A Guide to Attending WrestleMania
Baseball fans have the World Series. Football lovers have the Super Bowl. Wrestling fans, well, they have WrestleMania.
The star-studded extravaganza acts as a kind of season finale for the WWE. For WWE fans, going to WrestleMania offers an incredible experience no one could ever forget. (This author just went to her first one in April and thinks about how awesome it was every day.)
Tickets for WrestleMania 40, which takes place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 6 and 7, 2024, have already gone on sale. According to the WWE, ticket sales have topped the all-time total gross record of $21.6 million set by WrestleMania 39. For any of the lucky 90,000+ fans who have already secured tickets or anyone who can snag a stray ticket as the event gets closer, here’s what you need to know from those who have already been to one.
Plan It Out
“My best tip is to plan out an itinerary of all the shows you want to hit for the week but also to build some downtime into the trip,” said Phil Strum, the founder of the Under the Ring Podcast. He attended WrestleMania 29 and 35 at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Although none of the additional shows have been announced yet, the WWE does hold a yearly Hall of Fame event in the same city as WrestleMania. Fans buy a separate ticket to attend and watch the induction of that year’s nominees. There are also WWE superstar meet-and-greets and an annual NXT Stand & Deliver live-streaming event that both require additional tickets.
Strum said one of the biggest thrills of going to WrestleMania is meeting people from all over the world. “There are at least five people I met at WrestleMania weekends who I keep in touch with and will try to see when I go again,” said Strum.
Budget, Budget, Budget
Let’s be blunt – WrestleMania tickets are NOT cheap. There are two-day combo tickets, and tickets sold individually for each night. Anyone wanting to sit ringside for either night, expect to dish out up to $8,000 for one seat. However, there are some verified resale tickets on Ticketmaster where you can find a bargain ticket price of a few hundred dollars, but your seats might be a bit higher or have a limited view.
I will tell you that just being there is worth it, no matter where you sit. My son and I did have great seats because he happened to find a fluke of a bargain on tickets that were relatively close to the ring, but less than half the price of a regular ticket (I don’t know how he did it). The atmosphere at WrestleMania is absolutely electric. We sang theme songs with 75,000 other members of the WWE universe, and as we walked around SoFi Stadium, we met fans with multiple WWE tattoos and those who came from Ireland and Scotland for the show.
In addition to budgeting for WrestleMania tickets, fans should include lodging costs, if not local, food, transportation, and merch money.
Avoid Transportation Troubles
Travis Brinkley, who attended WrestleMania 39, has tips about transportation. “Pay for convenience and don’t rely on companies like Uber or Lyft,” he said. Brinkley explains that at SoFi Stadium, everyone was outside ordering an Uber or Lyft after the event. This left both companies backlogged and streets lined with fans scrambling to get phone service to check on their ride. Even those who pre-booked rides were struggling to get home as the drivers would cancel to take the higher-priced rides instead.
As a result, fans — including us– waited for hours to return to their homes or hotels.
Brinkley prepped for the next day. “Someone I knew at the hotel was able to get a private car service to pick me up before my phone died on day one,” said Brinkley. “I set it up for the second night and avoided the Uber issues.”
Merch Mentality
Brinkley also suggests fans going to both nights buy their merch on the first night. “There’s no guarantee it will be there the second night,” he said.
For me, the lines were so long on the second night that I couldn't wait on them; otherwise, my car service would have left. As a result, I missed out on the T-shirt I really wanted and should have gotten the day before.
Finally, not everyone knows stadiums have size requirements for purses and bags. Measure carefully; otherwise, risk losing a handbag.
Take it from us. SoFi Stadium has size requirements as well, but I measured incorrectly, and my bag was slightly over its limit. Most stadiums also offer lockers you can rent to store your bag, but all of the lockers were taken when I got there. To go inside for the event, I either returned to the hotel (impossible based on time and traffic) or threw my bag away. I emptied the purse and threw it away. I was not missing WrestleMania.
These are what is allowed inside Lincoln Financial Field according to their website, “bags that are clear plastic, vinyl or PVC and do not exceed 12″ x 6″ x 12”; one-gallon clear plastic freezer bag (Ziploc bag or similar); small clutch bags, approximately the size of a hand but not larger than 4.5″ x 6.5″, with or without a handle/strap.
And finally, take in the moment. Yes, everyone wants their selfies and videos, but put the phone down for a bit and look around. Take it all in. The WWE puts photos and videos up on their website after the event, so attendees can always have those too. But nothing replaces the feeling, the sounds, and the atmosphere of WrestleMania. Have fun!