Charlottetown Tourism completely unaware of their mistake with FOL this year.

CBC just posted an article on their website about how this year’s annual Festival of Lights has only sold 5000 tickets this year.  For the last decade they have pretty much sold out without an issue.  This year they are completely dumbfounded on why the tickets haven’t sold.  They are blaming it on that there is a plethora of concerts in the maritimes this year, yeah that has something to do with it.  But it has more to do with the fact  that the lineup is absolutely garbage.  I mean it is perhaps the worse its ever been.  There are 8 bands, not one of them which I would even go to see if I could go hear for free (oddly enough the local band 2 Hours Traffic does a free concert every year here in Charlottetown), and add on top of that they raised ticket prices.

“This has been the worst year ever for the Festival of Lights,” said Antoinette Goeseels, sales manager of the Howard Johnson Hotel in Cornwall. “We’ve always been sold out, or pretty near being sold out. It’s never an issue, but this year, for some reason, it is.

Between the 30 people who complain about the loud noise downtown every year, the terrible choice in bands, and the planning committee seemingly unaware that the surrounding provinces landed the likes of AC/DC, Bon Jovi, KISS and Chickenfoot all within a month of FOL, they really dropped the ball this year.

To give you an example, I’m going to Rockfest in Halifax in 3 weeks to see Chickenfoot, Our Lady Peace, Sloan, and Finger 11… 2 of those bands played here last year.. hrm… wake up Charlottetown.  You lost this year badly, and stop whining and do something about it next year.

My tip next year if anyone is listening is this:

Make Canada day the family oriented day of concerts, and turn the FOL for young adults who will spend the money to come over.  Bring in bands the 18-30 year olds want to see, we are the ones with disposable incomes, little commitments and the time to attend.  Going after the tween crowd (See Marinias Trench, Theory of  Deadman) who have to rely on mom/dad to attend will not fill hotels.  Also get your lineup out there before Moncton can announced AC/DC and Bon Jovi in the SAME summer. cripes.