President Obama and Michelle Obama at an inaugural ball in 2009. (Getty Images/Brendan Hoffman)

Some people hoping to share a dance floor with the president and vice president on January 21 got a lucky break yesterday, while countless more are indubitably pissed off. Ticketmaster, which is handling the ticketing for the sole official inaugural ball open to the public, goofed yesterday when it emailed invitations to purchase tickets to some people, prompting an early run on some of the hottest tickets of the year.

The tickets were not intended to go on sale until today, but as soon as the exclusive links were sent out, recipients jumped on the unexpected early opportunity and began snapping up tickets. And now, instead of the regularly scheduled online queueing and page refreshing that lusted-after tickets inspire, the inaugural ball was sold out thanks to a technical glitch. Aoife McCarthy, a spokeswoman for the Presidential Inaugural Committee, confirms in an interview that the supply of tickets is gone.

In a second email yesterday to people on the inaugural ball waiting list, Ticketmaster took responsibility, saying the ticket-purchasing links were sent out as the result of a test of the ticket broker’s email system. That message also read that a “significant”—though unspecified—number of tickets were sold. The company also made no promises that anyone who receives one of the invitations will actually be able to buy a ticket. “All public tickets are first-come, first-served, including those sold tonight. There is no guarantee that you will be able to purchase a ticket at any time,” it wrote. Ticketmaster added that it “will be in touch with any additional information.”

President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden’s second inauguration is slated to be a much smaller affair than their 2009 fêting, when they attended 10 official balls. Although dozens of outside organizations are planning their own inaugural bashes, this year, Obama and Biden are only holding two official parties at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, one of which is strictly for active-duty and reserve members of the military.

But for those put out of the public inaugural ball, there could be some solace in the fact that the aftermarket is getting up and running. At least one Craigslist vendor is claiming to be selling a pair of tickets to the party for $250 each. They initially retailed for $60.

McCarthy says the Presidential Inaugural Committee won’t say how many tickets were sold, but that there is little that can be done for people who were overlooked by Ticketmaster’s jumpy invitation. She says the committee is exploring some unallocated tickets to the inaugural parade as a possible consolation prize.