Okay Wrestling Fans! I don’t think I need to tell you that the week leading up to Wrestlemania is one of the funnest weeks of any wrestling fans life! That is if you’re attending, whether you’re going or planning to go, here are some tips I recommend to get the best experience.
I’ve broken everything down into categories.
WHAT TYPE OF WRESTLEMANIA WEEK DO YOU WANT?
Make sure to ask yourself this question because it will help you plan out everything advance. For example, do you want a WWE only experience? An ALL-WRESTLING ONLY experience or a blend of wrestling and sightseeing?
Depending on who you are and whom you’re going with this will determine the type of Wrestlemania week you’ll have.
And luckily I’ve done all these. That’s the best part, no matter what type of Wrestlemania week you want to have there all AWESOME and memorable.
LOCATION
Deciding When To Attend Wrestlemania
As we know WM changes cities every year. And there are come cool cities and some LAME cities.
So again, depending on the type of vacation you want, I highly suggest you consider the location.
For example, when I did Mania in Dallas, I also wanted to sight-see, but it turns out there isn’t as much to do in Dallas than I expected.
Another example, when I went to Mania in San Francisco ( Santa Clara actually), I didn’t care about sight-seeing and only about the wrestling.
So my advice is, if you want to include sightseeing, pick a Mania that is hosted in a good city. And if you don’t care about sight-seeing as much, then I guess the city isn’t as important.
You’ve Picked A Wrestlemania Now Where Do You Stay?
You should know that hotels near the city center of where Wrestlemania is going to be held will be super pricey. They know fans are coming so they hike up prices. My BEST advice is to book your hotel ASAP as soon as you get your tickets. And also consider Airbnb. For this year’s WM in New Orleans, I booked via Airbnb and saved hundreds in comparison to the hotels. So check your options.
And map out the locations of the events you’re going to. By this I mean (WM and Raw After Mania) since you won’t know the venues for anything else this early. Do you want to stay close by the airport? By WM venue? By Raw Venue? Downtown?
When do I book my flight?
Same as hotel, right away! You’re going to spend a lot of money on event tickets so get the other stuff out-of-the-way first. So you can have time to save money.
For example: I purchased my WM tickets in November. Then my hotel and plane also in November. That gave me 3 to 4 months to save for Wrestlemania weekend itself.
TICKETS AND EVENTS
As the WM draws near other promotions will begin to announce shows. There are so many not just wrestling shows but parties, podcasts, conventions, etc. You’ll have a lot to pick from!
So I suggest writing down all the events you’re interested in, the date and time and keeping it all in a file. And if there are certain events you really want to attend, always buy those tickets first. Depending on the promotion and match card a lot of shows will sell out.
You should have your final schedule three weeks in advance from Mania. And by this I mean, tickets have been bought! And if you’re going to a lot make sure to WRITE THEM DOWN! Many events overlap, and you’ll have to pick some over others so always having a list comes in handy!
Plus it’s fun to share your list with others!
Tip: Always get your Mania tickets before anything. Before hotel and plane.
Tip: Raw after Mania tickets are harder to get than WM tickets. So if you want to go, STAY ON TOP OF IT. Try and purchase during pre-sale.
DATES
To get the best experience I suggest doing FRIDAY- TUESDAY.
That way you don’t miss too much work and get there just in time for the cool shows. And leave Tuesday so that you won’t miss RAW and you’ll still be back for work.
PACKING
Don’t OVERPACK. Shorts, pants and wrestling tees are pretty much all you need. Also depending on your itinerary of course.
Plus, there is so much cool merch to buy at all the different events so you’re going to want to have space to bring it back with you.
Tip: Take a sweater. It’s Springtime.
MONEY AND SPENDING
This of course depends on your spending habits. For the most part if you buy all your tickets in advance you don’t have to worry about it. You will only have to worry about food, transportation and souvenirs.
I recommend carrying some cash with you. At some of the small indie shows, guys will be selling merch and most only take cash.
Plus if you’re driving you’ll need money for parking.
TRANSPORTATION AND PARKING
This really depends on two things.
Where you are located?
And will you be renting a car or taking an Uber or Lyft?
Each year I’ve rented a car because I don’t like the hassle of not having one. This year I decided not to. So we’ll see how it goes.
If you are renting a car you should know that parking at Wrestlemania will be expensive. Between $20- $60. I do not suggest pre-buying your parking ticket because i did this and it was so out of control unorganized that I ended up having to pay extra. It was a nightmare!
ANYTHING ELSE?
If you have any questions please let me know in the comments below! Whether I missed something or didn’t clarify enough, I am here to help!
You can also check out my detailed Wrestlemania 32 experience blog. By clicking here.
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