With South Africa having been under lockdown for the last two years and some change, live events have become something that have either moved online or have evaporated completely.
One event that seems to have stood the test of the pandemic and lockdown is rAge which announced that it will be returning in 2022, albeit toward the end of the year.
It’s been a hot minute, but we’re back baby! 😎💪
🎮#rAgeExpo2022
🗓️ 9-11 December 2022
🏟️Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand, GautengPhase 1 tickets are on sale now: https://t.co/9qKQA2cAnE
See you all then. WE. CAN’T. WAIT.#excite #20yearsofawesome pic.twitter.com/MlNse9Yhfb
— rAge Expo (@rAgeExpo) April 16, 2022
What’s this about Phase 1 tickets though?
Well, it seems that the organisers at rAge have decided that they will offer tickets for sale over three blocks of time with prices getting higher the longer you wait.
The first phase is active right now until 31st May, the second phase runs from 1st June to 20th October and the final phase is from 21st October to the date of the show on 9th December.
Day pass ticket
- Phase 1 – R160
- Phase 2 – R175
- Phase 3 – R190
Weekend ticket
- Phase 1 – R360
- Phase 2 – R390
- Phase 3 – R570
The leap in price from Phase 2 to Phase 3 tickets for the weekend is extreme and we have asked the organisers why tickets are being offered in this manner. We understand that events like this cost a lot of money to organise, but adding R180 to the price seems like a leap to us.
Also of concern is the seemingly two different refund policies at play here.
While the Howler page that rAge is using states that refunds will be given, a refund fee will be charged, the rAge website states that no refunds will be given except in the event that government restrictions force a cancellation.
“No cancellations, refunds of unused tickets, changes, reprints or unpaid reservations can be made. Bookings are final and tickets are treated as cash,” reads an FAQ about refunds on the rAge website.
Rather confusing but we’ve asked the organisers to clear this up for us.
As for what to expect, the organisers have shared a list of activities and experiences happening over the event and there’s not much to say other than – it will be rAge. Whether that’s a good or bad thing comes down to personal preference.
We’re hopeful that more information will be shared with attendees in due course. With Comic Con Africa 2022 happening in September and now rAge slated for December, we’re glad to see geeky events have survived the pandemic.
Update – comment from rAge organisers
We asked rAge organisers why a tiered approach was being used and project director for the event, Michael James writes, “The price of a ticket to rAge 2022 is R190.00 at the door for single entry per day over the event weekend – please just note that this price is currently in line with other events in South Africa and is a little cheaper than some.”
“What we’ve done with the tiering system on Howler is to offer a limited number of tickets at a discounted rate if you book early in phase one and phase two. Phase one ticket prices are exactly the same price as they were in 2019. Selling tickets early like this helps us to plan for the venue (capacity) and other components of the event should COVID restrictions still need to be considered in December 2022,” adds James.
As for the peculiarity of the two refund policies, James tells us that this is simply due to a delay in updating Howler brought about by the long weekend and loadshedding. We’re told that Howler’s refund policy isn’t applicable and the statement above from rAge’s organisers regarding cancellations is correct
