New Orleans Jazz Fest Ticket Scalping is part of Freddie Awards to New Orleans Binge Weekend Trip Report which covers:
Whether you are going to Jazz Fest to dance or whether you are going for the food like I did (see Guns & Butter: New Orleans Travel Guide (Binge Edition)), you are going to need tickets to get in the door. I was surprised to learn that tickets go for $85 per person. I was happy to learn that there were people scalping them for less.
Like scalping tickets for Madison Square Garden or scalping tickets for Michigan vs. Ohio State, this hobby is not for the risk averse. The tickets may be fake, it may be against the law, and it may not be worth the hassle of saving a few dollars. For those that live on the edge and love to bargain (see TPOL’s Guide to Bargaining Abroad), buying scalped tickets may be more fun than the event itself.
My goal was to pay $100 for two people. I went to entrepreneur after entrepreneur to see if anyone was interested. I couldn’t get anyone to come down below $120. I decided to come up to $110. By that point, the vendors said it was too risky to sell them and decided they were done for the day. I thought I may have pushed it too far until a man with an umbrella said he would take me up on my offer. He even offered to escort me through the entrance gate before taking my money.
Happy with the deal, we walked together like we were lifelong friends. Once we got in, I gave him the money. And then he, like Mary Poppins (or Fonzworth Bentley for my millennial readers), opened his umbrella and flew away.
Overall
I only stayed at Jazz Fest for a couple hours. I’m glad I only paid $110. Retail price isn’t terrible, but why pay retail when you can bargain?
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Wise to have him walk in with you. Jazz Fest tickets are single-use but not date-specific, and when you enter, they scan the ticket and give it back to you. So when you buy a ticket on the street, it could easily be a ticket that has already been used on a prior day.
Oh yeah I’ve dealt with that many times with Ticketmaster tickets. Scalper could sell the copy 100 times and it won’t scan.