Big E offering $9 flash sale for 2022 fair tickets

WEST SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - The Eastern States Exposition has begun a 99-day countdown to The Big E and to kick it off, they launched a one-day flash ticket sale happening Thursday from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. with general tickets costing just $9.

“It’s a way for us to create a little bit of excitement and get people really in The Big E mood. Fall is just around the corner,” said Tim Garstka, director of sales for the Eastern States Exposition.

The Big E is just 99 days away and preparations for 106th annual fair have begun. Western Mass News spoke with Garstka, who told us they have launched a special sale for one day only as a way to thank the visitors who helped make last year’s fair historic success.

“It is 99 days out and it is June 9, so we decided to run our flash sale today. It’s nine bucks for you to preorder tickets…We’ve done it the last three or four years and it creates a lot of excitement for us, we have never divulged the date. We have moved the date around. We have done 100 days out, we did one on Valentine’s Day, so we try to keep the moving target out there,” Garstka explained.

Garstka said events like this have proven successful in years past, like the lifetime Golden Ticket passes in 2021.

“The Golden Ticket was something for us to give back to our loyal patrons during COVID, right when things started to come out of COVID, so we decided to do a lifetime pass to The Big E, essentially a Willy Wonka-like Golden Ticket, so when we announced that sale, it started at 9 in the morning and we sold out in 61 seconds,” Garstka added.

As for some new things to expect for the 2022 season, he said, “We have a killer concert line-up for the Court of Honor, which was just announced yesterday, so if you would like to go on The Big E website, that’s available. We got people like D.J. Jazzy Jeff coming, along with John Weight and some others. We have a number of new food items from our team.”

Also new for their 2022 fair campaign, they’ve launched a mystery giveaway. To be entered to win, people must scan the QR code on their ticket and then answer four questions. The winner will be revealed at some point during this year’s Big E.

“I think we have a lot of momentum to go into 2022 and we got a great show planned for everyone,” Garstka said.

The Big E kicks off September 16 and runs through October 2, so be sure to preorder your tickets now to get ahead of the action.