How to buy concert tickets in Melbourne in 2027

Who sells what: the Melbourne ticketing map

Australia’s big ticketing companies sign exclusive deals with venues, so the first question is never “which site is cheapest” but “which company has this building”. In Melbourne two contracts cover most of the large shows:

• Ticketek sells for Melbourne & Olympic Parks, which means Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena, along with AAMI Park next door. TEG, Ticketek’s parent company, extended that partnership for a further five years after more than two decades together.
• Ticketmaster has a partnership with Marvel Stadium that now stretches beyond three decades, so Docklands concerts and AFL matches there sell through Ticketmaster.

Theatres and clubs are less fixed. Live Nation operates the Palais Theatre and Festival Hall, so their shows often appear on Ticketmaster, but the promoter of each tour decides. Smaller rooms such as 170 Russell use a mix of sellers, including Ticketmaster, Moshtix, Oztix and DICE, depending on the promoter. The MCG uses different agents for different events. The only safe rule is to follow the link in the official tour announcement; we include that seller in our alert emails.

The presale ladder

Most Australian arena and stadium tours release tickets in steps over three to five days. The order changes, but these are the usual rungs:

• Artist or fan-club presale: a code sent to the artist’s mailing list or fan club, often the earliest window.
• Promoter presale: My Live Nation, Frontier Touring members, TEG or Chugg Entertainment lists, depending on who is bringing the tour.
• Card and telco presales: Amex cardholders, Telstra Plus members or Optus Perks customers on selected tours, sometimes Mastercard.
• Venue presale: occasionally offered to venue newsletter subscribers or members.
• General public on-sale, usually a day or two after the last presale.

Presales do not mean better tickets, only an earlier queue. For a show that will clearly sell out, joining two different presales doubles your chances.

On-sale times in Melbourne time

Victoria runs on Australian Eastern Standard Time (UTC+10) in winter and switches to daylight saving, AEDT (UTC+11), from the first Sunday in October to the first Sunday in April. Most summer tour announcements in October and November therefore quote AEDT. National tours often stagger their on-sales by city: one city may start at 10am and another an hour later, or on a different day. Melbourne is not always first, and the times in an announcement are not always written in Melbourne time, so check the city and the time zone in each line. Our alert converts everything into Melbourne time for you.

Surviving the queue

Ticketek and Ticketmaster both use virtual waiting rooms for in-demand shows. A few things help:

• Log in and check your payment card is saved and valid before the sale opens.
• Join the waiting room as soon as it opens; on many sales, everyone who is in before the start time is given a random place.
• Use one device per account. Opening many tabs can get you flagged and does not speed things up.
• Read the ticket type before paying: “restricted view”, “side stage” or a platinum-priced seat can look similar on a seat map.

If the first night sells out, wait. Many 2027 Melbourne bookings, from Radiohead to Bruno Mars and BTS, are multi-night runs, and extra dates are often added while the general sale is still going.

Resale, transfers and Victoria’s scalping rules

If you cannot go, use the official route first. Ticketek and Ticketmaster each offer resale on their own platforms for many events, at or near face value, and many mobile tickets can be transferred to a friend inside the app.

Victoria’s Major Events Act 2009 gives extra protection for events the Minister declares. For a declared event, reselling or advertising a ticket for more than 10 % above its face value is an offence, and resellers have to show details such as the seat and face value in their ads. Since 2018 the rules have covered concerts, theatre and festivals as well as sport. Penalties can be heavy. Not every concert is declared, so check the Victorian government’s list of declared events, and report suspected scalping or scams to Consumer Affairs Victoria. Whatever the law, buying from a stranger on social media is the most common way Melbourne fans lose money.

Accessible seating and the Companion Card

All the major Melbourne venues offer wheelchair spaces and companion seats, but these are usually booked through a dedicated phone line or form rather than the general seat map. Victoria participates in the national Companion Card scheme: a cardholder who needs a carer with them can usually get a second ticket for that companion at no charge at participating venues. Contact the ticketing company’s access team early, ideally during a presale, because accessible places are limited. Melbourne Park, the MCG and Marvel Stadium all have accessible entries and drop-off points; ask about them when you book, and allow extra time on event days when nearby roads close.

Fees, prices and what we show

Australian tickets are advertised with booking or handling fees that vary by seller and delivery method, and some sellers add a per-order fee on top. Dynamic or “platinum” pricing, where the price moves with demand, is now used on some large tours. The ranges on our artist pages are indicative only, based on what comparable shows have charged; the real price is set by the promoter at on-sale.

Get the Melbourne alert

Melbourne’s busiest on-sale weeks can bring several announcements a day. Sign up below for free and choose artists, venues or the whole city: we email presale codes when they are published, the exact queue time in Melbourne time, the seller, and any extra dates. We are not a ticket seller and never charge for the alert.