Man, let me tell you about snagging tickets for South Star. Last year? Total mess. Overpaid, stressed, almost missed the damn thing. This year? Learned my lesson. Here’s exactly how I grabbed my passes without selling a kidney.
Okay, Step One: Actually Figuring Out When Sales Start
First up, I almost missed the boat again. Was just casually scrolling Instagram last January, boom! South Star page posts “Presale next week!” My finger almost broke hitting that ‘Follow’ button right then. Rookie move last year was just checking the main site sometimes. Forget that. Socials – Twitter, Insta – that’s where the real, instant drops happen. Signed up for their email list too, just in case. Bombarded my inbox? Sure. Missed the presale? Hell no.
Pre-Sale Day Drama – Refresh Button Torture
Presale day arrived. Heart pounding like a drum solo. Had the laptop fired up, phone charged, wi-fi cranked (even told the roommate no streaming!). Went straight to the official festival website. No shady resellers yet. Page loaded… clock ticked… refresh, refresh, REFRESH! Bam! Queue system. Got in after 20 sweaty minutes. GA passes flashing. Clicked faster than I’ve ever clicked anything. Cart. Checkout. Payment details? Already saved because ain’t nobody got time typing that under pressure. Confirmation email hit my inbox. Sweet relief! Presale price? $50 cheaper per ticket than last year’s frantic scramble.
The Waiting Game & Dodging Reseller Landmines
Now, tickets were locked in early, but gotta avoid the later insanity. See, right after presale sold out? Price jacking started immediately on those third-party sites. Insane markups. My inbox filled up with “special deals” from random places. Deleted that trash. Focused on the essentials: accommodation and transport.
- Camping pass: Bought it WITH the ticket presale on the official site. Added maybe $100, split with friends. Way cheaper than any hotel nearby. Official camping guaranteed, no scams.
- Ride shares: Didn’t wait. Jumped into the festival ride-share group on Facebook early. Found a car heading down Thursday, split gas four ways. Cost? Like $25 bucks each way.
- Food stash: Learned the hard way: festival food drains cash. Packed instant noodles, snacks, reusable water bottle. Maybe spent $20 inside the whole weekend.
Do NOT Touch the Reseller Sites (Seriously!)
As the festival got closer? Oh man. Saw friends and desperate folks flooding those “guaranteed ticket” sites. Prices tripled! Plus fees?! Absolute robbery. STRESSFUL AS HELL trying to verify if they’re legit. Saw posts about straight-up fakes. Official site occasionally had a tiny few tickets pop back up if people canceled – managed to grab one for a late friend that way, face value. Otherwise? Resellers are a straight-up trap.
Final Tally & Lessons Learned the Hard Way
So, total damage this year?
- GA Ticket (Presale): $250
- Camping Pass (Split): $25
- Gas (Split Both Ways): $50
- Food Stash: $40
- Festival Food/Drinks: $20
Grand total? Right around $385. Last year, after late tickets, sketchy shuttle, and eating inside every meal? Blew past $600 easily. Lesson learned? Follow Socials like a hawk, Buy Presale Official, Plan Transport/Food Early, and AVOID RESELLERS. This year was smooth. Music ruled. Wallet? Still breathing.
