Add Category
Updated
This year's Hobart Carols By Candlelight event will be a paid-ticket, scaled-down, indoor affair with electric candles, organisers have announced.
ExitLeft Productions said the revamped Christmas carols event would be held at St David's Cathedral, where audience capacity would be about 650.
ExitLeft managing director Ian Williams said the company decided to hold a more "intimate" event after feedback following last year's event.
"We either had to go incredibly big or really bring it down to an intimate level and after looking around everywhere the cathedral turned out to be the perfect space," he said.
This year's carols will be several 70-minute performances, rolling across the weekend of December 9 and 10.
"This will give all of our audience members a chance to come along and celebrate Christmas with us at a time that's going to be convenient to them," Mr Williams said.
He said prices were still being worked out, but promised it would be affordable for families.
"All of the major carols events around the country have now had to become user pays and they have some very, very hefty ticket prices," Mr Williams said.
"We're going to be able to keep this to a reasonable ticket price.
"But of course remembering we're so lucky in southern Tasmania that there are so many free carols events that people can attend, there really will be something for everyone."
Mr Williams said charging an entrance fee would also help with demand.
"Being a paid event should hopefully slow down the speed that everybody purchases their tickets and sets it up so that everybody who wants to come along to this particular event ... we can make room and fit everybody in," he said.
This year's concerts will feature "some of Tasmania's leading performers plus national guest artists", ExitLeft said.
The company said ticket holders would "receive electric candles on arrival to create a magical candlelight experience".
In 2015, two free, council-backed carols concerts were held at St David's Park in Hobart, attracting about 5,000 people each night.
A week later, ExitLeft ran their one-night event at the Botanical Gardens, with admission prices ranging from $15 to $25, with children 12 and under free.
Council and ExitLeft joined forces in 2016, allowing the removal of the admission fee, but the event was marred by a ticketing fiasco which saw many people missing out on attending after 10,000 tickets were snapped up within minutes.
In March this year, Hobart City Council announced they were redirecting funds from ExitLeft's carols to smaller events, in part due to the public backlash following the 2016 ticket dramas.
Hobart Lord Mayor Sue Hickey said it was "sad" the free carols event in St David's Park were no longer.
"Generations of families have taken their blankets and sat in beautiful St David's Park and enjoyed the carols there," she said.
In March, Alderman Hickey voted against the council decision to pull financial backing for a large-scale event.
"Things do change and the aldermen decided that it was time for change and they wanted a more community focus," she said.
"I think it's very sad to have to pay to go to church, but I do understand that ExitLeft are a professional organisation and need to cover their costs."
Council will tonight consider approving more than $46,000 in funding for seven community-based carols events in Hobart.
Topics: carnivals-and-festivals, christianity, events, religion-and-beliefs, local-government, arts-and-entertainment, community-and-multicultural-festivals, hobart-7000
First posted