Tickets for the 13th annual Block Party dropped on January 11, with prices ranging from $60 to $87. The event promised over six hours of live music, food trucks and headliners ARMANI WHITE, Jauz, NGHTMRE and 24KGoldn.
However, less than one month away from the event, tickets were only 50 per cent sold out despite the AMS heavily marketing the event on their social media accounts.
On April 12, less than 24 hours before the start of the event, the AMS reduced ticket prices to $10, citing a last day of class promotion. Two hours prior to the event’s kickoff, the AMS sent a final email to students promoting tickets at the new reduced price.
The last-minute price drop for the 13th annual Block Party comes after the AMS announced the highest ticket prices in history.
In both emails, the AMS announced students who bought tickets at higher price points will receive a refund for the difference between their purchase price and the reduced price. According to the AMS, all student refunds have been processed.
In a statement shared with The Ubyssey, current VP Finance Abhiudai Mishra said high ticket prices are “due to inflation, which increased both production and talent costs.”
“AMS Events [will] work very hard to strike a balance between booking popular artists students want to see, and keeping ticket prices accessible,” said Mishra.
Mishra also called for AMS events to conduct more student engagement to determine students’ interest, and post-event surveys to collect students’ feedback.
Tickets for the 2022 Block Party ranged between $15-$45, a significantly smaller cost compared to the 2023 prices.
According to the 2022-2023 AMS Financial Budget, the event was expected to bring in $350,000 in ticket revenue with approximately 6,000 tickets sold for $60 each. However, with the price drop to $10 per ticket, it is estimated the AMS sold $250,000 less in ticket revenue than initial projections.
Similar fund allocations and revenue expectations have been allocated for Block Party for the 2023/24 fiscal year. The 14th annual Block Party will occur during April 2024.
The Ubyssey contacted former AMS VP Finance Lawrence Liu for a comment but did not receive a response.