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Indiana University lost over $1.3 million on the star-studded event it organized to celebrate the solar eclipse in April, Indiana Public Media reported based on information gained through a public records request.
The Hoosier Cosmic Celebration at IU’s football stadium on April 8 featured big-name musicians and celebrities like Janelle Monáe, as well as student and local performers. Tickets cost $15 but were given out for free in the week leading up to the eclipse. Approximately 9,400 tickets were sold, but somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 people actually showed up, IPM reported. Over all, fewer tourists came to Bloomington for the eclipse than city leaders had anticipated.
The university, one of several to host special celebrations in honor of the eclipse, earned less than $300,000 in revenue from the event.
“Although we saw lower-than-expected numbers of people in the Bloomington community for the eclipse, IU was proud to provide a rewarding experience for those who attended the Memorial Stadium event and experienced the eclipse along with incredibly talented performers and pioneers in their field, as well as IU students, faculty and staff who performed and composed pieces for the event,” a university spokesperson told Indiana Public Media. “Additionally, Indiana University was able to highlight its faculty expertise and research on a national scale through media coverage in the weeks and months leading up to and during the total solar eclipse.”
