Ticket-selling platform Ticketmaster has been unveiled as the effigy for a Kent town’s Bonfire Night following the reaction to dynamic pricing that caught out fans who wanted tickets for the upcoming Oasis tour.
Liam and Noel Gallagher are also depicted as puppets on the 11-metre effigy for Edenbridge Bonfire Society because of their shows bringing the issue to light, said the committee, which also wished them a “very successful tour”.
Poking fun at the corporate giant comes as a change from last year’s effigy of London Mayor Sadiq Khan over his “unpopular decision” to extend the capital’s charge for polluting vehicles, as well as other politicians previously targeted including Liz Truss and Donald Trump.
Other possible contenders for this year’s effigy due to be burned at the town’s bonfire celebrations on Saturday included Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, as well as US rapper P Diddy (Sean “Diddy” Combs), who faces charges including sex trafficking, and Mohamed Al Fayed, the late former Harrods boss who has been accused of abuse.
Andrea Deans, one of the creators of the giant effigy, said: “We wanted to remind people that it doesn’t always have to be politicians who we create for our annual event.
“The Ticketmaster ticket fiasco has affected a lot of different age groups, such is the appeal of Oasis, and I know many fans were very unhappy… when they discovered the price of the tickets.”
She added that “no-one likes being taken advantage of”.
Fans shared their frustrations at queuing for tickets for hours for the sell-out reunion tour before finding some tickets had more than doubled in price from around £148 to about £355 on the site in August.
An explanation by the Ticketmaster website about the “in-demand standing ticket” price said: “The event organiser has priced these tickets according to their market value.
“Tickets do not include VIP packages. Availability and pricing are subject to change.”
Ticketmaster previously told the PA news agency it does not set prices, and shared a link to its website where it says costs can be “fixed or market-based”.
Although our effigy includes Liam and Noel Gallagher, they are not our target
It is believed that ticket prices are set by promoters, not artists.
Effigy creator Reece Hook said: “Although our effigy includes Liam and Noel Gallagher, they are not our target, it is the corporate giant of Ticketmaster we have gone with this year.
“We are all big Oasis fans and wish them a very successful tour.”
Edenbridge Bonfire Society has been celebrating Bonfire Night for nearly 100 years but began the tradition of burning giant effigies in the mid-1990s.
Sir Winston Churchill is one of several famous figures to have opened the Kent town’s Bonfire Night celebrations.
This year more than 500 people are expected to take part in the torchlit parade through Edenbridge High Street.
