Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Metropolitan Opera announced a partnership Sept.24 to distribute 70,000 free tickets to eligible New Yorkers during the 2026-27 season.
The program, called “Opera for All,” will release 10,000 tickets a month through a lottery administered through the Met Opera app and the city’s online portal. The tickets represent about 10% of the Met’s tickets for the season, according to the mayor’s office.
The initiative is intended for city residents who have not purchased a Met Opera ticket since 2019. Seats will be available throughout the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, except for standing-room locations.
“Opera is one of the greatest art forms we have, and there is no better place to experience it than the Metropolitan Opera House,” Mamdani said in a statement. “But art should not be reserved for those who can afford it.”
The Met said it plans to continue the program in future seasons. The 2026-27 schedule includes productions of Verdi’s “Macbeth,” “Lincoln in the Bardo” and Puccini’s “La Bohème.”
The city will also work with the Department of Social Services, the New York City Housing Authority, public schools, city libraries, the City University of New York, the Department for the Aging and the Situation Project to promote the program and distribute tickets.
Eligible residents can enter the monthly drawing through the city’s Opera for All portal or the Met Opera app. The lottery requires New York City residency and is open to people who have not bought a ticket to the Met since 2019.
