Mahaffey No Longer to Charge Ticketing Fees

Beginning Feb. 1, music and entertainment fans will no longer be paying a "ticking surcharge" when purchasing tickets to events at the Mahaffey Theater.

The price you see on the ticket is what you will pay. 

Bill Edwards, owner of the Mahaffey, announced the significant change Thursday that he made the decision to eliminate all ticketing fees. The no fee policy is applicable to tickets purchased directly from the Mahaffey via phone, online or at the box office. Fees will vary for second-party ticket vendors, such as Ticketmaster. 

"At the Mahaffey Theater, there will be no added ticketing charges," said Bill
Edwards, CEO of Big3 Entertainment in a news release. "I subscribe to truth in advertising and full disclosure. The advertised price should be what the community pays."

According to the Mahaffey, it is the first performing arts center in the Tampa Bay area to adopt the "No Ticketing Surcharge" policy. The universal standard in the live event industry, Edwards said, is to apply additional fees, such as processing, handling, convenience and mailing fees on top of the advertised price of an event ticket.

 Edwards and Big3 Entertainment has operated the Mahaffey Theater for the City of St. Petersburg since Sept. 1, 2011. During the past 16 months, Edwards and his senior management have reviewed the ticket-purchasing patterns and listened to community feedback on programming and ticket pricing.

"We value our St. Petersburg community and strive to make quality live entertainment and the performing arts more accessible and affordable," Edwards said in the news release. 

As of Feb. 1, the advertised price is the final price the consumer pays when purchasing a ticket directly from The Mahaffey Theater.

Tickets for Mahaffey Theater events may be purchased online at TheMahaffey.com, or charged by phone at 727-893-7832.  Tickets may also be purchased at the Mahaffey Theater Box Office.