Great Taste 2015

Your experience is diametrically opposed to my experience.

This will be out eight Great Taste & we've driven down for tickets four times, got them through the lottery twice, & bought them without any issue (at face value) twice. In addition, two other years I've found additional tickets for friends who wanted to go, again at face value.

It was never an issue until last year to get tickets easily. Last year I saw a lot more "I need tickets" posts that didn't seem to garner much interest. Every year before last there were tons of people waving tickets to sell just before the festival; last year there were a few, but far less than previous years. I'm not sure if one can attribute the (perceived) fewer tickets on the "aftermarket" last year to the increased interest in our hobby that seems to spike every year, or increasing amounts of people trying to profit from their tickets.

Either way, until last year, tickets were pretty easy to get at face value. It will be interesting to see which way the winds are blowing this year.

 

You're either better connected or more fortunate than I.

The early Madison Craigslist postings as of this writing have a lowest bid of $70 and lowest ask of $100 (and of course anyone can still apply to pay face value in the lottery today; I expect prices if anything to go up once people know for sure that they didn't get tickets at face value). Given the fact that apparently not everyone in line received tickets and, historically, only 1 in 4 or fewer applications wins the lottery, there clearly are many more people interested in attending at the face value price than can go, at least in early May.

 

I really hope I can can go again in 2016. I've made it to four Great Tastes - the last in 2013 - and it is more fun than I can possibly put into words. What a brilliant event. Does hurt that I'm a UW alum, so I always love an opportunity to get back to Madison. Still, it's simply a fantastic beer fest.

I've always managed to snag tickets via the lottery, though one year I had two other friends enter along with me, and I was the only one that got tickets. When I've had extras, I've always sold them for face value online. Getting tickets to this fest from out of town is a royal pain. If I am able to make it next year, my guess is that I'll ask a handful of friends to send in their own orders, and will just pay them for any extras they can't use, either reselling them for cost online or trying to convince Columbus-area friends to go. Many of them have no idea what they're missing.

 

not fishing. genuinely curious.

we got there at 4. by..... 10? there were maybe 8 people behind us.


i wasn't mad but disappointed that i panicked and didn't sleep

 

I'd have been mad too if I'd gotten up at 4AM. That's an hour one should not see, either coming or going.

I'd been sleeping for about four hours by then with another three or so to go. My wife claims I could sleep on the concrete of a highway median, & she's not too far from the truth.

 

I've always been lucky. But again, things changed last year, demand seemed way up over previous years. I'd suspect demand is going to climb again this year & tickets will be harder to come by every festival going forward. Just like everything else.

And as for the 1 in 4 applications winning the lottery, I suspect the number is accurate, if not the intent. I know a number of people who send in anywhere from 2-4 requests from different addresses trying to get tickets, so the number of people 'striking out' on the lottery is smaller than the '1 in 4 requests fulfilled' suggests.

 

I assume that because tickets can be sold, there are no issues of transferability or needing to be with person who got them?

 

Correct. They're just basic tickets. No names or anything on them.

 

we were on line by 4. i was up at about 3:15. hammered drunk.

good times

 

Just got my check back in the mail, so keep an eye out everyone.

 

Well that was quick.

 

Kind of early to be getting checks back. Was it in your SAE?

 

yup. With a small note that basically said 'Sorry you didn't get tickets, unfortunately we can only fulfill 1/3 of requests.'

 

Interesting, would think we would see check cashed posts soon...

EDIT: Sorry that you did not get tickets...

 

Here's to hoping that if I did not get a return envelope today that mine is picked.

 

Got my rejection note today too. Fingers crossed on the girlfriend's entry.

 

Buddy just got his rejection letter today...

 

Rejected,dejected

 

Whammy.