Yesterday the hubby and I had to make an obligatory visit to his family in the West, remembering that Boxing Day was the day that the much sought after Diamond Vale Breakfast Party tickets quietly began selling I decided to track them down. Now, I must say I have NEVER been to the Vale fete, though I have heard much about it. Everyone swears it is supposed to be THE best Breakfast party on Carnival Saturday/wee hours of Carnival Sunday yet I have chosen in the past to go to Insomnia and recently Dawn.
For 2008 I had decided to give this Breakfast Party a try and upon questioning friends who have been before to find out why tickets were SO hard to come by, what made this fete so special I was told it was all about the vibe and the people since there were no live bands. To tell you the truth, any fete where I have to track down tickets like a hunting dog on the trail of a rabid hare, leaves me with a somewhat acrid taste in my mouth. So it was more curiosity that led me to "the house" last evening.
With several calls to the person who knew a person to get directions we eventually found "the house", rang the bell.. waited and waited and waited some more before I got a bit tired of standing in the streets hoping for someone to come down and bestow tickets on me and left!! Another call from my friend as we made our way home and I was told that HER friend just left "the house" and was able to score tickets at $400.00!! Dammit!! Once again my lack of patience did me in. I should add that the friend also waited at the gate and was only attended to when OTHER people showed up, possibly persons who were expected, so she was lucky!
So, news reaching me today is that it was probably a good thing that I did not wait for those precious tickets since another "newbie" also made their way to "the house" yesterday for tickets and was given the "Spanish Inquisition!". The persons with the golden ticket wanted to know who newbie was, how did newbie hear about the party AND wrote her name with contact information down in a book! At that time tickets were reportedly close to sold out as well, so you would think that all the interrogation was not necessary. Listen, between you and me I am NOT jumping through hoops for any party, I am sorry. And, I have been told that every year that with this particular fete it is the same drama to get tickets.
I for one would not have succumbed to the interrogation especially since no one is doing me a favour by selling me tickets! Seriously, isn't the fact that I am willing to get out of my house on BOXING DAY no less and pay the ridiculous price of $400.00 enough, now you want to know who I am and how I heard about the party before you decide to sell me tickets? Sorry to say the Vale fete will not be seeing me next year and I already have an alternative fete in mind. That fete at least has live bands and is all-inclusive for roughly $50.00 more than the price of the Vale tickets and I do not have to buy a ticket more than a month in advance either!
Hopefully those of you who must go to this fete have gotten your tickets already as I am sure by now they are sold out! As for me, the little adventure was an experience and though I do not have tickets in hand, I learned a little bit more about the dynamics of this whole Carnival hype, what draws people to some fetes more than others and even discovered something about myself; I realised that I was and never will be a Carnival masochist!
For 2008 I had decided to give this Breakfast Party a try and upon questioning friends who have been before to find out why tickets were SO hard to come by, what made this fete so special I was told it was all about the vibe and the people since there were no live bands. To tell you the truth, any fete where I have to track down tickets like a hunting dog on the trail of a rabid hare, leaves me with a somewhat acrid taste in my mouth. So it was more curiosity that led me to "the house" last evening.
With several calls to the person who knew a person to get directions we eventually found "the house", rang the bell.. waited and waited and waited some more before I got a bit tired of standing in the streets hoping for someone to come down and bestow tickets on me and left!! Another call from my friend as we made our way home and I was told that HER friend just left "the house" and was able to score tickets at $400.00!! Dammit!! Once again my lack of patience did me in. I should add that the friend also waited at the gate and was only attended to when OTHER people showed up, possibly persons who were expected, so she was lucky!
So, news reaching me today is that it was probably a good thing that I did not wait for those precious tickets since another "newbie" also made their way to "the house" yesterday for tickets and was given the "Spanish Inquisition!". The persons with the golden ticket wanted to know who newbie was, how did newbie hear about the party AND wrote her name with contact information down in a book! At that time tickets were reportedly close to sold out as well, so you would think that all the interrogation was not necessary. Listen, between you and me I am NOT jumping through hoops for any party, I am sorry. And, I have been told that every year that with this particular fete it is the same drama to get tickets.
I for one would not have succumbed to the interrogation especially since no one is doing me a favour by selling me tickets! Seriously, isn't the fact that I am willing to get out of my house on BOXING DAY no less and pay the ridiculous price of $400.00 enough, now you want to know who I am and how I heard about the party before you decide to sell me tickets? Sorry to say the Vale fete will not be seeing me next year and I already have an alternative fete in mind. That fete at least has live bands and is all-inclusive for roughly $50.00 more than the price of the Vale tickets and I do not have to buy a ticket more than a month in advance either!
Hopefully those of you who must go to this fete have gotten your tickets already as I am sure by now they are sold out! As for me, the little adventure was an experience and though I do not have tickets in hand, I learned a little bit more about the dynamics of this whole Carnival hype, what draws people to some fetes more than others and even discovered something about myself; I realised that I was and never will be a Carnival masochist!
16 comments:
*LONG WATERY STEUPS*
Interrogation yuh say yuh know?!?!
