Museums, theaters increase ticket prices
The beginning of the new year brought with it increases in ticket prices in some cultural institutions. Prices were adjusted mostly at museums, but also at some theaters as well. Bigger movie theaters, however, did not change their ticket prices.
The Art Museum of Estonia increased ticket prices at all five of its branches. The biggest increase, of two euros, was at Kumu Art Museum, where a full-priced ticket now costs eight euros. The museum continues to offer a variety of discounts, however, including the popular One-Euro Wednesdays, reported ETV news broadcast "Aktuaalne kaamera."
"We depend upon the economic environment and prices around us," said Art Museum of Estonia director Sirje Helme. "All museums — I believe all — receive operating grants from the state, but these do not cover all of our operations, especially content production. In our case, all exhibits, printed publications, lectures and so on are paid for out of our own revenue. Unfortunately, the biggest percent of our revenue is ticket revenue."
Some theaters also increased their ticket prices by one euro beginning Jan. 1, evening out ticket prices across the country’s various theaters. For example, the most expensive ticket at Viljandi’s Ugala Theatre now costs 16 euros and the best seat in the house at the Estonian Drama Theatre in Tallinn costs 19 euros. Tallinn, for example, tickets to dramas have climbed toward 20 euros.
Theatre NO99, however, adjusted their ticket prices at the beginning of the current season already. "Ticket prices at Theatre NO99 will not increase in January," said theater CEO Paul Aguraiuja. "We increased ticket prices a while ago, but before that we had offered the same prices for six years, so at the beginning of the season we increased ticket prices by two euros." He added that tickets can still be purchased at the old 2011 prices online upon registration.
In 2015, Estonian theaters earned a total of just over ten million euros in ticket revenue on all of its performances, making up approximately one fifth of the theaters’ gross earnings.
Editor: Editor: Aili Vahtla