AIBU to think tickets and popular places are much harder to access now

[dapplefox]

Listening on the radio this morning about the Bayeux Tapestry being shown in London presently but also that it's completely sold out until January with no new tickets available yet. A friend of mind was unable to get tickets to the Frieda Kahlo show at the Tate recently and I've lost count of the number of times I have not been able to get tickets for a concert in recent years.

I remember years ago it used to be fairly easy to get ticket for a ballet, a theatre show (we went to see one in 2006 with a really star studded cast in London and got the tickets easily and it was much cheaper). I could easily get a ticket to see quite a large band like Primal Scream at a time when they were really popular at a really small venue but now similar acts often sell out super quick at much larger venues i.e. one that holds 15k people over 2k.

Is there just that much more people in the UK now? Do people just go to things as a matter of course if they can get a ticket whereas in the past it was more likely to be dedicated fans? It's so expensive I find this crazy although I know it happens as I met some friends at a Cure concert a couple of years ago and I was surprised as I hadn't known they like the Cure, when I said this they said they didn't really know their music but thought it would be a good experience!

Related to this is how social media can mean that some places, cafes, bakeries, bars whatever become massive hotspots due to social media like in LA there is a pink wall which loads of people travel to for instagram photos and they buy a pink Starbucks drink take a photo or reel then they dump their undrunk drink.

On one hand if people can afford it and get a ticket then why not it's a free country but on the other it is so hard to get tickets for stuff these days or to many places because it's always so busy and over subscribed.

Why is it so much harder to access anything now compared to 20 - 30 years ago when its all so much more expensive?

i don’t think it’s more difficult. The Bayeux Tapestry is a bit of a one-off (and actually not that hard to get tickets if you’re a member, despite their horrendous booking system). I remember in the 90s my father having to book West End shows six months in advance for good seats on popular days, so with the odd exception (Paddington!) that’s much easier now.

I do think pre-booking for attractions is more of a thing than it used to be pre-Covid.

The scale of third party resellers is specific to Italy I think. I agree it's absolutely awful getting tickets to any attractions , museums or galleries there.

Other places like eg France, Spain you still have to book in advance quite often but at least they are available from the venue itself.

I generally loathe all this pre booking though. It's a downside of the internet.

I remember sitting on my computer in the queue to get tickets for my cousin and her friends to go to a music festival. Id been given my mums credit card to do so... I was on holiday from Uni so available. So about 20 years ago.

Everything is busier now, but that makes sense as there's a lot more people. Just like there's many more buildings than a few decades ago.

dbro used to spend the night camped out for when a box office opened to get tickets in 70/80s! I have been known to sit for hours at the pc to get theatre tickets at launch time. Attractions do annoy me. I don’t like to plan a detailed itinerary for holidays in advance and find it offputting,

btw next general release of Bayeux Tapestry tickets is 21st October

Yes this!!! I remember the camp outs

Is it hype? I don’t know. Acts that would never have sold out before and even things like runs are hard to get into

I think it’s harder because the internet has made people more aware of events that are happening. When I was a teenager in the North, things happening in London felt very impossible and far away. Not so now. I’m hosting some overseas friends in London soon and I’m having to be very on the ball with ticket releases!!

I think you're being selective. Loads of hot ticket stuff sold out really quickly. I remember the scrum for Oasis and Take That tickets in the 90s.

Yes, I agree with you OP. Most things I want to do these days sell out quickly, from shows and museums to monuments, kids days out and gigs.

I think accessibility of travel is the main reason.

The Cure have a strong anti-gouging stance and reasonable ticket prices, I went because I was a fan, but they're also affordable.

(And the show is amazing, the music holds up by itself, unlike those who expect you to pay through the nose for an overblown production)

It's easier now as you can buy online, you don't need to queue in person or make a phone call. Plus social media hype pushes people towards the same stuff, so more people are buying tickets.

If you are a Tate member you don't need to book, but probably not worth it if you don't live near one or more Tates.

There are a ton of less hyped brilliant exhibitions on at the moment (in London, anyway).

I agree, I love them, love their shows and how they keep it affordable when they could easily charge so much more. I'm a massive fan.

I am very surprised about the hype surrounding it. Its location in France is very accessible to the UK. I’ve seen it twice; once it was almost empty and the other time a few more people but not remotely busy.

The big shift is online sales. Now rather than selling tickets to those who can get there in person, tickets are opened up the whole world. And there are people with time and funds to travel across the world for a concert, an exhibition. As someone who can’t face a journey of more than an hour, it blows my mind when people have travelled over from the US etc.

So it seems people find it a bit of a mixed bag. Interesting about joining various "friends of" groups. I will keep that in my back pocket! Judging by the poll most people find it harder to get tickets for things these days. I did manage to get Kate Bush tickets in 2014 due to having been in her fan club for years so sometimes I'm the one with exclusive access but it rarely happens. I don't know anyone else who managed to get tickets for her shows at all.

The train there is far more of a faff than getting to London, plus the need for at least one overnight stay. Obviously depends where you live.

That was one specific exhibition - these days, virtually everything has to be pre-booked in advance and often no "on the day" tickets. I can understand the Bayeux tapestry being booked up long in advance is it's like the Tutankamon exhibition, but it's harder to get your head around virtually every other attraction, concert, major sporting event, etc being so hard to get tickets for. We spent weeks trying online every day to get tickets for Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and that's not a short-term "one off" - it's there all year round, every year, but still virtually impossible to get tickets for.

That has really changed, if that’s difficult to get tickets to. I went to Amsterdam for the day probably 10 years ago and we just walked in, no pre-booking needed, and it was fairly empty.

Yep!! We turned up at the Alhambra just thoght we'd book a few nights in Granada and rock up and see it. I think hink is was sold out for a week lol and we didnt gent to see it.

Luckily Granada was fantastaic and just going to have to back again and this time book in advance. Lesson also lerant to check for all atractions in future!!

I live in Scotland, so neither London or France is particularly handy! Luckily I'm not at all interested in seeing the tapestry.

We couldn't get tickets to the exhibition at Buckingham Palace this year because they had practically given all the tickets away for £1 to people on benefits. I imagine the government will reimburse the Palace for such largesse.

I would love to see the Bayeux Tapestry. I have seen it before, on a school trip, I was about 13 and thought it was 'boring' so barely looked at it. I am horrified at my 13-year-old self! I might see if I can get tickets in the next wave.

When we went, they didn't even have a ticket office to buy tickets on the day. Lots of signs saying pre-booked only with a link to their website. Just checked their website and it says pre-booked online tickets only.

Totally agree. Even walk ins for dinner are like hens teeth.