Tickets go on sale next week for the 25th Joe Val Bluegrass Festival, slated Feb. 12-14 at the Sheraton Framingham in Framingham, Mass.

Ticket sales and room reservations at the Sheraton will begin at 7 p.m. EST Tuesday, according to the Boston Bluegrass Union, which sponsors the festival.

Those wanting to reserve rooms must hold a current Boston Bluegrass Union membership. Since the Sheraton does not have enough rooms to accommodate all festival patrons, the union calls the frenzy to reserve rooms “the land rush.”

Greetings from the BBU -

The 25th Joe Val Bluegrass Festival, presented by the Boston Bluegrass Union, will take place February 12 – 14, 2010 at the Sheraton Framingham, in Framingham, MA. As most of you are aware by now, tickets and hotel reservations will go on sale beginning next Tuesday, November 17th at 7 PM EST. I just want to take a moment to cover a few details to make the process as easy as possible.

While the Sheraton is a large hotel, it does not have a sufficient number of rooms to meet the demand. We recognize that this is not a good thing – everyone would like to stay at the Sheraton. The Boston Bluegrass Union has investigated many other options, but none prove as attractive and patron friendly as the Sheraton. So, that leaves us, both the Boston Bluegrass Union and patrons, with what I like to call the land rush on the 17th. The Boston Bluegrass Union staff has worked closely with the staff at the Sheraton to put in place a new and improved process for this year’s festival which we feel will streamline and remove some of the issues encountered in 2009. We have also lined up a number of alternate hotels. If you have a large group and want to ensure you stay together, I encourage you to explore this option. By all accounts, this worked very well.

All the information has been posted to bbu.org/jvhotel.htm Be sure to visit this page prior to Tuesday and review all the details Here is a summary of some important points -

1. Ticket sales and hotel reservations open on Tuesday, November 17 at 7pm EST. A current Boston Bluegrass Union membership is a requirement for reserving a room at the Sheraton Hotel. Click here to renew your membership or join today before tickets go on sale.
2. Have your credit card and room choice decided when you start the reservation process. You must complete your ticket order process in order to reserve your room. You will not be asked to enter a membership number or your membership expiration date. However, we will check that all room requests have come from current members. If you are not a current member, your room request will not be honored. Check the mailing label on your most recent Bluegrass Breakdown for your membership expiration date.
3. There is a two night minimum, including Friday and Saturday stay at the Sheraton, and a 72-hour cancellation clause. We encourage you to come earlier and stay through Sunday night. Same room rate. The Sheraton is reserved for weekend ticket holders only. All parties staying in your hotel room must have a weekend ticket.
4. There is a limit of one room per member. If you need more rooms, please have additional members make their reservations. Once you have made your choice, you will be taken to a screen where you can purchase one festival ticket bundled with the right to reserve a hotel room. You will also have the option to purchase additional weekend tickets at that time. You will need your credit card, E-mail address, and a telephone number where you can be reached during the next 72 hours.
5. When you complete the ticket transaction using your credit card, you will find that the purchase is complete, or that you are on the waiting list, or that the room option is sold out. If you are on the waiting list or sold out, you will be taken back to the ticket page to reconsider your order. You can then discontinue the transaction and you will not have purchased any tickets. If you still want tickets, you can purchase them without the room, but understand that ticket sales are final. There will be 15 picking and 15 non-picking rooms on the waiting list. Some but possibly not all of those on the waiting list will get a room.
6. If you have successfully purchased the ticket and the right to a room, Sheraton personnel will call you during the following 2 or 3 days at the number you provided to finish the reservation including any additional nights, bed type, special requests, etc. Patrons will be called in the order of their purchase. If your purchase of a ticket bundle went through, you will get a room, so please be patient.
7. Retain and print your ticket confirmation and bring it to the festival for wrist band exchange. Since we use Acteva.com as our ticketing system, you will ultimately see the name Acteva on your credit card statement, not the Boston Bluegrass Union.

Note – For all questions regarding ticket sales or membership status, contact membership@bbu.org . For questions about hotel rooms, contact hotelrooms@bbu.org

For all the details, visit bbu.org/jvhotel.htm

Everyone here at the Boston Bluegrass Union is looking forward to the 25th Joe Val Bluegrass Festival. We appreciate your patience and understanding with the ticketing process as we strive to make it a fair and easy process for all.

Gerry Katz – Boston Bluegrass Union