Beware: Scalper Selling Tickets to Wolf Trap Summer Concerts

VIENNA, VA -- There may be snow on the ground in Northern Virginia, but music lovers are already making plans for summer concerts. Tickets to summer concerts coming up at Wolf Trap are currently on sale only to members of the venue (membership levels range between $75 and $25,000 and donations go to the Wolf Trap Foundation).

The summer lineup will be announced to the general public by Wolf Trap on March 2 and tickets will go on sale after the announcement.

But a scalper, Event Tickets Center (ETC), is already selling tickets to summer concerts at Wolf Trap. ETC is even selling lawn tickets at two different prices, claiming that some of the tickets they are selling will be "free of obstruction and will be together." The lawn space is open to all and there are no reserved spots. The scalper is selling tickets for nine summer Wolf Trap concerts including Diana Krall, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Steve Martin and Martin Short, David Sedaris and the Gipsy Kings.

Wolf Trap’s ticketing is handled exclusively by the Wolf Trap Box Office and authorized ticket provider Tickets.com. Even when artists offer fan presales, ticketing is handled through Wolf Trap’s systems; Wolf Trap has no affiliation with third-party sites that resell tickets. Tickets for Wolf Trap shows can be purchased online at wolftrap.org or tickets.com, in-person or by calling (877) 965-3872. If you are not on wolftrap.org or tickets.com, you are not buying tickets from Wolf Trap.

What about early access to the best seats for favorite shows?
Many performances sell out before the Summer even starts, and a few shows will sell out within hours or days of going on public sale. Presales are available to Wolf Trap members, whose tax deductible donations in support of Wolf Trap’s nonprofit mission allow Wolf Trap to offer top-notch artists and award-winning education programs nationwide. Members always have early access to all available seats, so if guaranteeing great seats is important to you, consider becoming a Wolf Trap member to get legitimate tickets before the general public.

Meanwhile, be very wary of scalpers such as ETC or Event Tickets Center, which describes itself on LinkedIn:

Event Tickets Center is one of the largest resale marketplaces of tickets for sports, concerts and Broadway events. We list millions of tickets to thousands of national and local events. You can find premium front row tickets as well as bargain seats.

Orders are protected by our 200% guarantee. We use industry standard technology to keep your information secure. Our customer service center is open 18 hours a day if you want to place an order or you have a question.

We want to be your favorite stop for event tickets. If you have any feedback for us we want to hear from you. Please email feedback@eventticketscenter.com.

Yelp reviews of the ticket scalping site tell different stories, of jacked-up prices, tacked-on charges and long waits for tickets to arrive.

If you want to be one of the first to purchase summer concert tickets, be on the lookout for the announcement March 2 or find out more about membership here. Read more about scalping concerns on the Wolf Trap Web site.

PHOTO of Filene Center at Wolf Trap courtesy of Wolf Trap