Tickets for the 10th anniversary Wellington Sevens tournament, the third event on the 2008/09 IRB Sevens World Series, sold out in under 10 minutes earlier today.

30,000 tickets were pre-sold to season ticket holders, rugby clubs, hospitality partners, schools and volunteers, while 8,500 sold out in the 600 seconds they were available on official online and telephone channels.

"We still have some tickets available through hospitality packages and travel packages, which include accommodation and things, if you go onto nzisevens.co.nz," said NZI Sevens general manager Steve Walters.

Walters and his organising team have also warned people not to buy tickets to the 6-7 February 2009 event on internet site TradeMe, or other scalped tickets, because some people were trying to sell counterfeits.

Last year people travelled to Wellington, only to be turned away at the gate when their tickets were found to be fake.

"The sevens tournament is the biggest weekend in Wellington and there is plenty on for those who missed out on tickets," Walters said, while promising a bigger and better tournament and festival than ever before.

A concert will be held in Frank Kitts Park on Wellington's waterfront on the Thursday before the Friday-Saturday tournament and parts of Courtenay Place in the city centre will again be closed for a street party on Friday and Saturday nights. Waitangi Day celebrations will be held in Waitangi Park, also on the waterfront.

The continued success of ticket sales and overall interest in the event is a major boost to the organisers and the Wellington City Council, who unveiled plans earlier this year to transform the Sevens into a seven-day carnival within four years.

An economic impact report into the 2008 tournament found that the giant two-day party generated NZ$15.6 million in extra spending and drew 24,400 visitors to Wellington, including 10,000 who had no tickets.