When weather, a venue issue, or something completely outside your control forces you to cancel an event, the last thing you need is to manually cancel hundreds — or thousands — of individual registrations.
Brushfire’s Mass Cancellation tool lets you handle it in a few clicks. This article walks you through what to expect, how to do it, and a few important things to know before you get started.
Before You Start: Two Things to Decide
Before you open the cancellation feature, it helps to have these two things figured out.
1. How do you want to handle refunds?
You have two options:
- Issue Event Credits to everyone — Every attendee receives a credit code they can use toward a future event you host on Brushfire. This is the default option and the simplest path.
- Try to refund first, fall back to Event Credit — Brushfire will attempt to return money to each attendee’s original payment method. When that’s not possible, they’ll automatically receive an Event Credit instead.
| 💡 What is an Event Credit? Think of it like a store credit, but specific to your events on Brushfire. Attendees get a unique 12-digit code emailed to them that they apply at checkout — just like a gift card. Credits carry a running balance: if an attendee uses part of a credit, the remainder stays on the same code for next time. You can restrict credits to certain events or set an expiration date, or leave them open for any event in your organization. |
| ⚠️ One current limitation to be aware of: An Event Credit must cover the full order total to be usable. If an attendee’s credit balance is less than the cost of what they want to buy, they won’t be able to apply it to that order — there’s no way yet to split payment between a credit and another payment method. This is coming in a future update. If your future events are priced higher than what attendees originally paid, it’s worth noting this in your cancellation message so they aren’t caught off guard. |
2. Which attendees are you cancelling?
You can cancel:
- All attendees and unpublish the event at the same time
- All attendees, but leave the event page live
- Only specific attendee types or add-on types (useful when just part of your event is affected — like one time slot on a rainy day)
Step-by-Step: Running a Mass Cancellation
Step 1 — Go to your event’s Manage page
From your Brushfire dashboard, navigate to your event and open the Manage Attendees, Manage Orders, or Manage Add-ons page. The cancellation tool is available on all three.
Step 2 — Find the Event Cancellation section
Scroll to the bottom of the actions area. You’ll see a section called Event Cancellation with a red Continue button. Click it to open the form.
Step 3 — Fill out the cancellation form
Refund Strategy
Choose how attendees will be compensated. If you’re unsure, “Issue Event Credits” is the simpler, more predictable option — you’ll know exactly what every attendee receives. The refund-first option is better when most of your attendees paid by credit card and you want to return real money where possible.
Event Credit Template
This controls what restrictions (if any) apply to the credits your attendees receive — like which events they can be used on and whether they expire. The default will be whatever template you’ve set for this event. If you haven’t set one, it defaults to “Use anytime for any event in this organization,” meaning no restrictions.
If you have custom templates, they’ll appear in this dropdown. Selecting one will show you a summary of its rules so you know exactly what your attendees will receive.
Cancellation Note (for confirmation email)
This is your message to attendees. It’ll appear in the cancellation confirmation email each person receives. Use it to explain why you’re cancelling, what they’re getting (refund or credit), and any next steps — like rescheduled dates or how to use their credit.
If you’re issuing Event Credits, this is also a good place to let attendees know that the credit must cover their full order total at checkout, and that any unused balance stays on their code for future use.
Write it like you’re talking to one person, not a crowd.
Cancellation Details
Choose one of the three options below:
| Option | What it does |
| Cancel all Attendees and unpublish the Event | Cancels everyone and immediately hides the event from public view |
| Cancel all Attendees but DO NOT change Event visibility | Cancels everyone but leaves the event page live |
| Cancel only selected Attendee/Add-on types | Lets you pick specific types or time slots to cancel |
If you choose the third option, checkboxes will appear for each attendee type and add-on type. For time slot events, these are grouped by slot so you can, for example, cancel just your morning sessions while leaving the afternoon intact.
If some orders don’t have an email address
Occasionally, orders won’t have an email address on file — for example, walk-up customers who were registered without one. Since Event Credits are delivered by email, Brushfire can’t automatically send credits to those attendees.
When this happens, you’ll see an additional required option asking what to do:
- Don’t issue a credit — The cancellation is processed but no credit is sent. The order is zeroed out and the attendee would need to be handled separately.
- Send all credits to a single email address — You provide an email (it defaults to yours), and every credit for email-less orders gets sent there. You’d then be responsible for distributing them manually.
This field is required — you’ll need to make a choice before submitting the form.
