YLE has revealed the Hartwall Arena seating plan for the next Eurovision Song Contest in Helsinki. According to viisukuppila.fi, fans are outraged by the fact they will have to buy the two packages, with tickets to 8 different events just to get good seats to the Semi Final and Final.
The seats marked in purple will be sold via fan clubs all over Europe at a discounted price. Both packages will cost €425 for fans and €680 for the general public. Last year in Athens, fans paid as little as €250 for both events, and the general public paid €450. Click here to view the seating plan.
The seats marked in pink are the ones that will be sold in full packages as follows:
The Semi-Final package (€ 290) which contains tickets to: Semi-Final 2nd Dress Rehearsal, Wednesday, 9thMay at 9 pm, Semi-Final, Thursday 10th May at 10 pm, Final 1st Dress Rehearsal, Friday 11th May at 2 pm and Final 3rd Dress Rehearsal, Saturday 12th May at 2 pm.
The Final package (€ 390), which contains tickets to: Semi-Final 1st Dress Rehearsal, Wednesday 9th May at 2 pm, Semi-Final 3rd Dress Rehearsal, Thursday 10th May at 2 pm. Final 2nd Dress Rehearsal, Friday 11th May at 9 pm and Final, Saturday 12thMayat 10 pm.
Anyone wishing to attend both the Semi-Final and the Final from these seats will end up with tickets to eight events in total, and although individual show prices are lower than Athens the front seat packages make them much more expensive. YLE have decided to go for the package option in an effort to sell more tickets for the dress rehearsals, which are traditionally less attended. In the past many of the rehearsal tickets were given gratis to the accredited members of the press.
Tickets for seats marked in green belong to the second category and they will be sold separately. The same applies to seats marked in blue which offer restricted view of the stage and are naturally cheaper. The cost for those is as follows:
Event 1 Semi-Final 1st Dress Rehearsal, Wednesday 9th May at 2 pm €10
Event 2 Semi-Final 2nd Dress Rehearsal, Wednesday 9thMay at 9 pm€20
Event 3 Semi-Final 3 rd Dress Rehearsal, Thursday 10th Mayat 2 pm €20
Event 4 Semi-Final, Thursday 10thMayat 1pm €90
Event 5 Final 1st Dress Rehearsal, Friday 11th May at 2 pm €50
Event 6 Final 2nd Dress Rehearsal, Friday 11thMayat 9 pm €70
Event 7 Final 3rd Dress Rehearsal, Saturday 12thMay at 2 pm €70
Event 8 Final, Saturday12th May at 10 pm €195
