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After more than 20 summers of general parking being included with the purchase of concert tickets, Ruoff Music Center will charge $20 per vehicle for parking at the Noblesville amphitheater in 2025.
The new policy is outlined in a “know before you go” section of a website maintained by the venue’s owner, Los Angeles-based concert company Live Nation:
“If you plan to park at the venue, you will need to purchase one parking pass per vehicle. Parking options start at $20 per vehicle for general parking if purchased online in advance. Parking passes starting at $25 can also be purchased with a credit card on the day of the show.”
The 24,000-capacity venue hasn’t charged a general parking fee per vehicle since 2002, when the rate was $7. Beginning in 2003, a general parking fee of $2.75 was included in each concert ticket.
When the policy changed between the 2002 and 2003 seasons, the primary reason cited by venue management was to reduce traffic bottlenecks caused by the collection of per-vehicle fees at entrance gates.
A spokesperson representing Ruoff Music Center told IBJ that attendees are encouraged to purchase their parking pass before arriving at the venue.
“Fans can also use a ride-sharing service to come to the show,” the spokesperson said.
At 2025 concerts headlined by Rod Stewart on Aug. 9 and Thomas Rhett on June 14, other parking options include $65 for premier parking, $99 for VIP parking and $200 for limousines and oversized vehicles.
For comparison’s sake, the Virginia Avenue Garage that’s attached to Gainbridge Fieldhouse by a skywalk charges $20 per vehicle.
Event parking at the Indiana State Fairgrounds is $10 per vehicle.
There is no fee to use the parking garage on the campus of the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, and general parking for Symphony on the Prairie concerts at Conner Prairie in Fishers is free.
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Is it true that they aren’t going to allow personal lawn chairs in 2025?
Yes, they also are prohibiting outside lawn chairs for the first time, requiring people to pay to rent them, and last summer they significantly increased concession prices midseason. Live Nation is apparently thumbing their nose at antitrust concerns and their own regular customers. Many of us will be visiting much less in 2025, perhaps not at all.
I can assure you it won’t impact attendance, but go on.
Just add the cost to the ticket and keep it “free parking”. That way you don’t feel like you’re getting gouged, even though you are.
But this way, they can make more money off the people who purchased the season Lawn Pass.
Seems like a secondary goal is to reduce the amount of traffic congestion – imposing a fee per vehicle is more effective than a per ticket fee which doesn’t discourage people from coming just 2 to a car.
Outrageous…Boycott. Who really needs that? Not like they’re not price gauging in other areas to make up for profit margins.
Start supporting local music venues more like Hi-Fi and their soon to be built Annex. Live Nation continues to be a greedy company who gets you coming, going, and back again. Ticket fees, processing fees, venue fee, parking fees, overpriced food and drink, and over priced alcoholic beverages. I don’t mind a company making a couple bucks off me but don’t take advantage of me and they are taking advantage at every corner they can find.
+1
They don’t even offer the same quality of product lol.
Sure that the artists are getting most of that….
That’s funny!
I wonder if they will drop the outrageous prices on the beverages. The next thing you know, they will open the doors earlier to get their pound on beverages but prohibit tailgating in the parking lot.
The new ERA of MAGA Corporate GREED with no regulatory constraints is upon us .
LOL. There is no such thing as “greed”. Businesses are in place to maximize revenue and profits for their stakeholders
As your fellow Democrat, Joe B points out, Live Nation has been a monopoly for 30-40 years with no consequences, through multiple R and D administrations, but please continue with your rant about an election 2 weeks ago where you didn’t like the outcomes
IBJ, you need Charles on staff.
Chuck +1
Pretty simple decision…..stay home and don’t pay their asking prices nor acquiesce to the new customer unfriendly policies, OR…..attend the concerts of choice and pay to play in their sandbox. If attendance starts dropping they may reconsider their decisions, but otherwise the pricing/policies are here to stay. Corporate Economics 101……
+1.
Ticketmaster and LiveNation has been a monopoly for decades. No one is going to do anything about it.
I hate it when Joe B is correct
But Chuck, I’m right all the time!
As I recall, the reason they did away with the parking fee 20 years ago was because it was unwieldy to collect and made a horrible traffic problem worse. I’m not sure how that will be solved today
Is it outrageous? Yes. Will it affect attendance? Highly doubtful. Does Live Nation or the acts care that you’re mad? LOL. Please..
You know who might care? The venue title sponsor
Call your local Ruoff office and ask them if there is a $100 fee to apply for a mortgage and then tell them they will never see your business because of their role in this. I doubt Ruoff cares either, but you will feel better
Yeah, I wondered what Ruoff Mortgage thinks about all this. They paid good money to associate their name with something positive, and now at least temporarily, “Ruoff” is a bad word in some circles. Unfortunate for them; seems like the value of their investment has been diminished at least a little. I doubt they’ll get a refund.
Considering the very large portion of the populace still calls the place Deer Creek and the other benefits Ruoff likely gets (you think they have to deal with Ticketmaster when they want to see a show, or they get stuck in traffic?), I doubt they will much care.
The eventual fate of the place is yet another housing development. Hopefully the downtown soccer stadium becomes the replacement for bigger concerts because it’s more centrally located.
That’s the beauty of America. You can just say no.
That’s why you see foot paths around Ruoff because people are already parking further away in nearby business lots and walking in to avoid the congestion.
I imagine this will lead to more people illegally parking in nearby lots and going back to an empty spot when their vehicle gets towed.
I would have to agree that the lawn pass holders are the key “target” of this policy change. That along with twisting your arm to rent a lawn chair increases the burden on them.
A first pass rough guestimate I came up with is that they will triple their parking revenue. That was presuming they would remove the $2.75 per ticket for parking. (Not likely to happen.) So being sneaking and keeping the $2.75 per ticket and adding $20 per car might quadruple their parking revenue.