7 Ways to Find Cheap Concert and Festival Tickets

We’re entering the end of the year, and with it more concerts and festivals. Our inboxes are flooded with schedules for concerts and festivals, each promising to “rock your socks off.” Let’s look at the ways to find cheap concert and festival tickets.

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Easy Ways to Find Cheap Concert and Festival Tickets

From Metallica, Took, or Mastodon to Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper, it seems like all of the hottest performers are making the rounds this year. However, the excitement of seeing these acts live can often be cut short by the exorbitant prices you sometimes have to pay for a spot at the show. But never fear, there are many ways to find cheap concert ticket prices without breaking the bank or getting scammed. Here are seven savvy methods to help you find tickets without mortgaging your home.

1. Start at the Box Office

When it comes to easily finding and acquiring affordable tickets for concerts and music festivals, one of the most effective strategies is to start your search at the box office. This is the main source of tickets for most events, since they mostly sell directly to the public. This means that you can buy concert tickets at face value so you can avoid many of the additional fees that generally come with secondary seller and resale sites.

The prices of tickets at different events vary greatly, depending upon supply and demand and the popularity of the artist and the venue. Checking directly with the box office will permit you to bypass the resale market and will also help you avoid getting scammed by unscrupulous people and vendors.

2. Check Resale Sites

After checking prices at the ticket prices at the box office, your next stop should be to loof for tickets from some of the resale platforms like StubHub, CheapSeats, Vivid Seats, and TickPick. These are marketplaces where fans and brokers can resell their concert tickets and is a great place to find tickets when the show tickets sell out. Usually prices on these sites are higher as sellers are permitted to set their own rates, but they also offer the ability for crafty buyers to find good deals.

When an event is sold out or if you can’t find good seats from the box office these resale sites can be life savers. They also provide a sense of security against scammers as their transactions are 100% guaranteed.

You want to be smart about how you use these sites, however. Timing is critical. These sites operate a bit more on “supply and demand” as brokers or people who hold these tickets may just be trying to turn a profit by charging more than face value. So if the concert is a sell out, but you really want to see that show, you can still get tickets. Just realize that the best seats, like front row seats, still may sell at a premium.

On the other hand, you may be able to find cheap seats at the last minute if people find they can’t make it to the arena for the event but still want to get some of their money back. Many times you can score cheap concert tickets for below face value.

3. Time It Right

Timing is everything when buying cheap concert seats from the resale ticket sites. You may be able to find cheap seats at the last minute if people find they can’t attend the event but still want to get some of their money back. Often you can pick up cheap tickets for below list price.

But wait too long, and that window closes, and the prices go back up . Keep an eye on prices as the show gets closer, and buy when you sense a drop in interest. If you’re a procrastinator who waits until just before the event date, you may be able to still get a good deal from people who just want to dump their tickets. Regardless, use all of these techniques and you’ll be sure to find your best deal.

4. Watch Out for Fees

Both primary and secondary ticket site marketplaces make money by charging fees, which they often sneak in when you’re least likely to notice them. From a savings perspective, you’re not really getting a deal if a seller adds back-end processing fees on top of a “cheap” ticket. Fortunately, the governments of top destination cities like New York, mandate transparency about these fees right from the start.

Often, it’s best if you can buy tickets at the box office, vs buying tickets online, to prevent mobile only “convenience” charges. If you’re confused about the fees charged, the customer service center for these ticket sites is the right place to get the correct details for the upcoming concert.

5. Go Solo or in Small Groups

According to Adam Budelli, a spokesperson for StubHub, single tickets or tickets in odd numbers often offer better bargains than traditional four- or six-packs. So, consider going Solo or with a smaller group to score cheaper tickets.

6. Look for Last-Minute Tickets

As discussed previously, you can often get a good deal when you get your tickets last minute from people who just want to sell tickets to recoup some of their costs. Brokers who invested a lot of money to buy tickets only to find there’s less demand than they hoped make cheap tickets available to recoup as much of their costs as possible and that’s when you can score the best deals. This strategy is best when you don’t feel like the concert or festival is a “must see”, because prices often go up close to the show date for more popular artists.

7. Utilize Price Alerts and Discounts

Most of the resale platforms allow you to set up ‘Price Alerts’ that email or text you price changes for each event. These alerts monitor the pricing in real time and notify you based upon the parameters you provide. These allow you to be one step ahead of the pack so you can make buying decisions while tickets to the concert or music festival are still available.

And don’t be bashful about looking for discounts as a way to save money on festival tickets. Many sites will give you a presale code offering a discount for first-time purchases. If you already have an account, you can even try making a new one to “beat the system”. Sometimes you can even get discounts from your favorite artists or venues by signing up for their newsletters that alert you when tickets go on sale. You’ll be surprised by how many send out “Early Bird Specials” to subscribers that offer tickets, before the official sales date, at cheaper prices.

If you’re willing to do a little work, and compare prices across the box office and the major resale platforms, you buy tickets at reasonable prices for upcoming concerts and music festivals. Just remember to be patient when you can be and decisive when you have to be and you’ll have the most success finding cheap concert and music festival tickets. So, gear up, follow these tips, and get ready to rock out to your favorite tunes this summer.