Over 300 people who paid for Trinity Ball tickets have been given refunds, as more payments went through on the website than the number of tickets available.
Trinity Ents has said it warned on three separate occasions that the server capacity of the Ball website would have to be increased to cater to the level of demand for tickets.
In a statement to The University Times, Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union Ents Officer Greg Arrowsmith said that “PayPal didn’t stop issuing tickets in time” when the website stopped issuing tickets.
“Trinity Ents and TCDSU is not in charge of ticketing for Trinity Ball”, Arrowsmith said. “That is the job of the Trinity Ball Committee, which we sit on, but our role is strictly to organise the live music aspect of the ball in collaboration with MCD, and to carry out the marketing for the ball.”
“I warned on three separate instances that the server capacity of the ball website would need to be increased dramatically due to the want to move to fully online ticketing, and the high demand for tickets in the college community. I was assured that server capacity would be increased and there would not be a problem.”
“Evidently the increase was not sufficient, leading to large wait times, and massive frustration for many students. This was incredibly frustrating for Trinity Ents, as though we are seen by many as the organisers of the Ball, we have no control over ticketing.”
Tickets for the Ball went on sale on Wednesday morning and sold out in under an hour.
Affected students were told in an email from the Ball team: “The Trinity Ball 2022 sold out in record time with the number of application requests exceeding the number of tickets available under the license for the event.”
“Tickets have now been allocated on the first-come-first-served-basis that is always used and unfortunately you have not been successful in obtaining a ticket”, the email said. “Such was the traffic experienced on the payment system that when it was closed off a number of payments that were in the middle of processing were subsequently completed, including your own.”
Those affected have been given refunds.
“We are sorry that we cannot give you better news but felt it was better that you know exactly what has happened and that you receive your money back as quickly as possible”, the email said.
Trinity Ents said on Wednesday that it was receiving reports of heavy traffic on the Ball website. This led to the slowing down of the site for many of those trying to buy tickets.
Those who couldn’t get a ticket can email [email protected] to be placed on a waiting list. Anyone who successfully purchased tickets will receive an email with their reference number.
This year, tickets were sold exclusively online for the first time. In previous years, tickets were also sold in House Six, leading to long queues in Front Square.
Tinie Tempah, CMAT and Alan Fitzpatrick will headline this year’s Trinity Ball. The lineup also includes Irish rapper Biig Piig, electronic duet Prospa, DJ Seinfeld, Obskur and Kilkenny-based electronic duo 49th & Main.
