Ticket booking fees for live shows to rise by 3%

An additional 3% charge is set to be introduced on tickets for live performances at a major government-owned entertainment complex.

From 10 January to booking fee will rise to 5% for tickets for events at the Isle of Man’s Gaiety Theatre and Villa Marina.

The Douglas complex's managers said the money would go towards a new VillaGaiety Development Fund to support "improvement of the venues long-term”.

The current 2% fee covers the costs of hosting the booking system, Ticketsolve, and has been included in ticket prices since 2013.

The planned 5% fee would still incorporate those admin costs, which had previously been shown as part of the face value of the ticket price, but would be shown separately from the ticket price.

The new fee will only apply to events that include live performances and ticketed experiences, not to the Broadway Cinema or Dragon's Castle.

VillaGaiety, which is a complex owned and operated by the government’s Department of Education, Sport and Culture, said the development fund would be made up entirely by the 3% contributions from the new format of booking fee.

Improvement works planned include refurbishing the public seating in the Villa Marina gallery and foyer and hospitality areas across the venues, and a rolling scheme of replacement of sound and lighting equipment.

Managers said the fund had been created following “substantial research into the wider arts and entertainment sector" on on how similar live performance venues managed the "ongoing costs of sustaining and developing their venues".

A short annual report would would be created to outline how the funds had been used to enhance transparency, they added.

Why not follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook, and X? You can also send story ideas to [email protected]