AIBU - children's ticket prices

[LassLassLass]

I know this isn't a new problem, but am I alone in being completely boggled by the prices of children's tickets for events/activities/attractions? Some examples - some Santa events cost well over £30 per child near me at Christmas. We're looking at planning a trip to London from the north later this year - it's £39.95 per child for the Warner Bros Harry Potter experience in London. My friend found out that it's £29.00 for Lego Land (£58 on the gate!). And it costs at least £20 to see Frozen in the West End.

There's apparently 4.3 million children in the UK living in poverty. Food bank use is through the roof. I grew up in poverty myself, so am very familiar with the free museums (in some areas) and events that children can attend. I am aware of the benefits of taking a picnic, looking for discount vouchers, taking public transport, and other tips and 'hacks' that can mean a cheaper day out. It just seems so wrong to charge such a high price for events, meaning some children will simply never have any chance of attending...AIBU?

It's really very simple. I'm saying that in a country where 30% of children are living in poverty, it is wrong (in my opinion) to charge such high prices for these 'products', as you call them.

How much would they have to reduce their prices, though, to enable all these children to attend? As somebody who runs children’s theatre has pointed out above - actors need to be paid, venues hired, costumes bought. It can’t be free - which is what it would have to be for the children of food bank users, surely? Or is it fine to leave them out?

I'm saying that in a country where 30% of children are living in poverty, it is wrong (in my opinion) to charge such high prices for these 'products', as you call them.

So who do you suggest subsides tickets for these things, the tax-payer?

@Ariela as I mentioned up thread those "BOGOF" deal on those tickets are nowhere near as good as they look. A family of 4 would only save £4 on their tickets to Legoland compared to buying them in advance at the regular cheaper price.

I do agree with you to some extent OP, but as far as theatres are concerned there are huge overheads to cover. I occasionally work with our local theatre. Despite using a lot of volunteers as ushers etc, just to cover costs it needs to charge a large amount to any organisation using it for every day that it is being used. Anyone using it for a show etc then has to cover that cost- which in the case of our small theatre means a ticket price of about £10 just to cover the use of the theatre. Obviously professional productions would then have staff costs, actors, licences to cover too so although theatre ticket prices seem steep I can see that many productions will not be making a huge amount of money.

I'm not saying I have any answers. I'm saying I think it's unfair. You're welcome to disagree.

Theatres if your savvy doesn't have to cost much as if your happy to sit in cheap seats it's ok and local theatres also can be reasonable but places like theme parks and Harry Potter can be extremely expensive and are IMO only for very special treats. Birthdays etc.

When mine were little we had a national trust membership so we could
Go to lots of places free and then expensive days out we're saved for birthdays.

It annoys me more that a small family gets charged more per person than a large family. Especially if it’s something seated where each person takes up the same amount of spaces.

What's your solution then OP? I don't think it's a huge surprise that having less money means you can't access everything others can. I always wanted to learn the violin, my parents couldn't afford for me to but my best friend did. I always enjoyed swimming but I could only do it at school, my best friend went to swimming club. We never went on holiday, not even to somewhere in this country but the majority of people did.

What are your suggestions for levelling the playing field so that all of these activities which are enjoyable and enhance future prospects are accessible to all?

There are plenty of cheaper things. your examples are the premium ones... Frozen is a professional West End show for example, not a "children's show". Its like saying holidays ate too expensive as Disney land Florid costs 10k for two weeks.

Smaller theatres out of London are cheaper. Smaller theme parks. Museums.

We can probably afford most of these these day outs, but we do it rarely, theme park once every few years, Harry Potter once (kids weren't that impressed, not worth it imo).
Never been to a big West End Show.
These are premium experiences, not cheap days out.

Children take up the same space as adults at the theatre or the cinema. Where an attraction is aimed at children, the price reflects the fact that a large portion of the revenue will need to come from child tickets.

I don’t really understand the presumption that everything should be cheaper for children.

I am with you OP.I think its very wrong too.Sadly many DC never get to taste these experiences .Food poverty is indeed very high here(UK) .However many people will be able to afford these luxuries .It seems that we have a very unequal society ATM. Daily Mail (sorry for link)! has an article featuring DC with wealthy families ,eating Gourmet Dinners FFS! Tone Deaf much? Shows do have production costs which are very high. Our local Theatre is very good and tickets are never more than around £20 for adults .

The west end has a specific kids week where prices are kinder on the budget -may help some people have that experience

Some pricing is mad. Our local theatre did a family ticket deal for the panto last year, but adults and children's tickets were otherwise the same price.

