We all know that everything costs more that it used to, so I did a little investigating about ticket prices for the Winnipeg Folk Festival to see how much more it costs to go these days. Most of my information comes from former websites and some newsletters from past years, and since most of us have gotten our fest tickets early I thought sticking to the Early Bird prices would be best, but keep in mind that all the prices listed below are lower than the at-the-gate prices charged for that year. I've also included the Festival Camping ticket prices separately to see how that's changed as well. Of course any corrections to my numbers are welcome. FYI, all prices are in Canadian dollars.
Year Early-Bird Festival Camping
1980 $23* N/A (*) - advance ticket price
...
1985 $30 N/A
...
1988 $40 N/A
...
1990 $55 N/A
1992 $55 ???
1993 $55 ???
...
1995 $60 ???
...
1998 $77 $15
1999 $82 $15
2000 $85 $15
2001 $91 $15
2002 $91 $17
2003 $98 $20
2004 $98 $20
2005 $110 $25
2006 $117 $25
2007 $148.66 $25
2008 $151.75 $25
2009(1) $157 $30 (1) - price before fifth day was added
2009(2) $177 $30 (2) - plus additional $20 for said day
2010 $181.75 $35
2011 $189 $40
2012 $206 $75
2013 $215 $75
So it now costs about three times as much to go and camp as it did fifteen years ago, with most of that increase coming in the past six years. I don't know how much overall inflation there's been in Canada during that time, but obviously gasoline prices have jumped. The increase in Festival Camping prices seems more due to the huge demand for it than actual costs for site improvements. (Quiet camping ticket prices in 2013 were $40, I think.) Obviously it hasn't hurt attendance, with 2013 being a near-record year. Still, it's a significant increase.
I'm going to pass this along to the festival office, in hopes that maybe we can have a lull in ticket price rises for a few years. You never know, maybe someone will listen!
No comments:
Post a Comment