The results of our latest Reacts poll are in, and the numbers reveal a few interesting things. This past week, we asked Rumblers if they were going to Buffalo Bills training camp in 2026 or not, or if they simply hoped to go and hadn’t yet found tickets.
If you’ve been to Bills camp before, you know how busy it can get on the east side of Rochester at this time of year. Since Josh Allen’s rise to stardom, getting tickets to training camp (and even getting somewhat close to the action on the field)
has proven nearly impossible for most fans who don’t have season tickets (or corporate sponsor perks). The Bills are big business in Rochester during training camp, and every other day of the year.
Midsummer is a tough point in the calendar, where those who work in the corporate world are often limited by their bank of vacation days. Many folks have used up a healthy amount of those days by now, having spent time with family and friends around the paid summer holidays or on planned trips. That means for those Bills fans living far away from Western NY, there’s a need to carefully plan if the goal is to be in Rochester, NY at the end of July. It’s a commitment that’s also impacted by fans’ regular-season plans.
Based on the results of our poll, it’s fair to guess that most people planning to attend camp are local or within a reasonable day’s drive of St. John Fisher University. Regional fandom is the lifeblood of any sports team.
Our poll returned with 52% of voters saying “no” to attending training camp. Mind you, this number could also represent those who do live close enough to attend, or who could have tried for tickets and just didn’t make the effort. Yet 52% is a sizeable majority in this poll, which still makes me think we’re seeing regional results at play where many voters simply don’t live close enough to make it work.
Conversely, 39% of voters say “yes” they’ll be attending camp. Buffalo Rumblings meetup, anyone?
To me, the most interesting figure is the 9% of voters who said “yes, if I get tickets.” These are the fans who could change the “yes” votes to as much as 48% if lucky to get tickets, or raise the “no” votes to as much as 61% if unable to secure passes.
Wanting to go to camp and missing out on tickets stinks. It wasn’t that long ago that almost everyone who wanted to go was able to do so, but Josh Allen and winning changes the formula. As someone who has struggled to get tickets every summer since the drought was broken, I have the following advice to offer:
If you’re close enough to go on a moment’s notice, do so. Get there well before camp opens up for the day and stand at entrance gate, where sometime people will have extra tickets to pass along. There are even cases where people have their unused ticket scanned for anyone who shows up without one. It doesn’t hurt to ask, which includes the ticket-scan folks.
If you’re having FOMO, let it go. Training camp has become a massive event, and fans’ access to the team has changed as a result. The people who are there as guests of corporate sponsors tend to get the best experience, which includes heightened opportunities to interact with players and obtain autographs.
To those attending for the first time, it can be difficult to find a place to sit around the action. There’s plenty of space to stand along fencing, and it helps to follow along to see what player groups are going where and for what purpose. I recommend bringing one of those cinch-sack backpacks.
As a final bit of advice, if the bus trip and waiting to be picked up isn’t for you, you can drive right to camp and park where local residents have opened their property to campers. As recently as 2025, that would cost you $20 a trip. Time will tell if people have raised their prices for 2026.
Think you’ve got what it takes to make a play with the Buffalo Bills in 2026? Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook now to put it to the test!