Local farm park is £16.95 for adults in the school holidays. Kids' price? £16.95! Why bother listing them separately?! You save a whole £1 if you're over 60. No family discounts.

It's always busy though, so they'll only change the pricing policy when the visitor numbers drop.

I was a child in the 60’s and we literally didn’t go anywhere. Lots of these places didn’t exist and we couldn’t afford the ones that did.
It honestly made no difference whatsoever to my childhood. We just played at home, down the park, or up the wood.
Your children will have years of life to do stuff and I’m not actually sure that going to these places will make them better more rounded people.

It's the same with most experiences at any age, not just for children.

I'd love to go on holiday to Barbados. Can't afford it, so we go to Tenerife.

Ideally id love a newer comfy car with working aircon that doesn't fall apart every few months. Can't afford one so I drive a banger.

It's supply and demand. People are paying the high prices, so vendors will charge that amount.

There should without doubt be free/reduced price activities for children from low income families.

but that doesn’t mean attractions need to cut costs. Many will be struggling after the last two years as it is. Going to these places isn’t compulsory and places have costs to cover themselves.

The really annoying one to me is holiday companies that charge adult prices to under 12s. Some places it’s even younger. It’s cheaper for the company as (the very small ones in particular) will eat less and definitely won’t be drinking booze. Then, to add insult to injury, they have ‘adult areas’ that these ‘adults’ can’t access. They’re either adults or they’re not 😤

I never understand threads like these. Some people have more money than others. That is the way the world works. If you have more money, you can afford to do things that people with less money can't. In the same way that some people can afford to dress their children in designer clothes while others survive on hand-me-downs.
It is an appalling state of affairs that so many children are living in poverty, families relying on foodbanks to eat. It is not appalling that not every child in the country can afford to go to see Frozen at the theatre or go to Legoland. Nobody needs to do those things - they are luxury events - along with holidays abroad, meals out in restaurants, access to the latest video games etc. All children have access to free entertainment (parks, museums, etc). Not all children have access to luxury entertainment.

But no one actually needs to go on these days out. The definition of a deprived childhood is not that the child didn't get to go to Harry Potter World / Alton Towers!
Of those sorts of attractions I think my DS only went to Legoland and that was only because we got cheap tickets through Clubcard vouchers. Days out for him meant museums (mostly free), trips to the seaside, country walks. Santa was free at the local garden centre (and the Santa Safari at a local tourist attraction used to sell out in days even back then - you'd need a 2nd mortgage to go now - but we didn't go. Could we have afforded to take him to these things - yes. But it's overmarketed, overhyped, expensive crap fraught with queues and the attempt to extract even more money from you once your in their clutches.

No child will come to harm by not experiencing these overpriced tourist attractions.

They charge that much because there are enough people who will pay that much. Things won't change until people stop attending those kind of events because they think it's necessary for a happy childhood.

If attractions were forced to lower prices then I suspect that the lowest paid employees would be the ones facing pay cuts which is also unacceptable.

I mean all children can’t have the chance to participate in everything always though. I can’t afford to take my kids to Disneyland because I can’t afford it. That’s it. Yes, many days out are too expensive. That’s why we do rare days out we save up for with lots of free days out to the beach, park etc.

Although having said that none of my kids have been to legoland/HP world. I think they’re overpriced compared to other days out. I have never been myself. If my kids feel they’re really missing out I would help them save their pocket money/gift money or they could attend when they’re older.

I just think with so many serious and real problems, not having the chance to participate in a visit to HP world is the bottom of my list.

It's not about agreeing or disagreeing, your premise makes no sense at all.

If 30% of children being in poverty means companies shouldn't charge what they do, then you want them to charge a small enough price for anyone to afford? Which is nothing. Some people can never afford these things at any price.

The logical end point of your premise is that instead of some kids not getting to go, NO kids eve get to go, because these companies won't exist anymore.

Good job.

I know Frozen is a professional West End performance. I know a trip to Lego Land isn't obligatory. I know that in many cases, smaller regional theatres aren't as expensive as the West End. I know that you can get discount vouchers on Cornflakes packets. I know many museums are free, and I'm very glad of it.

I was simply making the point that the pricing of these events is unaffordable for many, many children. Things like having access to theatre or galleries or historic attractions/museums is something that some children are able to take for granted, and can spur a lifelong interest/hobby, or provide inspiration for a career. The children who aren't able to go to these places as easily miss out. I don't have any answers, it's just an observation, and I wish more children could access things they would enjoy - that's all.