Step 4 — Review the summary
At the bottom, you’ll see a red summary box. It tells you exactly how many attendees will be cancelled, how they’ll be compensated, and whether the event will be unpublished. Read it carefully.
| ⚠️ This cannot be undone. Once you confirm, the cancellation process begins immediately and cannot be reversed. |
| 💰 A note on fees: Brushfire’s service fees are not refunded as part of this process. Attendees will be credited the full amount they paid for their tickets, but Brushfire fees are retained. This is in line with standard Brushfire billing terms. |
Step 5 — Confirm and submit
Click Cancel Event or Cancel Attendees (the label reflects your selection). You’ll see a confirmation dialog asking if you’re sure — once you click through, it’s go time.
You’ll immediately see a confirmation message letting you know the process has started and whether your event has been unpublished. The actual cancellations process in the background — you’ll get a summary email when it’s done.
What Happens After You Submit
You don’t need to do anything else. Here’s what Brushfire handles automatically:
- All selected attendees are grouped by their original order
- Refunds or Event Credits are issued based on your chosen strategy
- Each attendee receives a cancellation confirmation email containing your custom message
- Attendees receiving an Event Credit get a second email with their unique code, balance, and any restrictions
- Once everything is processed, you’ll receive a summary email with the full breakdown — how many refunds went through, how many credits were issued, and whether the event was unpublished
What Attendees Will Experience
Getting a refund
They’ll receive the cancellation confirmation with your message. The refund returns to their original payment method. Timing varies by bank, but is typically 3–7 business days.
Getting an Event Credit
They’ll receive two emails — the cancellation confirmation, and a separate credit email with their 12-digit code, balance, and any restrictions on use. At their next checkout, they enter the code just like a gift card number.
Their credit carries a running balance. If they use part of it, the remaining amount stays on the same code and can be applied to a future order. The credit just needs to be enough to cover the full order total — if it’s not, they won’t be able to apply it to that purchase until they find an order within their balance.
Important Limitations to Know
Event Credits and Spot Refund Protection don’t mix at checkout.
If an attendee received an Event Credit through a mass cancellation and later tries to register for another event with Spot insurance, they won’t be able to use their Event Credit if they choose to add Spot coverage. This is a current limitation we’re aware of and plan to revisit. If you expect this to affect a significant portion of your attendees, contact Brushfire support before running the cancellation.
Credits can’t be split with another payment method yet.
An Event Credit must cover the full order total to be usable. If an attendee’s credit balance doesn’t meet the total for what they want to buy, they can’t apply the credit to that order — there’s no option yet to pay the difference with a card. This is coming in a future update.
Not all payment methods can be refunded electronically.
If you choose the “refund first” strategy, only electronic payments (credit/debit cards, etc.) are eligible for a direct refund. Cash payments, custom payment methods, and certain unpaid invoices will automatically fall back to Event Credits. Brushfire handles this automatically — you don’t need to sort them out yourself.
Square invoices have a special case.
If an attendee had an unpaid Square invoice, Brushfire will attempt to cancel the invoice rather than issue a refund. If that’s not possible, they’ll receive an Event Credit and you’ll remain responsible for collecting any outstanding amount on the original invoice.
Don’t submit a second cancellation while one is still processing.
If you cancel a group of attendees and then immediately go back to cancel more, there’s a chance the two processes could overlap. It’s best to wait for the summary email confirming the first cancellation is complete before starting another.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I cancel just one attendee this way?
No — this tool is for bulk cancellations only. To cancel an individual, use the standard order management tools.
What if I only want to cancel one time slot?
Select “Cancel only selected Attendee/Add-on types” and check just the types within that time slot. The rest of your event will be unaffected.
Will my event be taken down automatically?
Only if you select “Cancel all Attendees and unpublish the Event.” Otherwise, the event page stays live regardless of how many attendees you cancel.
Can I undo this after I submit?
No. Once confirmed, cancellations cannot be reversed.
What happens to attendees who paid with cash or a custom payment method?
Those orders can’t be refunded electronically, so they’ll always receive an Event Credit — even if you selected the “refund first” strategy.
Do attendees choose between a refund and a credit?
No. The strategy you select as the organizer applies to everyone being cancelled.
What if an attendee’s credit doesn’t cover the cost of a future event?
They won’t be able to apply the credit to that order until they find one within their balance. The ability to pay the difference with another payment method is coming in a future update. It’s worth mentioning this in your cancellation note if it’s likely to affect your attendees.
What about Spot refund protection fees?
If any cancelled attendees had Spot coverage, those fees will also be refunded. Brushfire will issue a credit on your next invoice to offset any Spot fees that were collected on those orders.
I’m not sure which strategy to use. Can someone help?
Yes — reach out to Brushfire support before you run the cancellation. We’re happy to walk through it with you.
Further, to set up your event credit templates, learn more in this help article: How to Set Up Event Credit Templates