General admission vs seated tickets: which to buy

Short version: neither ticket is better. General admission (GA) gets you no fixed spot, so the people who turn up early and hold their ground end up closest. A seated ticket gets you one exact seat, so you can rock up when you like and it'll be waiting. Which one suits you depends on how close you want to be, how long you can stand, who's coming with you and whether you have access needs.

This guide pulls together what ticket sellers and venues across Australia, New Zealand and the US say on their own pages, checked on 3 October 2026. Rules change from show to show, so always read the event page before you buy. We're not connected to any venue or ticket seller mentioned here.

Quick answers

What does general admission actually mean?

Ticketmaster Australia's FAQ defines it as "seating or standing areas that are not assigned or reserved, and are occupied on a first-come, first-served basis." Reserved seating is the opposite: you get a specific section, row and seat when you buy. Arenas mostly sell reserved seats, while GA is most common at places without seats, like outdoor festivals and smaller club shows.

The standing version has an old name, "festival seating". Wikipedia's entry notes many musicians like it because it lets the keenest fans get right up to the stage.

Why does my GA ticket have a row and seat number?

It looks like a seat, but it isn't. Ticketmaster Australia says the section, row and seat numbers quoted when you buy GA are for inventory only and aren't real seat locations. It also says it can't promise you a seat at a GA event.

Venues say the same thing. For the Kings Park concerts in Perth, Mellen Events says tickets marked "GENADM" that show a row and seat are "for ticket tracking purposes only. This information does not mean you have a reserved seat." Huntington Bank Pavilion in Chicago tells lawn ticket holders the row or seat number "is just for tracking purposes."

So if your ticket says GA anywhere on it, ignore the seat number. Nobody's going to show you to it.

What do all the ticket labels mean?

Theatres often switch between formats depending on the act, and the labels tell you which one you're getting. The Odeon Theatre in Hobart spells out three:

• Reserved Seating: "a fully allocated, seated show."
• Unreserved Seating: "a seated, general admission show." There are seats, but you grab one when you get there.
• GA Standing/Seated: the show is GA standing, and "any available seating will be offered on a first come, first served basis."

A few others you'll see:

• Lawn: outdoor GA. At Kings Park, only the Diamond, Platinum, Gold and Silver tiers come with reserved seats; everyone else brings a picnic rug or their own seat. Live at the Gardens in Melbourne bans chairs, prams and strollers in GA, and only allows compact picnic blankets in a set space at the back.
• Dinner and Show: a table booking bundled with your ticket. At the Vanguard in Newtown it includes a meal, reserved seating and dedicated waitstaff. At Brunswick Ballroom in Melbourne, a Dinner and Show ticket includes a table booking, while all tables and seating for GA tickets are first come, first served.

Is GA floor worth it?

If being close matters most to you and you can stand for hours, usually yes. The front of a GA floor goes to whoever gets there first, which is why fans who care about that line up early. Whether the front of the floor beats the best seats in the house depends on the room, though, so look at the seat map before deciding. Ticketmaster Australia says colour seating charts are available for most venues when you buy online.

GA floors also fit a lot more people than seated layouts. The Odeon's numbers show it well: fully seated, it holds 841 (393 on the floor plus 448 in the mezzanine). With a standing floor, it holds 1,350 (902 standing plus the same 448 seats upstairs). Same building, about 500 more people, all of them on the floor. The Sydney Opera House Forecourt takes up to 6000 general admission standing.

That density is the trade-off. On a packed floor you can't easily sit, slip out for a drink without losing your place, or keep a big group together.

Buy GA if:

• You want a shot at the front and can arrive early.
• You're fine standing for the whole night, support acts included.
• You're going solo or with one or two mates who'll stick together.
• You're not planning to leave and come back.

Buy a seat if:

• You want a set view without queueing.
• You'd rather arrive close to the headliner, or leave before the encore.
• You're bringing kids, or a big group that wants to sit together.
• You use a wheelchair, crutches or another mobility aid.
• Standing for hours isn't comfortable for you.

How early should I line up for GA?

Check the venue's queue rules first, because most big rooms set a start time and won't let you camp. As of October 2026:

• Afterpay Arena, Sydney (formerly Qudos Bank Arena, renamed on 23 July 2026): "GA patrons are not permitted to line up at the Arena until 8 a.m. on the concert day." GA patrons go in through the Northern Foyer at Entry B.
• RAC Arena, Perth: "Queuing will be permitted from 9am on the day of the Event." Anyone trying to queue or camp earlier will be asked to leave.
• Spark Arena, Auckland: doesn't encourage queuing before 8am on event day. Bathrooms, water and security are there from 8am. The venue says you'll get in promptly when doors open, so you don't need to wait in advance. Our Spark Arena guide covers the floor and seating layout.
• Bridgestone Arena, Nashville: where it applies, GA lines start at 8am on event day at the SoBro Entrance Plaza. No camping or staying overnight on arena property.
• TD Garden, Boston: for certain GA floor shows, numbered wristbands are handed out in order from 8am to 1pm at the door marked STAIR 4. You have to be there in person with a valid GA ticket, then leave the property until 4pm, when lining up by wristband number starts. GA doors open about 1.5 hours before the show, half an hour earlier than regular doors.

