San Simplicio, a success with the public but there is controversy over the few events

The traders’ assessment of the public and events for San Simplicio

On the day after the celebrations of San Simplicius in Olbia, it’s time to take stock of the audience and events of the edition 2024. We interviewed some Merchants street vendors who animated the Fausto Noce and the surrounding ring, as well as some I joustedto find out their opinions. As always, there are those who appreciated the event and those who less. During the interviews we took stock of the event, analyzing the situations and results obtained.

A weakly positive balance sheet

In general, very few discrepancies emerged: for almost all exhibitors the balance, compared to the last edition, was only weakly positive. There was a good turnout of the public, greater than last year, probably thanks to the pleasant weather which invited people to go out practically for the entire 6 days of celebrations, even if with ups and downs. Basically the day of maximum attendance was yesterday May 15ththe day of the Patron Saint, followed by Saturday May 11thconcert day Raf. These were the days in which the exhibitors achieved the highest revenues.

Criticism of the program of events for San Simplicio

The criticism most aimed at the organization of the party concerns precisely the plan. Unlike past editions, this one included few evening events notable. Because of this, citizens felt little motivated to go out every day. “On Monday (13 May) there were very few people, so much so that many colleagues – says a shopkeeper – especially among the gazebos at the end of the street, preferred to close. Seeing colleagues forced to close is a great disappointment for us as well as a defeat for the organization of the party.” This year too, merchants opened for lunch, to attract wider segments of consumers.

The Palio della Stella in conjunction with the Cavalcata Sarda

Another short-sighted choice was that of make the Palio della Stella coincide with the Cavalcata Sarda, the historic Sassari event that always attracts visitors from Olbia and all of Sardinia. This fact has certainly negatively influenced the business of traders, causing misunderstandings and unnecessary expenses. “For Sunday we had high expectations from the public, we had also arranged extra staff for the occasion, but it was a useless expense because There was not the expected turnout”, these are the words of a disappointed trader.

Another unfavorable event, according to many of those interviewed, was the lack of an amusement park Matherland in via Figoni, which contributed to raising the prices of the various games in the only Luna Park present. The cost of the most popular attractions, such as the Sky Tower, was 5 euros, without increases, while to get on the flying carpet it took 7 euros. Unfortunately, the special day, much requested by customers, of the 1 euro attractions was missing, which had a huge appeal especially among the younger ones, because it gave the opportunity to participate in more rides and helped the less well-off, becoming a day of accessible fun to everyone.

The increase in prices

Virtually all traders agreed in admitting that they had to raise prices compared to previous editions, due to the increase in raw materials which affected the finished product. A sandwich from the caddywith sausage and onion, cost on average 6 euros, while last year the average cost was 5 euros.

The point of view of the carnies is completely opposite Luna Park Wonderland: it was a completely positive week, the turnout was excellent, the earnings were adequate. Yesterday, the last day of the festival, and Saturday, with Raf’s concert, there were many customers. On other days there were few people, but in the end the outcome was absolutely positive.

In conclusion, we can say that the 2024 edition had ups and downs, with some disappointments for the street vendors. The slightly higher prices of the traditional sausage sandwich only slightly affected patrons’ experience. However, the hope remains that in next year’s edition improvements can be made to make the party even more engaging and fun for all participants.