How We Helped North America’s Largest Dog Festival Sell & Scan 20,000+ Tickets Without a Hitch

Client Overview

Client: Woofstock®
Industry: Event & Entertainment
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Project Type: Custom Ticketing & Scanning Platform
Timeline: 1 Month Build + Testing
Tech Stack: React, Stripe, GQLizzer, Custom Web Scanner

Woofstock® is North America’s largest festival for dogs, drawing tens of thousands of canine lovers and vendors to Toronto’s Beaches every year. It’s not just an event — it’s a cultural phenomenon with 20,000+ attendees, hundreds of exhibitors, and an undeniable bark of joy echoing across the city.

The Challenge

Woofstock had always relied on third-party platforms to manage ticket sales. But this year, they wanted full control — no more heavy fees, limited customization, or dependency on big-name ticketing companies.

Their Goals:

• A custom-built ticketing system to sell passes for both general attendees and exhibitors
• An internal QR code scanning system to check in tens of thousands of guests quickly
• A fully hosted and battle-tested platform capable of handling a surge in traffic on festival weekend
• A 1-month turnaround

“We wanted something fast, flexible, and totally ours — no more relying on platforms that take a cut and give us headaches.”
— Woofstock Team

The Solution

We built a custom React ticketing system from the ground up, integrating with Stripe for secure payments and designing two tailored portals:

1. Public Ticket Portal

• Fast, mobile-friendly frontend
• Stripe-powered checkout
• Instant ticket delivery via email with printable and QR versions
• View/print options right on the site

2. Exhibitor Portal

• Bulk ticket purchases
• Custom exhibitor credentials
• Backend sync with the same secure payment and ticket validation system

3. Custom QR Scanning App

• Web-based, no installs needed
• Used device cameras to scan UUID QR codes in real-time
• Connected directly to our GQLizzer backend to confirm purchases and prevent duplicates
• Built for speed: scan, validate, next in line — all in under a second

The Results

We delivered the entire system in just one month, followed by a dedicated week of live testing to ensure the system could scale with confidence.

On Festival Day:

• 20,000+ tickets processed without a single crash
• Lightning-fast scans kept lines moving
• Woofstock saved thousands in third-party ticketing fees
• Vendors and attendees alike praised the smooth experience

“From scanning to sales, it just worked. The lines moved, the dogs barked, and we didn’t have to stress about the tech.”
— Woofstock Organizer

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