If you were hoping to buy tickets for the Panda Game, you’re out of luck. In fact, you were out of luck on Sept. 13, when tickets sold out.
Tickets to the annual football game versus the University of Ottawa, scheduled to take place at TD Place on Oct. 5, went on sale at Carleton Sept. 3 and were gone within 10 days.
“Well I think it’s really cool the tickets sold out, but it also kind of sucks for anyone that didn’t get a ticket yet,” Lily Akagbosu, Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) president said.
“I recognize that they’ve sold out really fast, way faster than we even pictured,” she added.
“Last year, I waited a bit too long and didn’t get a ticket,” said Jamie Laxton, CUSA vice-president (student life), who is in charge of Panda Game programming. This year, she didn’t make the same mistake, and she thinks others have learned to get their tickets early.
However, some students are annoyed by the limited amount of tickets available and many have resorted to buying tickets for marked-up prices. While the initial tickets sold for $25, resold tickets on Kijiji and private Facebook groups are going for as much as three times the original price.
Carleton Athletics, the Student Experience Office, and CUSA were the only on-campus destinations selling tickets to students. CUSA also sold tickets at their businesses such as Haven Books and Café, The Wing, and Ollie’s for the first time this year.
The boom in ticket sales was good for business, said Travis Lindgren, CUSA general manager.
“It’s already had a noticeable bump on The Wing’s sales,” Lindgren said. “Lots of Panda tickets, but also lots of confectionary items, so people are grabbing I guess a Coke or a bag of chips or whatever while they’re there.”
Despite a boost in confectionary sales, CUSA sold the Panda tickets at cost to students rather than making a profit off of them. However, Akagbosu added CUSA will be selling new Panda Game shirts and merch for students this year as well.
Although the exact reasoning for the fast sellout may not be known, students that were able to get tickets are feeling lucky and are expecting big things from the event.
“I’m hella excited,” said Mary Zarb, a first-year student. “I’m expecting us to win. If we don’t win, I’m gonna be really mad.”
Another student, Lukas Stinson, added he predicts the score will be “definitely triple digits for us.”
First-year student, Daniel Lim, was more specific in his prediction.
“It will be 37 to the Ravens and 17 to UOttawa,” he said.
—With files from Jillian Piper
Featured image by Tim Austen.
