Buyers struggled Friday to get tickets for the Minnesota State Fair's Food Parade, a car-based alternative to the canceled 2020 fair.
The ticket page either wouldn't load or transactions would time out after adding tickets to the shopping cart. Those who were able to buy tickets reported waits of up to an hour.
The fair addressed the site's difficulties in a statement on Twitter, saying, "We are currently experiencing an extremely high volume of [State Fair] fans attempting to purchase Food Parade tickets. Tickets are being sold but the event is not sold out. Please keep trying."
By 12:45 p.m., all 19,000 tickets were sold out.
"Our website and ticketing service experienced unprecedented volume; in 2½ hours, we reached our capacity of 19,000 vehicle tickets sold for this 13-day historic event," said a statement from the fair.
"The capacity is limited in order to present the event in a safe and enjoyable manner for guests. We understand Minnesotans are missing the Great Minnesota Get-Together this year, and we regret that we cannot accommodate more fair fans. We look forward to bringing the full fair experience back to our 2 million guests in 2021."
Almost immediately, tickets began appearing for resale at inflated prices on Craigslist. Some of the $20 tickets were selling for up to $150.
Buyers expressed their frustration on social media, calling the ticketing woes a "major failure," an "unmitigated disaster," a "bunch of garbage" and "devastating."
Sharyn Jackson • 612-673-4853
Twitter: @SharynJackson