These rules exist for a reason. In December 1979, crowds rushing still-closed doors at a sold-out The Who concert with festival seating in Cincinnati led to eleven deaths. The city banned festival seating until 2004.

Remember the ticket time is usually doors

The Vanguard says the time on your ticket is when doors open, not when the music starts. For 7pm doors, music there typically starts between 7:30pm and 8:30pm. Powerstation in Auckland gives its general times as 8pm doors, 8:30pm support and 9:30pm main act, though every show sets its own.

Can I leave the GA floor and come back?

Often, no. And on a GA floor, leaving costs you twice: you may not get back in, and if you do, someone else has your spot.

• Marvel Stadium, Melbourne: pass-outs aren't issued. If you leave, you scan out with the ticket you came in on.
• Live at the Gardens, Melbourne: no pass-outs except for bad weather or emergencies.
• Red Rocks, Colorado: no leaving and coming back except in weather or medical emergencies.
• TD Garden: strict no re-entry, apart from personal emergencies approved by a Guest Services Supervisor.
• Bridgestone Arena: no re-entry. If you need to go out and back for a service animal or a personal emergency, see event staff at the main entrance first to be scanned out.

Inside the venue, you can usually step back for air. Afterpay Arena's GA page says you can move out of the crowd into the foyers or to the back of the floor. It has free water stations on Ground Level (opposite Door 16), Club Level (near Door 22) and the Upper Concourse (near Door 77), and medical staff on either side of the floor and near Door 4.

Can kids go on the GA floor?

Sometimes, with conditions. As of October 2026, Spark Arena's conditions say "No-one under the age of 15 is permitted on the standing GA floor without being accompanied by an adult (18+)." Its FAQ adds that under-14s must be supervised by a responsible adult at all times, and that standing on seats or sitting on someone's shoulders isn't allowed.

RAC Arena says age rules vary: "Each event is different so check the event page". For most families, a seated ticket is the easier call. Everyone stays together, and you've got somewhere to sit when little legs give out.

Can I use a wheelchair or crutches in GA?

At some venues, not in the standing zones. Spark Arena's conditions say "Wheelchairs, knee scooters, mobility scooters and crutches are not permitted in general admission standing zones." That's the biggest single reason to buy a seat if you use a mobility aid. Spark Arena puts wheelchair spaces in Row V of the lower bowl, reached by the foyer elevator. Companion seats have to be reserved when you book, it has three comfort or bariatric-rated seats, and Entry B gives wheelchair users preferential access.

Other venues handle it differently:

• Marvel Stadium has accessible GA access via the Gate 6 lifts to level B2, and suggests emailing its accessibility team before event day.
• Adelaide Entertainment Centre has wheelchair and mobility-restricted seating in both the Arena and the Theatre, with companion seats, subject to availability when you book.
• RAC Arena says if your needs change after booking, Ticketek's Accessible Seating line can help with relocation. It lists standard arena floor seats as 420mm wide, 500mm deep and 500mm high, and asks you to contact the venue if you need something different.
• Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide has limited tiered seating downstairs for accessibility needs at GA shows. Phone the venue to arrange it. Upstairs seating at GA concerts is first come, first served. See our Thebarton Theatre guide.
• Powerstation, Auckland calls itself "a General Admission (GA) venue", mostly standing with very limited seating upstairs and downstairs. It's wheelchair accessible but has no allocated wheelchair seating, so arrive early and speak to security, who'll find you a spot with a good view. More in our Powerstation guide.
• The Odeon, Hobart has seats for people with mobility issues and reserved wheelchair areas. Contact the venue before buying. Our Odeon Theatre guide has more.
• TD Garden has accessible seating on every level; say you need it when you buy. Red Rocks has wheelchair-accessible seating in rows 1 and 70, with folding chairs in those rows.

Can I buy GA at the door?

Sometimes, but don't count on it. The Vanguard says "For most shows, GA tickets are available at the door, but it's a gamble." If you really want to go, buy ahead.

Buying GA or seated tickets on resale

In NSW, resale ads must show the bay, row or seat number, and "tickets to events without allocated seating must specify general admission or similar." The asking price can't be more than 10% above the original ticket cost. So if a NSW resale ad for a seated show gives no seat details, treat that as a red flag. And remember that a GA ticket listed with a seat number still isn't a reserved seat.

Check before you buy

• Read the event page for the format: reserved, unreserved, GA standing or GA standing/seated.
• Look at the seat map and see where the floor sits compared with the seats you'd get.
• Check the age rules for the GA floor if anyone under 18 is coming.
• Check the queue start time, and whether wristbands or anti-camping rules apply.
• Check the re-entry or pass-out policy.
• Check the bag size limit for the floor.
• If you need accessible seating, contact the venue or ticket seller before you buy.

Venue guides with floor and seating details

Our venue guides explain how each room is laid out for standing and seated shows: Spark Arena, Fortitude Music Hall, the Tivoli, Riverstage, the Palais Theatre and Festival Hall.