JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. —Rogue Music Fest is coming to the valley this summer. Now we’re learning just how much an event of this magnitude will cost, and how that price tag could affect you.
“We’re getting ready to have 9 artists in the valley that we wouldn’t normally have all in one place,” said Helen Baker, Expo Director.
The operating budget for this summer’s Rogue Music Fest comes in at over $3 million according to Baker.
“Paying an artist to get here, all of the production that comes along with them, that stage the lights the screens all the way to the traffic teams everything costs money, everything is that much more,” said Baker.
The festival will run Friday and Saturday, June 16th and 17th. So far the Expo has announced Eric Church as the headliner Friday night with a second headliner yet to be announced for Saturday.
“A lot of people have asked us recently and are kinda giving us a hard time why we are expecting people to buy tickets with just Eric Church as a headliner and I will easily tell you why. Without a fully executed contract between us and the artist, we can’t start to pay them and we can’t announce till we pay them a deposit or the amount that’s in their contract,” said Baker.
Though Baker won’t divulge other potential performers, she’s clearly confident people will pay to see the show. Tickets for the event range from $200 up to $550 surprising some locals like Rob Underwood.
“I think the concern I have is I feel that the county completely priced themselves out of a market for even the local people,” said Underwood.
The Ruch resident says he’s all for the county trying to bring in some fun, but worries it will come at the expense of some locals. He’s also noticed other prices by the Expo will go up the weekend of Rogue Music Fest.
Jackson County Roads & Parks operates the Southern Oregon RV Park next door. Typically a campsite costs around $45 a night, the weekend of the concert, rates will be $175.
“We fund our parks program out of our Recreation Enterprise Fund which is paid for and funded through users fees, so we really have to try and act like a business as much as we can, and in a situation like this private businesses adjust their rates, so we’re adjusting ours accordingly as well,” said Steve Lambert, Jackson County Roads & Parks Director.
“If I would have done the RV park for around $500, plus two tickets at the regular rate that’s $700 for 2 days for my wife and I to go,” said Underwood.
While Underwood calls the event costly, it’s still not stopping him from attending the festival. But he tells us did draw the line at staying at the RV park.
Baker says ticket prices will increase as the festival gets closer. To learn more visit roguemusicfest.com
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