The cost of the matric dance will sometimes be equivalent to that of a second-hand car.
Image: ChatGPT
Matric dance season is upon us, and kitting children out can now cost as much as a second-hand car – even if it is an older model. Online car platforms advertise, for example, a ten-year-old Opel Adam 1l turbo for R75 900 – which is less than some people spend on one night out.
The basic requirements for a dance currently span outfits, car rentals, after-parties, beauty treatments, hairdressers, photographers, shoes, dance tickets, jewellery, flowers, and potential after-party accommodation, among other items.
On TikTok, one learner’s detailed breakdown totalled about R28 140, including a nearly R10 000 dress, hair and make-up services of more than R2 000, accessories, transport and accommodation for the night.
Another viral breakdown showed a R35 119 total, with a custom-designed gown at R8 500, heels at about R1 700 and accommodation costing R11 000. Tickets to the dance alone can cost around R2 000, with after-parties adding another few hundred rand.
Tandy Gross, owner of Tandy’s Hair Care, told Personal Finance she has heard of people spending as much as R80 000 on the dance.
Among the more extraordinary requests she has fielded: one parent asked her to do her child’s hair at the venue and remain on standby for the afterparty should a touch-up be needed, which could well have translated into eight hours of waiting.
Other requests Gross has heard include 250 extensions, which would cost R20 000 for hair alone. Generally, she says young women want long hair and to look like a beauty queen – sometimes crossing the line into a more “sexy” look.
Lauryn Galvao, from boutique stylist company The Finder, says one of the more “insane” requests is turning hair into a birdcage with birds inside it. She cites examples of young women with dark hair who want it platinum blonde. “They don’t call it platinum because of the colour. They call it platinum because of the card,” she says.
Very entry-level dress rentals advertised online start below R500, while premium gown rentals can exceed R7 000 for a single evening. Second-hand gowns at a boutique in an exclusive part of Johannesburg’s East Rand were “on special” from R3 000. Galvao says she has heard of young adults purchasing Elie Saab dresses at as much as R80 000.
Depending on whether a tux or suit is rented or purchased, prices can range from a few thousand rand to significantly higher once shoes, tailoring and accessories are included.
Buying a good-quality suit for future use is often in the R1 200 to R3 000 range, according to social-media conversations and reported market trends. Men are also increasingly wearing makeup, such as foundation to hide acne or eyeliner to accentuate their eyes, Galvao notes.
Matriculants can choose to arrive in vehicles that costs thousands to rent.
Image: ChatGPT
Transport has become a growing part of matric dance spending. Limousine operators, party bus companies and luxury vehicle rental businesses now market directly to matric learners through social media, with packages ranging from standard luxury sedans to stretch limousines and chauffeur-driven vehicles.
Limousine packages are priced at around R5 500 to R7 000, excluding overtime, fuel or extended-distance fees.
One platform advertising itself as affordable lists vehicles such as an Audi S3 for R2 800 a day and a Porsche 718 Cayman S for up to R4 500. Another, specialising in classic rides, offers a Rolls Royce Corniche from R4 700 a day.
A photographer can cost R5 500 for a 60-minute shoot. A more reasonable package, covering pre-drinks, profile photos, the car arrival and the dance itself, should run to around R10 000, with additional costs per hour thereafter, one photographer told Personal Finance.
While parents should control costs, peer pressure is more extreme than in years gone by. “The importance placed on matric dances is out of kilter with reality,” says Gross of what is seen as the first step onto the adult ladder.
“Imagine what a wedding would cost for those kids – and then they wear an entirely new outfit to the afterparty, says Gross.” Galvao is blunt: “This is not a wedding; this is the dance.”
Some parents on online forums say they spent around R5 000 on clothing, hair, make-up and nails in earlier years, noting that not all pupils can afford even that, which contrasts with Gloss’ R80 000 high level spend. Galvao says that the sort of peer pressure and spending on the dance creates another class divide as some children simply can’t afford to dress up like their school mates.
It is possible, Galvao says, to look just as elegant without parents having to take out a loan.
The matric dance can cost thousands when every 'must have' item is taken into account.
Image: ChatGPT
Dance on a shoestring:
PERSONAL FINANCE