Live events are more popular than ever, with fans flocking from near and far to see their favorite artists and sports teams play in front of them. This rise in popularity has resulted in a significant increase in ticket prices, with many people willing to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars for a single event.
To find out just how far this trend has gone, High 5 Casino decided to have a deeper look into America’s most expensive tickets in 2024. Our research only takes into account average ticket prices rather than the most exclusive VIP tickets, so the results may surprise you more than you expect!
From ice hockey to football, formula 1 to fashion, let’s see how much cash people part with in order to experience their favorite events in person.
Most expensive tickets ever sold
We’ll begin with the three most expensive tickets ever sold in the USA. Make sure to grab a tissue, as these prices are eye-wateringly high!
#3. Mayweather v. Pacquiao
In 2015, Floyd Mayweather took on Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Billed as the “Fight of the Century,” it was one of the most anticipated boxing matches in history. Mayweather won by unanimous decision after twelve rounds, maintaining his undefeated record.
The event became the highest-grossing fight ever, which isn’t surprising when you take into account that the average ticket price was $40,900.
#2. Met Gala
The 2024 Met Gala dazzled with its “Sleeping Beauties” theme, celebrating archival fashion pieces and how they interact with the passage of time. The event, held at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, saw co-chairs like Bad Bunny and Anna Wintour leading the charge in a celebration of timeless elegance. Stars including Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid and Lana Del Rey graced the carpet in stunning, intricate designs from Givenchy, Alexander McQueen, and more.
In order walk the red carpet and enjoy a sit-down dinner complete with a carefully curated seating plan, attendees paid an incredible $75,000 per ticket.
#1. NBA Finals – Game 7
In Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics 83-79, clinching their 16th championship. Kobe Bryant earned Finals MVP despite struggling with shooting, contributing 23 points and 15 rebounds, leading the Lakers to back-to-back titles.
This game takes the top slot for most expensive tickets ever sold, with each one costing $81,000.
Top 10 most expensive tickets sold in 2024
This year has had its fair share of exciting events, with cities across America hosting a wide range of much-anticipated celebrations. These events are ranked by how much one person’s attendance at the event cost per minute, starting with the “cheapest” and working up to the most expensive.
#10: Miami F1 Grand Prix
A trip to Miami is always worthwhile, especially when you get to watch F1 cars zooming past as part of the Grand Prix. Tickets to this year’s event cost an average of $878 each, which works out at $7.32 per minute.
#9: Weekends with Adele
The British singer-songwriter known for her powerful voice and emotional ballads has won numerous awards, including Grammys and an Academy Award. In 2024, tickets to see her Weekends with Adele concert cost $1,004 each on average, which is $8.37 per minute.
#8: March Madness Final Tour
Living up to its name, tickets for the March Madness Final Tour were considered insanely priced for some fans. Those with enough spare cash spent $2,225 per ticket on average, which is $9.27 per minute.
#7: Taylor Swift Eras Tour
The Taylor Swift Eras Tour celebrates the singer-songwriter’s entire discography, from her debut album to ‘Midnights’, with elaborate performances representing each musical “era”. With fans paying $2,451 per ticket on average ($12.57 per minute), it has become one of the highest-grossing tours ever.
#6: MLB World Series
The 120th edition of the championship features a best-of-seven series between the National League and American League champions, with home-field advantage awarded based on regular-season records. In order for fans to see the players do their stuff, they have to part with $3,336 on average for a ticket, which is $13.90 per minute.
#5: Grammys
The 2024 Grammy Awards featured performances by Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, U2 and other top artists. The night also included moving tributes to Tony Bennett, Sinéad O’Connor and Clarence Avant, making it a memorable evening in music history. Attendees paid an average of $3,500 for a ticket, which is $16.67 per minute.
#4: Super Bowl
Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas saw the Kansas City Chiefs defeat the San Francisco 49ers. Perhaps $6,559 for a ticket ($27.33 per minute) was worth it for Chiefs fans, but perhaps not for those who were visiting from San Francisco.
#3: NBA Finals
At the 2024 NBA Finals, the Celtics defeated the Mavericks four games to one, winning their first championship since 2008 and 18th overall, giving them the most NBA Championships of any franchise. As for tickets, basketball fans paid an average of $4,150 per ticket, which is $34.58 per minute.
#2: Stanley Cup Finals
A ticket to this year’s Stanley Cup Finals costs a lot less than one for the NBA Finals, but the cost per minute is a lot higher. Fans paid an average of $2,700 per ticket, resulting in each minute costing them an average of $45.00.
#1: Met Gala
At number one, it’s the previously mentioned Met Gala. You already know that a single ticket cost an average of $75,000, but what does that equate to in terms of time? Well, believe it or not, people were more than happy to pay $208.33 for every minute they spent on the red carpet.
Most expensive tickets sold in 2024 (sport vs entertainment)
To finish off, let’s compare the most expensive sports tickets and the most expensive entertainment tickets sold in America in 2024.
Sports games usually cost more per minute than other types of events. Take the Stanley Cup Finals for instance, which cost an average of $45.00 per minute, making them the most expensive sports ticket in 2024 when ranked by time. The NBA Finals were close behind at $34.58 per minute, then the Super Bowl at $27.33 per minute. Even the MLS Cup, with tickets costing $400 each on average, works out at $3.33 per minute for fans in attendance.
However, 2024 threw some curveballs this year when it came to events celebrating culture and the arts. As mentioned, the average ticket to the Met Gala cost $208.33 per minute, which is more than 4.5 times as much as one for the Stanley Cup Finals. Other expensive events that we haven’t mentioned yet are the American Music Awards (an average of $752 per ticket, or $4.18 a minute), U2 playing live (average of $522 a ticket, or $3.87 per minute), and Phish concerts (average of $684, or $3.80 per minute).
Even the lowest in the top 10 most expensive entertainment tickets of this year, the Shakira 2024 Tour, cost an average of $316 to attend. This means that her fans were paying $2.34 per minute to hear her powerful voice and watch her truth-telling hips.
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Methodology
This study looked at the 50 most popular events in the US in 2024, including sporting events, music concerts, and film and TV awards. The average ticket price for each event was manually collected from a range of sources. The average ticket price was then divided by the average duration of each event to give the cost per minute in US Dollars. The events were then ranked from highest to lowest based on the cost per minute. Data is accurate as of 09/01/2024.