Featured Image: Aditya Chinchure on Unsplash
A report from French trade union Prodiss has revealed that tickets for French events and festivals have generally remained below or in line with inflation, and that prices were also mostly lower than in other countries.
Across 18 theatres,16 French festivals, six tours from international artists and compared with 20 festivals abroad, Prodiss found that between 2019 and 2023, ticket prices mostly remained below inflation for the majority of venues and seats.
However, ticket prices for the larger venues and stadiums were above inflation.
Prodiss revealed that there was a period of stability between 2019 and 2022, with more tours and shows booked in between 2022 and 2023 following the pandemic. The increase in the lowest prices remained steady, while cost increases for major shows at stadiums caused ticket prices to go up. This is due to energy, transport, materials, labour and an increase in artists’ fees.
The lowest ticket prices for smaller venues only increased by 7% between 2019 and 2023, while ticket prices for venues with a capacity of 6,000 saw an increase of 9%. Stadium ticket prices saw an increase of 13% between 2019 and 2023. The outlier was for venues with a capacity between 1,500 and 6,000 seats, which saw an increase of 22% between 2019 and 2023. Inflation was at 13.6% in France when the study was completed.
Meanwhile the highest ticket prices were more affected, with smaller venues seeing a 9% increase, mid-size venues witnessing a 10% increase, venues with a capacity of 6,000 or more seeing an 18% increase and stadium shows a 23% rise.
Stadium prices have been boosted by the return of major international tours in 2023, with 2024’s performance opportunities hindered by the staging of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Prodiss also analysed a number of major 2023 international tours across several European countries and the US, and found that France’s ticket prices were mostly the lowest.
For Muse’s ‘Will of the People Tour’, the lowest ticket price was €62 (£53/$68) in France, while the UK’s price was €70. The highest low-cost ticket was €140 in Switzerland. The highest ticket price in France was €125, while the UK’s came in at €164 and €171 in the US. The highest ticket price was once again in Switzerland at €200.
Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance World Tour’ lowest ticket prices were among the more expensive in France at €79 compared to the UK’s €53, while its highest tickets were mid-range compared to other European countries and the US at €450.
France’s €45 lowest-priced tickets for Madonna’s ‘The Celebration Tour’ were at the lower end of the spectrum, while its €650 higher-priced tickets were also among the lowest.
In terms of festivals, small and very large festivals have increased their prices to the same level as inflation, while mid-sized festivals have increased prices above inflation. Despite the increases, festival ticket prices in France are still among some of the cheapest available.
Share this