Kent State’s annual Yuletide Feast is no longer annual

Katie Fickle

After nearly 40 years of tradition, Kent State’s annual Yuletide Feast will not be annual anymore.

Due to the decrease in ticket sales over the past few years, the Kent Chorale decided to hold Carols and Confections in hopes that more people will buy Yuletide Feast tickets next year when it’s offered.

“Maybe if we do something completely different — perhaps by the event being gone — attendance will pick up,” said Scott MacPherson, director of chorale activities.

Carols and Confections

Where: Cartwright Hall

When: Sat. Dec. 3 at 2 p.m.

Ticket Prices:

Adults: $12; Senior Citizens: $10

Students under 18 and Kent State students with student ID $5

MacPherson said Yuletide Feast ticket prices were $45, which he said may have led to the decrease in ticket sales in this economy.

“It’s about the economics right now,” MacPherson said. “We need to do something more cost-effective but still do something like the Yuletide Feast.”

Carols and Confections’ tickets will cost no more than $12.

“We don’t want to make a profit, but we have to be able to break even, and it costs a lot of money to put on a Yuletide Feast,” MacPherson said.

Currently the plan is to alternate the two events.

Carols and Confections is similar to the Yuletide Feast, but instead of a theatrical performance and a full dinner, there will be a concert with seasonal music and a reception of desserts after, said Effie Tsengas, marketing and public relations director of the College of the Arts.

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Although the event is similar, it’s not the same annual event the community is used to attending. Tsengas said she hopes to still bring a large crowd to Cartwright Hall, which seats 800 people.

“We are hoping that by making it more affordable, the same amount of people will attend, if not more,” Tsengas said.

Contact Katie Fickle at [email protected].