Ticket sales for this year’s Splendor In The Grass have fallen by 30 percent, according to festival co-producer Jessica Ducrou.
Talking to ABCDucrou revealed that this year’s event has seen ticket sales drop from 50,000 to 35,000 – a 30 percent drop on the 2022 event, despite last year’s harsh weather conditions that caused flooding and the cancellation of mainstage performances on its first day.
“I think it’s a reflection of the current economy,” Ducrou said ABC. “We’re seeing a lot of people buying one-day tickets instead of three days, and that’s very much a reflection of the budget.”
“No doubt the experience of last year has also affected sales,” she added, pointing out that significant measures have been taken to ease the traffic management problems that occurred last year. “There has been a lot of thought, consultation and deliberation to avoid what happened last year,” she said.
Last year’s event was marred by heavily flooded grounds, reports of stuck cars and hour-long arrival and departure delays. Organizers canceled the first day’s mainstage performances due to the weather and subsequently offered “proportionate refunds” to attendees affected by the disruption. Artists whose sets were scrapped were also provided with “goodwill payments”.
Since then, the festival has apologized for the 2022 event and has outlined some of the changes made to ensure a smoother gathering this year. Improvements being made include “weatherproofing upgrades to the venue such as wider walkways and hard surfacing in key traffic areas around the toilets and facilities blocks.”
Fortunately, Splendor In The Grass 2023 looks set to be spared last year’s mud-soaked mayhem with predictions of clear skies throughout. Check out NME‘s coverage of the forecast for Splendor In The Grass 2023 here.
“There’s not a cloud in the sky for the first time in five years, which is pretty exciting,” Ducrou said of the weather ABC.
Keep an eye on NME for all Splendor in the Grass news