Transport Minister Dr. Ewart Brown said claims that locals were not given a fair chance at buying good seats for the upcoming Bermuda Music Festival were untrue.

Speaking from off the Island yesterday, Dr. Brown said ?ticket distribution and arrangements were quite fair, as everything was split down the middle ? half to locals and half to tourists?.

?Someone needs to get a life,? he said. ?If we sell one seat abroad, then that means there is one Bermudian who cannot get a seat. We do not have unlimited seats.?

He said that the Festival was originally conceived as a way to attract visitors to Bermuda in the off-season which was why it was organised by the Ministry of Tourism.

Tourism spokesman Michael DeCouto said last night locals were not buying tickets early enough to grab the good seats.

?This is a very popular event,? he said. ?It is unfounded that Bermudians are not given the opportunity to buy seats. For every two rows of tickets that are given to local distributors, two rows are for sale on Ticketweb and two rows are given to tour operators overseas.?

However, there were no tickets available for sale to locals on the Bermuda Music Festival web site last night. And only 12 tickets ? priced at $125 each ? were left at 27th Century Boutique by 5 p.m. yesterday, Mr. DeCouto said.

But it is not known how many tickets are still available from the overseas tour operators who are offering $1,000 packages including airfare, hotel and transport.

Mr. DeCouto said there has been no thought given to moving the Festival performances from Dockyard and the Fairmont hotels to larger venues like the National Sports Centre, where the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir performed for 8,000 people this month.

?It is important to stress the venues are part of the overall experience,? he said. ?They are very small and intimate. This is not Madison Square Garden. Behind the stage is water and beautiful scenery. It?s hard not to feel up close and personal.

?It?s not like you need to bring binoculars.?