All 280,000 tickets for Amsterdam's A10 ring road birthday festival fully allocated

All 280,000 free tickets for the festival planned on the A10 ring road around Amsterdam have been given away, organizers said Wednesday night. The organization involved in the planning acknowledged that the ordering process did not go smoothly for entrance to the party celebrating the city's 750th anniversary. Those without tickets will not be able to access the West or Zuid zones, but can still enter the Oost zone.

The festival will take place on 15 kilometers of roadway on June 21. Tickets were available from 10 a.m. on Wednesday, an announcement the city made just a week earlier. An initial review showed that more than 70 percent of the tickets went to people living in Amsterdam. Of the remaining 30 percent, more than half went to people living in the Amsterdam area.

Tickets were also being re-sold by "fraudulent parties" on various platforms, including Marktplaats and X, the events firm indicated. "The organization advises people not to respond to this, because the risk of fraud is high."

The organization states that there was a great deal of interest in the event. "That was in line with expectations because audience research showed that around 600,000 people wanted to come, while there was capacity for 280,000 people."

Earlier on Wednesday, the online sales queue was long and there were reports that the process of obtaining tickets was chaotic. The organization now indicates that people sometimes had to wait a long time in vain. "The disappointment is understandable."

Many people indicated that after waiting, and waiting, they were returned to the ticket shop's queue, or they received an error message. "The exact cause of this is not yet known, and is being investigated further."

Some people using the ticketing website were also able to request more than allowed, though the organizer claims this was just a small number. That problem was quickly resolved, they said.

"All orders are checked afterwards for the maximum number of tickets. If that number is too high, the order can be cancelled and these tickets will again become available."

The festival is broken down into three zones on the A10, including West, Zuid and Oost. Nearly all of the planned events, like the celebration of local neighborhoods, sharing a meal with other city residents at long tables, the fashion show, the DJ-driven music show for children, and the rave are scheduled for the West and Zuid sections.

The Oost zone will not require ticketed entry, allowing anyone access to cheer on runners during the Run Op de Ring, though it is no longer possible to register as a runner. Those wanting to walk or cycle on the ring will also be able to do so in Oost after 4 p.m.

A few DJs will also play sets in this section of the A10. Space will also be provided for people to take part in other activities, like skateboarding, rollerblading, or just sitting down with a guitar, the city said.

A ticketing process was necessary to make the event "safe and manageable," the organization said, noting it was an operation of unprecedented scope. "Better the disappointment now than on the day of the event, when visitors are already on their way, or try in vain to access the site."