Tickets to the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest have sold out in just over half an hour. Fans faced technical issues as the Ticketmaster website struggled with the number of people trying to secure tickets to the nine different live shows on Tuesday.
The dedicated website page appeared to crash shortly before tickets were due to become available, with issues continuing throughout the sale.
Some were met with a “500 – Internal Server Error” message when they attempted to click through to find tickets.
Others reported being ejected from the virtual queue after receiving a message saying their session had expired “due to inactivity”.
At 12.36 the official Eurovision account tweeted that all tickets to the grand final had sold out.
It added: “Tickets for other shows are still available but demand is high!”
Ticketmaster has been contacted for comment.
The international singing competition will take place at the 11,000-capacity Liverpool Arena later this year, culminating in the grand final on May 13.
The event is being held in the city after the UK was chosen to host the competition on behalf of war-torn 2022 winner Ukraine.
Tickets for the semi-final shows are priced from £30 to £290, with the cost increasing to between £80 and £380 for the grand final shows.
Those who managed to secure tickets celebrated on social media while others commiserated online.
BBC Breakfast presenter Jon Kay tweeted: “Yessss! My wife has got us #Eurovision tickets!!
“(I mean, we’re sitting right at the back for the semi-final afternoon dress-rehearsal but it will be great to be part of the fun in Liverpool!)”
Before the sale, Ticketmaster urged fans to register an account in order to ensure the process went smoothly.
Fans were able to buy up to four tickets in a single order for the live shows and six in a single order for the preview performances.
Eurovision is set to air on the BBC and will be hosted by singer and Britain’s Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon, Ted Lasso actress Hannah Waddingham and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina, as well as returning favourite, comedian and talk show host Graham Norton.
Ukrainian refugees living in the UK through the Homes for Ukraine scheme, the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Ukraine Extension Scheme will be able to apply for cheaper tickets.
It was previously announced the UK Government will make around 3,000 tickets available for those who were forced to flee their home country when Russian troops invaded last year.
The subsidised tickets will cost £20.
The semi-final evening preview kicks off at 8pm on May 8, with the grand final live show bringing the contest to an end starting at 8pm on May 13.
