AC 34 Tickets on Sale Tomorrow
When we checked in with Ryan Carroll yesterday his voice was noticeably hoarse. And no wonder. He’s the go-to guy for info on "spectator experiences" at this summer’s Louis Vuitton challenger series and America’s Cup Finals. And it was announced yesterday that the first phase of seat reservations for the full run of America’s Cup activities will go on sale at 8 a.m. tomorrow (Saturday) at this link.
Here’s the deal. You won’t be able to buy individual tickets for specific days of racing until sometime in early March. But if you’re a diehard who wants to take in lots of the AC action from a shoreside perspective, you can put down a nonrefundable $100 deposit now which will guarantee you the option of buying an AC "season pass" in the coming weeks for as little as $999; meaning you will be guaranteed a seat — but apparently not a specific, numbered seat — in either the Marina Green viewing stands or the stands located on the Golden Gate YC peninsula. Both locations are expected to be within earshot of PA systems which will broadcast blow-by-blow commentary of the action throughout the course.
Carroll couldn’t confirm exactly how many individual seats will ultimately be available, as the permitting process is ongoing, but the target is somewhere above 5,000. What will individual tickets go for in March? That decision hasn’t been finalized yet either, but an educated guess would put it somewhere in the neighborhood of $150 per day. And how high scalper prices will go is anybody’s guess.
Additional shoreside spectator packages will also be announced in March which may include such things as exclusive receptions and events, getting your picture taken with the America’s Cup trophy, AC credentials, special gifts and more. The AC Event Authority wisely chose to partner with SF Giants Enterprises to facilitate all this sort of stuff. They’ll also be offering viewing options from a number of large charter vessels.
What are the dates for specific events? A final schedule of events has just been released. Click here to download it. For questions about viewing options email here or call (415) 972-1818. But if Ryan answers, go easy on him. Otherwise he’ll soon have no voice at all.