NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Theatre Development Fund have announced that over 2,000 free and low-cost tickets to Broadway shows will be made available to NYC high school students by lottery, open through 10 AM ET on Monday, August 17. Learn more at On.NYC.gov. Any New York City student in grades 9-12 is eligible.
Every student who enters the lottery will automatically receive a free, two-month TDF membership, giving access to discounted tickets to Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off Broadway shows, as well as music, museums, and dance. Students can claim their free TDF Membership and download their digital membership cards even after the lottery has ended.
Earlier this year, Mamdani launched Summer in N.Y.C., an interactive website connecting young New Yorkers with affordable summer activities across the five boroughs. The Mamdani administration has also delivered a record $323 million in funding for the Department of Cultural Affairs—which then distributes the funding to arts organizations around the city. The Mayor also established the Cultural Stability Fund to support cultural organizations facing unexpected or emergency circumstances.
And there’s more: as part of the initiative, a TDF membership will give New York City high school students the opportunity to visit some of New York City’s most iconic cultural institutions for free or at discounted rates; students just need to show their TDF membership card. Participating organizations include American Museum of Natural History, Brooklyn Botanical Garden, Brooklyn Museum, Carnegie Hall, Flushing Town Hall, Historic Richmond Town, Jamaica Center for the Arts and Learning, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Louis Armstrong House Museum, MoMA PS1, Museum of Jewish Heritage, New York City Ballet, New York City Center, New York Hall of Science, New York Botanical Garden, Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, Queens Botanical Garden, Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Staten Island Museum, The Bronx Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Public Theater/NY Shakespeare Festival, Wave Hill Public Garden & Cultural Center, and the Wildlife Conservation Society.
