real value to everyday activities, paving the way for broader adoption of Web3 technologies.

Bali festival gets Web3 treatment

Web3 technologies have found another real-world use case when Belong , an NFT ticketing platform for communities and events, provided a branded ticketing platform for Lampu 2024. Inspired by the world-famous Burning Man, Lampu is an annual festival that brings over 1,000 attendees from around the world to enjoy the mystic vibes of Bali.

Cointelegraph Accelerator participant Belong utilizes NFTs to revamp event attendance. The Web3 platform allows organizers and community owners to sell NFT passes for event participation, in both fiat and crypto,  backed by its token-gated access infrastructure.

The festival partnered with Belong for this year’s event, which took place from Feb. 29 to March 3, to offer a streamlined experience to its visitors, from purchasing tickets to in-event notifications.

Belong created a Lampu-branded landing page for the event, allowing for various UX optimizations to attract an audience beyond the Web3 ecosystem. Visitors were able to check event schedules, related communities and real-time updates on Belong’s Lampu page.

Fiat and crypto payment options

Celebrating the universal nature of music, festivals like Bali’s Lampu attract people from a much broader demographic. For festivalgoers who are not Web3 savvy, terms like NFT ticketing and crypto payments might seem too technical. This is why Belong designed the Lampu ticketing experience as an ideal mixture of Web2 and Web3 technologies, primarily by introducing flexible options in the payments step.

Visitors to the Lampu festival could pay for their experience using the USD Coin ( USDC ) stablecoin, a cryptocurrency pegged to the U.S. dollar, alongside popular Web2 payment methods. On the payments page, users could directly choose from Apple Pay, Google Pay and Web3 wallets as purchase options.

Belong enables different payment options for users while community owners receive the payment in USDC. Source: Belong

For international attendees, having the option to pay with a stablecoin like USDC eliminates the hassle of currency exchange and potential transaction fees associated with traditional banking. Additionally, integrating Web3 wallets caters to the growing number of crypto enthusiasts, providing them a seamless way to engage with the festival’s offerings.

Web3-powered NFT tickets

While users enjoyed a streamlined experience, Web3 magic was happening in the background. Belong’s offerings made it possible for Lampu organizers to offer multiple ticket price tiers — pre-audited ticket smart contracts with different pricing tiers — to its visitors.

Following a successful payment, users would receive their ticket in NFT form, with the transaction ID available on Etherscan and the NFT itself publicly visible on the OpenSea NFT platform. Gasless minting of NFTs allowed for payments with USDC without requiring any other cryptocurrencies, such as Polygon ( MATIC ) or Ether ( ETH ).

Belong offers multiple tiers for price tickets and a simplified experience for users. Source: Belong

Festivalgoers were then simply required to scan their QR code generated on the same platform to enter the area.

“At Belong, our goal is not only to provide innovative software but also to enhance engagement and create meaningful connections within communities,” commented Belong.net founder Jay.

The successful integration of Web3 and NFT ticketing at the Lampu festival in Bali demonstrates the transformative potential of these technologies in the real world. By offering a seamless, secure and engaging experience for both tech-savvy attendees and those new to the Web3 ecosystem, Belong’s NFT ticketing proved its capability to enhance traditional event management and attendee experiences.

The future of Web3 lies in its ability to seamlessly integrate into daily lives, offering enhanced experiences and creating new opportunities for connection and engagement.