Vic Falls Carnival ticket prices in April 2023, the best-documented edition, ran from $50 for a 1-day Zimbabwe-side pass to $295 for a 3-day VIP pass, all quoted in US dollars.
This page covers money and inclusions only. The full festival picture sits in the vic falls carnival guide, and readers asking how did vic falls carnival work will find the logistics there.
How the 2023 ticket tiers were built
The 2023 edition priced tickets by country side and by pass length, so there was no single headline price. A Victoria Falls travel guide’s carnival listing shows the Zimbabwe side offering a 3-day pass, a 1-day pass and a 3-day VIP pass. The Zambia side offered a 2-day pass and a 2-day VIP pass. The same listing gives the carnival dates as 28 and 30 April, with the Mosi Day of Thunder on 29 April.
Because pass lengths differ between the two sides, compare like with like before comparing prices. The table below sets out every tier in the listing.
| Side | Tier | Pass length | Price (US dollars) | Planning use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zimbabwe | General admission | 1 day | $50 | Lowest entry point; suits a single-day visit |
| Zimbabwe | General admission | 3 days | $90 | Multi-day access without the VIP premium |
| Zimbabwe | VIP | 3 days | $295 | Highest documented tier; confirm inclusions before paying |
| Zambia | General admission | 2 days | $65 | Standard entry on the Zambia side |
| Zambia | VIP | 2 days | $120 | Premium option with a lower price than the Zimbabwe-side VIP |
All figures come from the 2023 carnival ticket listing, which quotes every tier in US dollars.
Two patterns matter for planning. The non-VIP passes form the general admission tier, and on the Zimbabwe side the $50 pass is the cheapest way in for one day while $90 buys the multi-day option. VIP then sits well above that: $295 on the Zimbabwe side and $120 on the Zambia side. Those two VIP figures are not like-for-like, because they cover different numbers of days. The listing also does not present the 3-day price as a per-day rate, so decide by how many days you will actually attend rather than by dividing the price.
Currency: dollars, not kwacha
The 2023 tiers were priced in US dollars on both sides of the border. The Zambia-side passes were quoted in dollars too, with no Zambian kwacha amount attached, according to the same carnival listing.
In practice, budget in dollars from the start. If you meet a kwacha figure for a carnival ticket, treat it as someone’s conversion rather than the listed price, because the documented price is the dollar amount. That matters most for the Zambia-side passes, where a local-currency price would otherwise seem natural.
What each tier included
VIP passes
The 2023 listing gives a price for each VIP pass but does not itemise what the VIP tier added to general admission. A higher price alone does not show what you are buying, so get the inclusions confirmed in writing before paying for VIP, and do not assume extras that the organiser has not named.
Package bundles in 2019
In 2019 the pass was often sold inside accommodation packages. A travel operator’s package page lists a 3-day carnival pass for the Jameson Victoria Falls Carnival, dated 29 December 2019, and describes two bundles:
- Bed and breakfast package: 4 nights of bed and breakfast together with the carnival pass.
- Overland package: a 7-day trip with 6 nights of tented accommodation, the 3-day carnival pass, and certain dinners and breakfasts.
A bundle changes the question from “what does the pass cost?” to “what does the whole trip cost?”. If you are comparing a package against buying a pass and booking a room separately, look at what the nights and meals add. Our guide to vic falls carnival accommodation packages covers that side in more detail.
Earlier editions and what is documented
Beyond 2023, the record is thinner, and it is better to say so than to guess a price. These are the facts that do exist:
- 2015 festival: coverage on a safari operator’s carnival page describes thousands of tourists attending a 3-day festival, plus a party-train journey to a secret bush location that was long sold out, with more than 500 ticket holders on 29 December 2014. No tier prices accompany this.
- 2019 festival: the 3-day carnival pass is the ticket format named in the package listing above.
- 2022 festival: a reseller’s 2022 page lists no ticket prices or tiers.
- Tourism listing: Visit Zimbabwe describes entry fees only as moderate and gives no amount.
Treat the 2023 dollar figures as a reference point for the scale of each tier, not as a forecast. A different edition may change pass lengths, sides or tier names.
Choosing a tier from the documented prices
Work through the decision in this order, because each step narrows the next:
- Decide how many days you will attend. A single-day visit points to the Zimbabwe-side 1-day pass, listed at $50. A longer stay points to the 3-day pass at $90 or the Zambia-side 2-day pass at $65, per the 2023 ticket listing.
- Pick a side. Pass lengths and prices differ between the Zimbabwe and Zambia sides, so choose the side before you compare tiers.
- Decide whether VIP is worth it. VIP is the largest single jump in cost. It suits you only if the organiser confirms inclusions that you would otherwise pay for separately.
- Buy early. Visit Zimbabwe’s tourism listing advises securing tickets and accommodation early because the event draws large crowds.
Frequently asked questions
Where was the Zambia-side event held in 2023?
At the Radisson Blu Hotel Mosi-Oa-Tunya, Livingstone Resort, an outdoor venue on the Zambezi, according to the 2023 carnival listing.
Is there a documented ticket price for 2022?
No. A reseller’s 2022 page lists no ticket prices or tiers, so the 2023 figures are the most complete public record.
Did carnival tickets ever sell out?
Yes, for at least one add-on: the party-train journey to a secret bush location was described as long sold out, with more than 500 ticket holders on 29 December 2014, per a safari operator’s carnival page.
How big were the crowds?
The 2019 package page says over 6,000 revellers were expected on 31 December 2019, according to a travel operator’s listing. Crowds of that size are the reason early booking is advised.