Madness.
i hear you saucy...i'll be the first to admit that i've went to the vale breakfast party for as long as i could remember, but within recent years and coupled witht he fact that i live abroad, getting tickets has been a challenge. this year i was able to get tickets by the skin of my a**, and i promised myself that it was gonna be the last time.
with that said, i will be going to sunnyside up - i've never been but i've heard from friends and others that it's a great party with live entertainment, so i'm definitely looking forward to it!!
wow, that really goes beyond eltist bullsh*t. Really, it's embarassing to hear people behaving this way. steups.
good for you sauce xx
So de ting does go sometimes, oui! The Carnival plot thickens!
lol saucy you make me laugh one long ting to get a fete ticket geeze i gonna stick with INSOMNIA never let me down!!!! i wanna get soak down again............
Boy oh boy..all this hoop la for tickets.
Saucy, I agree with your post 110%,them not buying tickets for me it is my own money and we have to go through that sh!t, pleaseeeee.
D'vale all the frustration you causing to your regulars and potential visitors is not looking good for your committee. There are many other options out there for us, for a cheaper price, less headache and priceless memories.
Wow...Talk about weeding out the undesireables. Because we know for sure it's not about the money since people rushing to pay for the tickets. Sad thing is some people will want to go so badly that they would subject themselves to that treatment. Rediculous!!
Here is a funny story. Last year I accompanied my friend to pick up some vale tickets at "the house". Upon arrival "they" had us waiting in the yard before summoning us to enter "their kingdom". Upon making it almost to the "pearly gates" of "their kingdom" we were told to go back that "they" were not ready. Well I am not big on any fete and I have never attended this fete. The only reason I was putting up with the madness was because my friend REALLY wanted to attend the Vale fete. Anyhow, once summons to enter we walked into the living room which was full of men everywhere. Some sitting with legs outstretched others just leaning against whatever object was close by with drinks in hand. After we stepped over the legs of the men that were sitting on the floor (they didn’t even have manners enough to pull their legs up) we entered into the dining room ONLY for my friend to be interrogated as to how she knew about the fete, what’s her name and number, is she on the LIST, etc… At this point I am so angry that I could cuss like a sailor because no damn fete is worth this kind of treatment. Anyhow, upon exiting, one of the many men that were lazing around said to us “come by yourselves – don’t bring any men”…and that my dears was my FIRST impression of the Vale fete. I give my ticket away and to this day I will NEVER give them my money.
gtwarrior you had the same experience girl! LOL well yes, is real dramas to go to that fete so SSU will be seeing me in 2008 :)
Well yesterday I was subject to an interrogation of sorts. Apparently not being sold tickets by one of the committee members in the past made me an 'almost' undesireable. But the lady 'graciously' sold me the two tickets I was asking for. Because of course I wasn't asking for 20 like their 'usual' crowd. Who by the way would probably scalp them and make a tidy profit off of their dumb asses!! But I digress.
Anyway, I paid my money but it really irked me. This of course is after going with another friend last year who was told to "come back the next day". ( my how we forget) Then to find out today that another newbie got 10 tickets with no questions asked! I doh know maybe she didn't like the look of me. After yesterday, the incident left a pretty sour taste in my mouth.
I am one of those people that think that her money is worth just as much as the next person's and although I can be a bit of an elitist THIS is just some unadulterated BULL SHIT!!!
They don't have to pay for venue, except to buy some damn chain link and bar up the area. They barely really have an all-inclusive since it's the regular fare of doubles, aloo pie, and some bake and stuff and oh! the poor lil jerk chicken man who is ridiculously overworked by the time 8 o'clock comes round! And then all they have is a DJ. Not worth $400 when other all inclusive fetes give you waaaaay more for your money. I am a believer in customer service, and I would much prefer to spend my money in an unknown place than in a place where I KNOW the ppl done been stink to me!!
Sunny side up, is looking like such a place at the moment! And both of them equally close to my home.
STEEEEUUUUPS!!!!
I can't say that I've had any of the experiences expressed above. As a matter of fact I often send my cousin to purchase my tix and he doesn't look the part of a Vale patron (mainly because of his age) and he's back home in 15mins flat.
The $100 increase in the price of the fete has me a little concerned though. Esp since I can attend SunnySide up for free.
It's all about supply and demand folks, if people didn't have the fete down as a must attend event the perceived elitist attitudes would not even be a topic for discussion. I'm certainly not condoning it. Its no different to the invisible "guest list" at 51 Degrees.
lol....Socaholic yuh hit it on d head.......I fully understand why promoters use certain strategies in order to keep d hooligans and ruffians out of their events.......but that invisible "guest" list is nutti more dan pure discrimination.
Yuh know...I was "lucky enough" to get tickets for the first time this year but just reading these experiences is giving me a very bad disposition about this fete and the organizers.
Hmmm...just a quick point of information for the fellow bloggers. I just received official word that this event is now completely sold out.
Trust me it isn't. lol
Yes it actually is sold out...and interms of the "list" it is not for any sort of discrimation it is there to ensure the usual patrons are supplied with tickets and to control numbers since there are so few tickets. The fact is not everyone is not going to like the idea but it has been in use for 13 years now...For those who didnt get tickets very sorry but there is no need for all the animosity.That invisible list at 51 you refer to is on a different level! now that is discrimination but say what...c'est la vie!
There are inconsistencies about ticket sales in terms of who gets every year but it's notmeant to insult anyone...If this blog leaves a sour taste as well hard luck just trying to help!!
Post a Comment