Standing-room only

:"This article refers to the term "standing room only". For other uses, see Standing Room Only."

An event is described as standing room only when it is so well-attended that all of the chairs in the venue are occupied leaving only flat spaces of pavement or flooring for other attendees to stand. Some venues issue standing-room-only (or SRO) tickets for a reduced cost since it can become very uncomfortable to stand through the course of an event. [ [http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/season/visit/attending.aspx#discount Attending an Opera and Information for Newcomers ] ] However some fans actually prefer standing-room-only tickets as the crowds that gather can be more active than people who are sitting down for much of the event. Such crowds can become dangerous with the potential of riots and crushing movements occasionally occurring and resulting in death or injury.

For example, standing room only areas are very common at football (soccer) matches across the globe and tickets sold as standing area tickets are sometimes the most popular, i.e. they are not sold merely when all seating tickets have been sold out. However, the periodic occurrence of tragedies related to standing room only areas at football matches such as the ones in Sheffield, England and Guatemala City, Guatemala have led to calls to eliminate such arrangements. [ [http://www.iht.com/articles/1996/10/18/stad.t.php Thomsen, Ian. "Vantage Point : Tragedy in Guatemala: FIFA Must Face Up to Its Duties" International Herald Tribune] ]

This term can also describe public transportation services that have extremely high riderships. In areas where there is a high risk of buses, etc. being a target of a terrorist bombing, buses may lack seats and be standing room only to eliminate hiding places.

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