Godiva price hike can help attract ‘even better acts’

THE Godiva Festival will be able to attract “even better acts” thanks to new ticket pricing, the man in charge of the council’s finances believes.

Coventry City Council agreed increased ticket fees in January.

The highest price of £12 for an on-the-door ticket on Saturday is a whopping 500 per cent increase on the £2 admin fee introduced last year.

Reduced prices are available if tickets are bought sooner, with an early bird costing between £4-6 for adults per day, or £12.50 for a three-day ticket.

Despite criticism that the move had “destroyed” what was once billed the UK’s biggest free music festival, council bosses have insisted the three-day festival is still value for money.

Last year, the likes of Feeder, Busted and The Twang graced the stage, but the cabinet member for finances believes new ticket charges will help to secure “even better” artists in 2020.

Cllr John Mutton said: “The majority of people that have responded are saying it is still well worth it.

“I hope they will be saying that as they should be able to get even better acts there now.”

An additional £200,000 is being pumped into the Godiva budget this year, which will push the total budget to £275,000.

It is the same budget the council ran with last year, despite ticket fees being significantly less.

Last year, 78,742 people visited Godiva and paid a £2 admin fee.

It was the first time the event was ticketed and the first time a charge had been introduced in its 20-year history, and the council has said it was delivered on budget in 2019.

Cllr Mutton said: “I’m confident that with the additional income that should come in from increased fees - particularly for the fairground and other areas - that £275,000 which works out at less than £1 per person living in Coventry, I think it’s a worthwhile investment to give families and individuals an enjoyable day out.”

The council-run event has struggled with escalating running costs in the past and was £479,000 over budget in 2018, an investigation by the Local Democracy Reporting Service found.