Bayreuth tickets - improving your scoring chances

The standard Bayreuth ticket application process is described in detail on WagnerOpera.net so I won't bother to repeat it here. This costs nothing in addition to the ticket price itself, but it's the slowest way to get tickets. You have to apply several years in a row, moving up the list each time, before you get lucky. Results seem a bit random. Most of the people I met at Bayreuth had obtained their tickets by other means; I met only two who'd taken the standard route. An English man had waited 10 years; an American parent and child were a little luckier, waiting 'only' 4 years. I was told that one of the reasons for the long wait is that only a small proportion of tickets are set aside for regular applications.

Anyway, you don't need to hang on quite that long; here are some ways to speed up the process. (Most of this evidence is anecdotal by the way, so don't take it as gospel, let alone officially sanctioned).

Joining a Wagner Society speeds up the process a little. There are Wagner Societies all over the world, with an average annual membership fee of £20 to £50. 'The' Wagner Society, the first one, is British. Each society is allocated a number of tickets, which are distributed amongst its members, generally by ballot. Tip: there is nothing to stop you joining several societies, in different countries, which statistically increases your chances of getting lucky. One man I spoke to claimed to get tickets nearly every year this way. It was also suggested that the ratio of applicants to tickets is more favourable in non-European societies.

One of the most effective methods if you plan on regular future visits is to join the Gesellschaft der Freunde von Bayreuth (Society of Friends of Bayreuth). The Friends provide some of the funding for the Bayreuth Festival and in return are allotted a significant chunk of the tickets. Membership costs €265 up front, then €205 per year. Yes, that's expensive, but then so are the tickets. To put it in perspective, membership costs less than the price of an average ticket. And it's reduced to €100 a year and no entrance fee for under-35s.

Facts and figures?  More of the people I met in Bayreuth had obtained tickets via the Friends than any other method. They all told much the same story, and all without exception thought Friends membership was a good investment. Initially they received tickets every 2 or 3 years, but eventually crossed some invisible line and started getting tickets every year. It was also suggested that an additional donation greatly increases the chances of getting tickets sooner or more regularly. One ancillary advantage of joining is that Friends' returned tickets are offered to other Friends first, before the general public.

A new Bayreuth supporters' organisation called TAFF (nothing to do wth Bryn Terfel) was set up recently with the active blessing of the Festival management. This doesn't currently receive a ticket allocation, but may be worth keeping an eye on. Fees are similar to the Friends.

To be certain of getting the tickets you want, when you want, you can buy them, at a hefty premium, from certain authorised ticket agencies, or as part of a package including accomodation from some travel agents. This is perfectly legal, but you pay way over face value, sometimes by several hundred percent. I didn't meet anyone who had acquired tickets this way so I can't comment on its effectiveness.

Some other people I met had got their tickets via corporate sponsor or guest allocations. I suspect a reasonable chunk of the tickets go this way. If this is an option for you, you probably know already, but it's probably not a realistic method for most.

As a final tip, the more flexible you are about the prices and dates you require, the more likely you are to get allocated something, whichever method you go for. The first run of performances is the most popular, and has a larger proportion of tickets set aside for press and guests, so you should increase your chances of getting tickets by opting for later cycles.

Unless you're feeling particularly lucky, I do NOT recommend just turning up and hoping for returns - see here to find out why. But if you don't mind buying from touts and paying extra, this is of course an option. They hang around near the ticket office before the show (carrying a Suche Karte sign will attract them like wasps to a jam jar), and certain hotels may be able to 'make arrangements' too.

Comments

[Likelyimpossibilities.blogspot.com]

Thanks for the very helpful information. I am contemplating trying to crash next summer, but it's pretty intimidating.

Do you know anything about second-acting? Do a lot of people leave before the end and would they be willing to hand over their seats? A friend of a friend reputably pulled this off a few years ago but I'm not sure if it is advisable.

-Zerbinetta (sorry, I will try to get this new sign-in thing to show my nom de blog correctly)

[inter mezzo]

There were always people wandering around in the intervals with Suche Karte signs, so anyone who did want to leave would be able to sell to the highest bidder. I noticed almost no empty seats at any point during my entire time there. Bear in mind most of the audience are not local; they have made long journeys and paid a lot of money to be there, so they aren't going to give up seats on a whim.

There were many, many people in the returns queue each day, even for Meistersinger, which is reputed to be unpopular. I blame stories like your friend's for making it sound easy to get tickets on the day :)

That's not to say nobody lucks out, but I reckon you would have to get there by 9am or perhaps even earlier to stand a fair chance most days. Bear in mind too that the average ticket price is around €200, and only a small proportion of the tickets are under €150, so the chances of a cheap ticket are very slim. If you're happy to pay touts' prices, I suspect you might get tickets for just about everything though.

[Sociosound.wordpress.com]

This post is gold!

[Likelyimpossibilities.blogspot.com]

Thanks a lot. I guess the person I heard about was very lucky.

I often manage to catch people leaving at Met intermissions and considerably improve my seat, but it's not surprising that Bayreuth audiences are a lot more devoted than Met ones.

[me.yahoo.com/a/jbPuBO1ijf9Qza9EgazyJELibVo0cA--]

Thanks for the info, and thanks for your frequent dispatches from Bayreuth. It was almost as good as being there.

I somehow doubt I have the patience to write every year asking for a ticket, or to join various societies each year hoping for same.

The only question in my mind is whether buying from a tout runs the risk of getting a counterfeit. What do you know about that?

[inter mezzo]

I think the risk is limited. The established touts have a reputation to protect (believe it or not) and everyone knows who they are. I would be more wary about buying from the internet, even if you meet the seller in person, as the tickets would be easy to reproduce with a good photocopier.

[Giampiero del Mercato]

well, I was in Bayreuth twice, 2003 and 2008 and in both occasions I had no tickets. I queued up starting as early as 8 am. The first time I got to see Lohengrin, Tannhauser and the Flying Dutchman (dreadful seat in the gallery for this one, but very cheap. In 2008 I got tickets for Goetterdaemmerung, Meistersinger (I wish I hadn't!!!!) and Parsifal. So......one can get lucky!!!This year I have tickets, gotten by a friend who has been writing for ten tears.
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Intermezzo replies - I think the reason people have been luckier on the day in the past is that the black market used to be better controlled. Ticket holders returned their unwanted tickets to the official ticket office because it was known that 'unofficial' holders would be thrown out. This year (and last) there seems to have been less control. The on-site black market is flagrant, and valid tickets are sold on Ebay apparently without challenge from the Bayreuth organisers. Also, there appear to be no detailed ID checks at the door any more.