The Cost of Children’s Pageants

As I mentioned in a previous article, children’s pageants can be costly. The costs include pageant sponsor fees, required Ad sales, travel and lodging expenses, the cost of clothing, and the recording of memories.

Children’s pageant sponsor fees are usually the upfront costs of the children’s pageants. Registration fees are often a part of the sponsor fee and the amount is relatively reasonable. These fees may be as low as $50.00 for your very local city or county pageant (often held at the county fair) or as high as $500.00 for more popular not quite so local state and national children’s pageants.

Depending on the popularity of the children’s pageants, ad sales may or may not be required. If you sell, enough program ads, your sponsor fee may be rewarded you as well as your lodging and other benefits. One page of Ad sales are $100 to $600.00 per page, or $25.00 to $60.00 per ad.

You should always remember to put aside money for travel, lodging and incidentals. You will have the option of staying at the host hotel as well as booking the night before and of the pageants instead of just the necessary night. You may notice however that the children’s pageants schedule of rehearsals and other necessary meetings and performances are scheduled in such a way that staying anywhere else would be exhausting. They usually do negotiate discounted hotel reservations. Of course, with staying in a hotel comes the standard hotel expense, if you forget your own.

Fortunately, you have complete control over your clothing budgetâÂ?¦mostly. One or several uniforms or t-shirts may be required in addition to there being specific guidelines for clothing. Your flexibility is in the option to bargain shop, check the thrift stores, trade with other parents, or just purchase new items as well. Personally, my daughter will recycle all outfits plus from the local pageants when she goes to the children’s national children’s pageants, with a few detail changes. Even before recycling, our average outfit price was $50.00 but many parents will spend thousands on the formal outfit alone.

Just when you thought you were finished spending money you may find yourself purchasing photos and videos. Photos and most especially videos will very likely not be permitted. This allows the pageant photographers to make a great deal of money selling photos and candid shots both during an after the pageant.

If you have any money left at the end of the pageant, you might want to go ahead and purchase entry (sponsor) fees in advance for the next children’s pageants. You are likely to get a huge discount and head start on the next year’s fees.