Here at UNCW, you are more than likely going to hear someone rave about the upcoming annual Beer & Wine Festival in October. The tickets range from $40- $75. This is a relatively decent price for college students to pay to drink unlimited beer and wine, but more often times than not festivals are expensive…think Bonnaroo or Firefly. With bills, student loans and other debt it can be hard for students to afford the ‘extras.’ Because of this, some students look for more affordable ways to attend festivals. Students can volunteer and attend the festivals for free admission. They can help sell artist CD’s, setting up tents, chairs and other items, or even being a door monitor for the event making sure all patrons are wearing the correct wristband. If you aren’t interested in being a volunteer, you can always turn to the internet to help you find cheaper tickets.
groupon.com
Groupon is a deal-of-the-day coupon service that has become widely popular in today’s consumer market. Groupon keeps its brand relevant by updating its electronic coupon offers every 24 hours, providing customers with recommendations for nearby businesses in addition to a 40 % to 60% discount upon purchasing the service. As many internet based start-ups like Scoutmob and LivingSocial prove, marketing services online allows a much wider potential consumer base to become more aware of what commodities are out there and more likely to invest in them. Groupon typically is associated with promoting restaurants and stores, but consumers can also turn to Groupon to get access to their festival of choice. Groupon offers discounted entry into a wide variety of festivals from culinary to cultural or holiday themed fests.
ststanspolishfestival.org
Groupon contributes to the commodification of festivals by providing a means of access for people outside of the culture and community, and more affordable prices for everyone. Festivals are becoming more of a commodity than a cultural event. For example, St. Stanislaus Roman Catholic Church in Castle Hayne, NC holds an annual Polish Festival in November. On their website, they claim to be “authentically” Polish, featuring food, beer and wine, dancers and music, and traditional Polish activities. However, the festival loses its cultural authenticity by harnessing Polish culture and turning it into the opportunity to create a consumer experience with the selling of cultural foods, activities and entertainment. Commodifying festivals can even instigate business partnerships such as the Annual Polish Festival teaming up with Front Street Brewery to make a special Polish beer made for the occasion. Commodities are goods that are bought and sold in a social system and a commodity culture is when those goods are central to cultural meaning. From a small farming community celebrating the harvest to Bonnaroo, festival’s are a way to promote cultural goods.
ststanspolishfestival.org
http://www.ststanspolishfestival.org/
http://www.lighthousebeerandwine.com/about-beer-festival/
- Aki Suzuki, Alexis Trimnal, Carey Poniewaz, Carey Shetterley, and June Wilkinson
IMC Hawks Blog 
Festivals are ridiculously expensive! For my sister’s 21st birthday I helped throw in money for her to go to Chicago to attend Bonnaroo and her ticket was over 400 dollars not including travel money, hotel and food. I do know of some students from UNCW who volunteered at some of the various festivals and said it was definitely worth it to attend free of charge.
I’m really glad that I read this before I planned my trip! My friends and I are planning to do something for spring break, but we thought our options were limited because we’re poor college students. Before reading this, I did not know much about Groupon. Now, looking at Groupon may be a great idea to plan a trip!
Very insightful article! As a broke college student who loves beer and music this is an interesting article for me to read about. I had no idea that groupon ranged to festivals and not just restaurants and grocery stores. I also think it is interesting how their are different ways to get into the festival such as volunteering or helping out artists to sell their CDs.
This article is really helpful for me! I go to a lot of concerts and festivals and will definitaly be using Groupon for all the extra things I look to buy but are slightly too expensive!
Festivals are becoming somewhat of a norm among college students. Groupon does contribute to being able to find a product or service for significantly reduced price. Recently groupon has expanded their events section to include more concerts, vacations, and as the article says, festivals. I completely agree when you say they are contributing to the commodification of festivals.
This is a very interesting connection between festivals and their backgrounds. I did not realize it was so expensive to go to Beer Fest.
I think it’s great that Wilmington offers such a variety festivals although it is at the expense of authenticity. Regardless of ticket prices, the public (UNCW students included) will find a way to attend these events. They produce great revenue and generate a lot of publicity for the city.
I have actually heard of Groupon but I have never really used it. Recently however I did look up to see if there was anything for the Wilmington Beer and wine festival but Groupon does not offer a lot for the Wilmington area. However it is useful when looking for trips to plan with friends. They offer great group deals which for college students, makes it a lot easier to travel!