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SPARK and the City: The Met Opera Is Giving New Yorkers 70,000 Free Tickets — Here’s How to Get Them
The new Opera for All program will offer 10,000 free tickets each month during the 2026-27 season, with seats throughout the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center
A night at the Metropolitan Opera is about to become a lot more accessible.
The Metropolitan Opera and New York City have launched Opera for All, a new program that will distribute 70,000 free tickets to eligible New York City residents during the 2026-27 season.
Beginning this month, the Met will make 10,000 tickets available each month, representing about 10% of its total seating capacity for the season. The program is expected to continue in future seasons.
And these aren’t limited to seats in the back of the house. Free tickets will be available across seating sections at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, with standing room excluded.
Among the productions on the Met calendar this season are Verdi’s Macbeth, the world premiere of Lincoln in the Bardo, based on George Saunders’ acclaimed novel, and Puccini’s La Bohème.
Who Is Eligible?
To qualify for the free-ticket lottery, you must:
- Be a New York City resident
- Have a valid ID
- Not have purchased a ticket to the Metropolitan Opera since 2019
- Download the Met Opera app
Residency is verified through the app by uploading a photo of a valid driver’s license or IDNYC card. Those who believe they qualify but do not have an ID can contact Met Customer Care at 212-362-6000.
Importantly, the program is not limited to people who have never set foot inside the Met. If you have attended before but have not purchased a Met ticket since 2019, you may still qualify.
How the Free-Ticket Lottery Works
Free tickets are made available the day before an eligible performance through a lottery in the Met Opera app.
Eligible New Yorkers may enter one lottery at a time and can win up to two tickets per performance. Lottery entry closes at 7:45 a.m. ET the day before the performance, with drawings held at 8 a.m.
Winners are notified by email and, for those who opt in, by push notification. Digital tickets are delivered through the Met Opera app approximately two hours before the performance.
An eligible participant can win up to six free tickets over the course of the program, with a maximum of two tickets for any one performance.
More Ways to Reach New Yorkers
The city is also working with New York City Public Schools, NYCHA, CUNY, the city’s public libraries, the Department of Social Services, the Department for the Aging and other organizations to help connect New Yorkers with the free tickets.
The initiative was announced Thursday by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su and Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Diya Vij in partnership with the Met.
“Every New Yorker should have the opportunity to sit in these seats, hear these voices and experience this stage, no matter what’s in their bank account,” Mamdani said in announcing the program.
Met General Manager Peter Gelb said the initiative is intended to further establish the Met as “a vital part of life in the city.”
If You Go: How to Enter
Opera for All — Metropolitan Opera
Who: Eligible New York City residents who have not purchased a Met Opera ticket since 2019
Cost: Free
Tickets: Up to two tickets per performance; up to six tickets through the lottery program
When to enter: By 7:45 a.m. the day before an eligible performance
Drawing: 8 a.m. the day before the performance
What you need: The Met Opera app and proof of New York City residency
Where: Metropolitan Opera House, Lincoln Center
Information and lottery: Met Opera’s Opera for All program
The direct Met Opera Opera for All link is: