For a family of four to attend the opening ceremony of the Canada Winter Games, the price is $452. That equates to $113 per ticket. There are no special rates for children, students or seniors.
The ceremony - the kickoff to the biggest sporting and cultural event in Prince George and northern B.C. history - starts at 7 p.m. next Friday at CN Centre.
The ticket price was set locally by Canada Games organizers, and it's too bad the cost is so high. For most families, going to the opening ceremony is out of financial reach. More affordable tickets would have allowed average residents of Prince George - who are funding a large chunk of the Games through their tax dollars - to be in the building for the festivities and to really catch the spirit of the two weeks that will follow.
For $113 per ducat, the opening ceremony had better be something special. By comparison, tickets for the recent Cirque du Soleil production at CN Centre ranged from $32 at the low end to $95 for a prime seat. And it doesn't get any more world-class than Cirque du Soleil.
For those questioning why some of the federal and provincial money that went toward funding the Games (total of $22.2 million) wasn't used to keep the cost of opening ceremony tickets down, the answer is this: those dollars were designated for venue development and legacy projects.
For the record, local Canada Winter Games officials are promising that people who shell out the big bucks to go to the opening ceremony will get full value for their dollar. The event is being brought to life by Patrick Roberge Productions, a company that has a long and impressive list of accomplishments to its credit. Roberge, for example, was responsible for putting together the halftime show at the 2014 Grey Cup in Vancouver, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in the same city.
"The calibre of the performance for the opening ceremony at our Games is going to be exceptional and so the ticket price reflects that," said Alyson Gourley-Cramer, communications and community relations manager for the Canada Winter Games.
"When you've got a company like PRP putting on your opening ceremony - and we're almost sold out - we're pretty comfortable, I think, with the price of the tickets."
While being in the comfortable confines of CN Centre for the opening ceremony won't be possible for a lot of folks, it should be noted that there will be a few ways to participate that won't cost a cent.
Those who want to watch the ceremony without having to break into their kids' college funds can go down to Canada Games Plaza outside of the Civic Centre and view the event live on a pair of super-sized screens. Or, by downloading an app provided by the Canada Winter Games, they can check out the proceedings on their tablets or smartphones. The third choice is the old-fashioned one - they can stay planted in their living room and watch on TV (as long as they have TSN2).
Not as good as being at the opening ceremony in person, but not bad.
"We're pretty happy with the options we've given people, from a free experience to a VIP experience," Gourley-Cramer said.
If the opening-night festivities put people in the mood to go see some of the sporting events during the 15 days of competition, those tickets are available in a wide range of prices. Attending a single event can cost as little as $5 per person, while a full Games pass goes for $250.
Some other details about the opening ceremony.
Maximum capacity at CN Centre for the ceremony is 6,000 people. A total of 1,500 seats have been reserved for Games participants (athletes, coaches, support staff) and VIPs who will fill roles during those two hours, which leaves 4,500 seats for the general public.
"It's going to be so cool," Gourley-Cramer said. "I can't give anything away, but the neat thing about it is, it ties in the Games with the sport and cultural piece but it has a real focus on Prince George and the region and what makes us unique. It's really magical and it engages local performers as well as national performers. Personally, I'm so excited to see it. It's also the end of the torch relay, which has gone all around the north. It's going to be incredible."
Sounds like a must-see event. But worth $113 to watch live and in person?
Guess we'll find out in a week.
