Price cut pays off for Norway’s PiPFest

Norway’s Piknik i Parken (Picnic in the Park) is on course to sell out this year after promoter Peer Osmundsvaag’s ticket price gamble paid off.

Better known as PiPFest, the 12,000-cap event returns to Oslo’s Sofienberg Park from 12-14 June, headlined by Faithless and Aurora.

Osmundsvaag, who launched the inner-city festival in 2014, cut ticket prices by 20% for this year’s edition. A full festival pass costs 1,765 kroner (€149), with day tickets available from 895 kroner (€76). The rates will be in place until a price increase on 1 May.

“It’s selling better than ever, so it seems like the price recalibration, as I call it, has really worked out,” the Atomic Soul Booking founder tells IQ. “People have responded well, which has led to sales almost doubling and also enabled me to take my foot off the throttle when it comes to [booking] massive international headliners.”

Osmundsvaag, who was a founding partner of Nordics powerhouse All Things Live and now heads up AEG Presents’ new Oslo office, says he settled on the ticket price after consulting pricing optimisation and market intelligence specialist PriceAgent.

“I was thinking, ‘Hang on a minute, I’m setting these prices because I’m taking what I charged last year and increasing it a little bit. But is that the right policy? Am I actually speaking to my audience here? What can they afford?'” he explains. “So I went to PriceAgent, which came back to me and said, ‘If you keep your ticket price under [a certain price], you are going to make the most amount of money.

“I feel it’s important to set the right price in the first place – not too high – and to not have any discounts at all as it isn’t good for people to think they can get tickets cheaper later on.”

“I’m probably 20 years older than my core audience, so it was good to recalibrate”

A 50/50 gender balance has been achieved on the 2025 lineup, which features the likes of Susanne Sundfor, Maribou State, Leftfield, Marstein, Ary, ULD and Casiokids. The festival is also adding a new stage at an old decommissioned church on the site.

“I’ve actually doubled the sales, which brings in F&B, so if you’re lowering the price by 20%, it’s really only 10%,” says Osmundsvaag. “And because the sales are storming along, I don’t need that headliner from the States; I’ve got Leftfield and Maribou State, plus a lot more domestic acts, and that seems to have connected well.”

He adds: “I think it was a healthy thing to do: to have the courage to budget the other way around and go, ‘Who is my audience and what can they afford? What will persuade them to make an impulse purchase instead of having to wait until their wages come in, or have a chat with their partner, or any of the other processes you have to go through if you feel it’s a little bit expensive?

“I’m probably 20 years older than my core audience so it was good to recalibrate, and it’s good to see the plan coming together and PiPFest selling out.”

PiPFest 2024 was headed by Stormzy, Massive Attack, Tom Odell and L’Impératrice. Past acts have included The 1975, Alt-J, Jamie xx, Jungle, New Order, Grace Jones, The Specials and Solange.

The festival team was also recently honoured with the Golden Pencil award for best design profile by Norway’s Kreativ Forum. The award celebrates the Norwegian advertising industry.

Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.

Read More Like This

News|14 Feb 2025

UK stadium gig rush reignites ticket price debate

Fans across the UK rushed to grab tickets for major stadium tours from Beyoncé, Black Sabbath and Kendrick Lamar with premium price tags

News|28 Nov 2024

Northern Might: Norway Market Report – Part 2

In the concluding part of our market focus, IQ explores the contemporary Norwegian live music sector's festivals and venues

News|24 Feb 2025

AEG hires Peer Osmundsvaag to run Norway office

The veteran promoter was a founding partner of Nordic entertainment giant All Things Live prior to going independent last year