
St. Louis Amphitheatre Charging For Parking This Season
Fox2Now.com out of St. Louis reports guests going to a show at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in St. Louis this summer will now have to pay a parking fee. So, when heading to a show at one of our area's major outdoor venues, how much are you paying for parking?
The Fox2Now.com story says this season, attendees parking in the lots at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre will need to pay $20 to park. Parking was "free" in previous seasons or baked into the ticket price. Their story says many Live Nation-affiliated venues are starting to charge for parking this year.
The charge is new for St. Louis area music fans attending Hollywood Casino Amphitheater shows. Yet, I paid for parking when I saw Foreigner and Loverboy at Azura Amphitheater in Bonner Springs. I think it was $20 a car. So what's the latest on how much it costs to park at area outdoor concert venues?
Live Nation books many music shows at Starlight, so I checked them out first. According to Starlight's website, general parking is free and first come, first served. However, you can purchase premium parking for $30 before you arrive at the venue.
I know Azura Amphitheatre charges for parking because I paid for it last summer. According to their website, Azura's parking fees are $20 for general parking and $30 if you want what they call VIP Parking.
Ozarks Amphitheater in Camdenton includes parking in the price of the concert tickets, although preferred parking is available for $20 on their website or through Ticketmaster.
Finally, parking is free for Missouri State Fair shows and the Missouri State Fair. VIP public parking is $5, which goes to the Missouri State Fair Foundation. Of course, while parking is free, you must purchase a gate admission ticket and your concert ticket to enter the fairgrounds.
No one likes paying parking fees, and $20 seems like a lot when you see a sea of parking heading to a show, but that seems to be the norm. Yet, it's still better than some venues did in the late 80s or the early 90s.
For at least one year, the now-named Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre in the south suburbs of Chicago charged a parking fee on every ticket purchased. The cost may have been $5 or $10 per ticket, but it seemed wrong to charge a parking fee on every ticket when people go to shows in pairs or groups. Thank goodness they only did that for one season. A quick check shows that general parking there remains free this season.
The bottom line is that you should expect to pay for parking when you go to a show, but when you visit a venue like Starlight or Credit Union 1, enjoy the free parking. It doesn't come along very often in the world of concerts.
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