Are Ariana Grande tour tickets getting canceled? Here's what Ticketmaster says

At the same time, the official range of tour dates and availability-especially outside of major markets-has been limited, fanning frustration from fans who feel locked out.

With that as background, Ticketmaster's role has come under scrutiny-not just for how the sale process was handled, but for what happens next with tickets that may have been obtained outside approved channels.

Here's what we know from official statements and credible reporting about cancellations or review of tickets:

Ticketmaster confirms it is working with Ariana Grande's team to review purchases and identify tickets that were transferred, resold, or acquired through methods not compliant with the tour's terms.

“we partnered with the tour to review all ticket purchases … the good news is that most purchases were made by real fans who use the tickets they buy to attend shows.”

Ticketmaster stated that tickets flagged as being resold or transferred outside approved routes are at risk of being cancelled.

They maintained that their efforts were directed toward fighting scalping and unauthorized resales, underlining that the majority of purchases were made by legitimate fans.

So, yes: Ticketmaster/the tour team are canceling tickets-but it's targeted at tickets suspected of violating terms, resale, transfers, etc. It is not being reported that all the tickets are being canceled.

From the fans' point of view, it is all a mess and nerve-wracking.

Many fans reported receiving emails from Ticketmaster about "unusual activity" or needs to verify identity/ownership, with warnings that tickets could be cancelled if verification is not completed.

From Reddit: > “I bought two tickets … during the presale … my tickets just got cancelled.”

Others report buying tickets through resale sites, sometimes inexpensively, and then having those tickets cancelled, although they believe they followed the process.

Some are angry because they perceive it as an opaque process: they don't know why their tickets were cancelled, feel they are being penalised despite being genuine fans, and resellers are still operating.

On the purchase side, fans are frustrated with the very process of ticket sales: incredibly long virtual queues, tickets disappearing in just seconds, and remaining inventory cropping up most prominently on secondary markets at inflated prices.

Why this cancellation crackdown is happening

Here are some of the mechanisms and motivations behind what Ticketmaster and the tour team are doing:

Transfers and resale outside approved system: In case a ticket purchaser doesn't follow the official transfer or resale rules-for example, via the official portal or within terms-the ticket may be flagged. Ticketmaster seems to flag any tickets transferred in ways that violate tour policies.

Perceived scarcity and "holdbacks": Insiders say only a small proportion of tickets were made available to general sale, with many held back to create artificial scarcity - driving demand, and resale prices, upwards.

Protecting fans & brand: From a tour/artist perspective, enabling scalpers to dominate ticket access damages fan goodwill, which is especially risky for an artist like Ariana Grande who has a large and very passionate fanbase. So, implementing cancellations is likely part of the damage control and ensuring real fans can attend.

What you should do if you hold or are trying to buy tickets

The following are some practical tips-if you are a ticket-holder or planning to buy:

Avoid "gray market" purchases: Third-party reseller tickets carry a greater risk of invalidation—due either to the reseller not being approved or due to the ticket being attached to a previously banned account. Fans report incidents.

This situation is representative of bigger system problems in ticketing:

 Power of primary ticketing platforms: Ticketmaster's role is under scrutiny from both fans and regulators in terms of how ticket inventory is allocated and whether bots/resellers are properly being blocked.   Final thoughts