Revellers could be charged to attend this year’s Christmas lights extravaganza in Perth, it has emerged.
For the past five years, families have enjoyed free access to outdoor gigs featuring the likes of Alesha Dixon, Peter Andre and Billy Ocean.
The switch-on ceremony is the high point of the city’s burgeoning Winter Festival and regularly attracts crowds of around 80,000.
Perth and Kinross Council is considering introducing an admission fee, as part of a wider effort to generate more money from festival events.
The local authority has set an undisclosed financial income target for the event. Money could also be made through sponsorship.
Officials are also looking at ways to expand future shows, amid concerns it has become too successful for the city centre location.
Entry charges are also being considered for the city’s popular riverside Light Nights which, this year, attracted more than 50,000 people.
Executive director Barbara Renton was asked specifically about introducing an admission fee for the riverside trail at a meeting of the environment and infrastructure committee. A council spokeswoman further confirmed similar charges are being considered for the switch-on event and other council-run activities, not just the Winter Festival.
Ms Renton said: “There is a delicate balance in terms of maintaining the number of people and introducing a charge.
“It is also about considering government arrangements about how we can do that. We did look at putting out buckets and that sort of thing, but it actually got quite complicated.”
She said: “For next year, we also have a financial income target and we will have to look at how we can generate that income. We do have some proposals and we will bring that back to a future meeting.”
A council spokeswoman added: “Following the budget setting process, the council is looking at achieving income generation across the full range of the events it organises, not solely the Winter Festival.
“This would be both through sponsorship arrangements and options for paid access to activities.”
The committee heard the South and North Inches could be used at future switch-on events.
A report states: “The city centre is now at capacity in terms of visitor numbers at the peak of the event. As such, the event cannot grow much further.”
SNP councillor David Doogan said: “When we did this event for the first time, there was a fair bit of flack, but also no short measure of success from the outset.
“Officers continue to develop a remarkable series of events for a very modest budget.”
He questioned how future events could cope with bigger influxes of people. “As it grows, we will be naturally constrained by the physical built environment of Perth,” he said.
The committee also heard 18% of businesses which responded to a survey said the event had a negative effect on their trade. This was largely because of Christmas stalls outside their doors. There were also complaints that regular customers had difficulty getting parked close to the city centre.
However, there was overwhelming support for the event to return in 2018. Last year’s festival generate around £1.8 million for the local economy.
