06 March 2023 , 08:00
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The wait is nearly over for thousands of fans as tickets for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest go on sale tomorrow, Tuesday, March 7. There's no doubt demand to get a place in the UK live crowd will be high but there are a few ways fans can increase their chances.
Liverpool is hosting the huge event on behalf of Ukraine and their 2022 entry winners the Kalush Orchestra, who won the hearts of viewers and the panel with 'Stefania'. After months of speculation and build-up, details surrounding how fans can buy tickets were revealed last week, with online retailer Ticketmaster selling tickets.
The sale starts at 12pm on Tuesday with ticket queues for all nine live shows at the M&S Bank Arena, on the Queen's Dock. Millions of viewers are expected to tune in from around the world as well as thousands of people in the stadium crowd and at the Eurovision Village at Pier Head.
Fans who don't manage to get tickets to any of the live shows will most likely end up here but it won't get you access to inside the atmosphere; outrageously sparkly outfits, the crowd of waving flags, and of course 'nil point'. Amidst fan outrage surrounding the price of tickets (up to £380) we have a few consumer tips that could get fans to the front of the Ticketmaster queue.
Become a 'verified fan'
Ticketmaster has released a 'verified fan' section of its site, which users can sign up to and receive unique access codes. It's not been officially confirmed yet if it will be used during the Eurovision sales but if so, it could put you at the front of the queue.
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To get access fans have to register to become a verified fan for each upcoming sale. After the registration page fans can sign into their account and select Eurovision as well as entering email and phone number.
Before the sale event starts fans who have signed up as verified will receive an access code via text message, but it is by a lottery-based system.
Ticketmaster account and payment 'at-the-ready'
Whether you choose to use the verified fan page or not, ALL fans looking for tickets should make a Ticketmaster account before the sale starts, as it will only speed up the process.
Creating an account, or digging out your username and password can stop potential delays when trying to join the sale queue. Having card details saved onto your account will also mean you aren't fumbling around for your wallet in the stress of the queue.
It also gives buyers the chance to make sure their bank card logged on their account hasn't expired which would mean you'd have to click out of the queue to change the details if so.
The 15-minute rule
This works for two things; joining the site and the waiting room. When it comes to ticket buying 15 minutes before the official sale time is supposed to be the 'sweet spot'. Logging on 15 minutes before will give you the chance to open up multiple live show options as well as browsers.
This is also the time Ticketmaster's waiting room normally opens, which is a holding space fans can join to be automatically placed in the queue.
Best time to refresh
When it comes to refreshing the webpage, the exact timing can make the difference between getting to the front or back of the queue.
It's a useful thing to do before the queue opens as you wait to click into the line, but whatever you do, do not refresh once you have joined the online queue as this will boot you to the very back.