Will free admission to the museums of Reims (Marne) make their attendance explode? That’s all the municipality wants, which has just established free access to its 5 museums: Saint-Remi, Surrender, Le Vergeur, Fort de la Pompelle and the Foujita chapel. The opportunity to follow the example of a neighboring city: Troyes (Aube). The latter has introduced free admission from November to March since 2012 and has seen attendances soar at its museums.
“We know this is a lever that works well,” says Pascal Labelle, deputy mayor for culture. We have already tested it in Reims during the summer of 2020 at the end of the calving. Attendance increased by 30%. And alone, the Saint-Remi and Fort de la Pompelle museums have seen an increase in attendance of almost 60%.
“Our slogan since 2014 has been to establish Culture for all: this is an argument for our candidacy for the title of European Capital of Culture 2028. We want to seek out people who are far from culture and encourage the people of Reims to rediscover their own museums”, says Pascal Labelle. And the period is favorable because tourists are deserting the city of the coronations. Between January and March 2022, only 9,984 visitors visited the municipal museums. The operation is therefore committed to targeting people from the territory.
An advantage for purchasing power
“And even if the price of the Reims museums is not huge, it is always an advantage for purchasing power. However, we cannot say whether the experience will be repeated every year. We will take stock at the end of the experimental period”, underlines the elected one. But beware, however, the free admission that visitors will enjoy will only be valid for the permanent exhibitions. Any temporary exhibitions will not be affected.
