Mayor Mamdani Launches ‘Opera for All’, Giving Away 70,000 Free Metropolitan Opera Tickets to New Yorkers

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) Commissioner Diya Vij today announced “Opera for All,” a long-term partnership between the City and the Metropolitan Opera that will provide 70,000 free tickets this season to New Yorkers who have never attended a performance at the Met.

Beginning this month, the Met will release 10,000 tickets each month throughout the 2026-27 season, about 10% of all tickets for the season. New Yorkers can enter the monthly lottery at on.nyc.gov/opera or through the Met’s app. This season’s performances include Macbeth, Lincoln in the Bardo and La Bohème.

Mayor Mamdani announced the partnership in a video filmed on the Met’s stage with the cast of La Bohème. 

“Opera is one of the greatest art forms we have, and there is no better place to experience it than the Metropolitan Opera House,” said Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani. “But art should not be reserved for those who can afford it. 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. From the rise of opera buffa in the 18th century to Mayor Fiorello La Guardia’s “people’s opera” in the 1940s, this art form was meant to be seen by everyone.”

“Throughout its storied history, the Met has culturally enriched New York,” said Peter Gelb, the Met’s General Manager. “With this new initiative, we hope to further demonstrate that the Met is a vital part of life in the city.”

“Economic justice means access to the things that make a city worth living in,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su. “Too many New Yorkers have walked past Lincoln Center their whole lives and never gone inside. This season, tens of thousands of them will.”

“The Met Opera’s iconic stage is one that too many New Yorkers have yet to experience for themselves. Thanks to this partnership, that’s about to change,” said Cultural Affairs Commissioner Diya Vij. “Opera has a long history of welcoming working people of all ages. With ‘Opera for All,’ we’re getting back to these roots and letting all New Yorkers know that the incredible work on this stage is for them, too.”

The Met has committed to continuing Opera for All in future seasons. Tickets will be available in every section of the house, excluding standing room. Any New Yorker who has not purchased a Met Opera ticket since 2019 is eligible to enter the lottery. Additional pathways to distributing tickets directly to New Yorkers will also be made available in the months ahead. 

The City is helping distribute tickets this season. The City will promote the lottery through DSS, NYCHA, New York City Public Schools, Brooklyn Public Library, The New York Public Library, Queens Public Library, CUNY, and DFTA, and through the Situation Project. 

The announcement builds on the Mamdani administration’s commitment to making New York’s arts and culture accessible to all New Yorkers. Earlier this summer, in partnership with the Theater Development Fund, Mayor Mamdani provided thousands of free and low-cost Broadway and off-Broadway tickets to high school students, along with free memberships to more than 20 cultural institutions across the City.

The Metropolitan Opera employs approximately 3,000 people, including performers, musicians, carpenters, wigmakers and ticket sellers. Fifteen unions represent its workforce.

In the video announcing “Opera for All,” Mayor Mamdani also cited Mayor Fiorello La Guardia’s commitment to making opera accessible to New Yorkers. In 1943, Mayor La Guardia helped establish New York City Center as a home for what he called “The People’s Opera,” with tickets priced from 75 cents to $2.

New Yorkers can enter the monthly lottery at on.nyc.gov/opera. More information about the Metropolitan Opera is available at metopera.org.

“The arts are one of the great joys of living in New York City and every New Yorker should have access to the cultural experiences that make our city so vibrant,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “NYCHA residents are a vital part of the city’s artistic and cultural fabric and I hope they will take part in this lottery for a chance to enjoy the transformative experience of live opera at the Met.”

“New York City is home to some of the world’s finest cultural institutions, including the Met Opera, and every New Yorker should have the opportunity to experience the best the city has to offer,” said DSS Commissioner Erin Dalton. “We are proud to work with DCLA and the Met Opera to provide free tickets to our clients so that they can experience the wonders of the opera.”

“The arts and our city’s cultural institutions are an important part of building a more age-inclusive city,” said NYC Aging Commissioner Lisa Scott-McKenzie. “At older adult centers across the city, we see how creative programs can promote well-being, foster connection, and reduce social isolation. ‘Opera for All’ expands that opportunity by opening the doors of the Metropolitan Opera to more New Yorkers. I applaud Mayor Mamdani, the Met and the Department of Cultural Affairs for helping ensure New Yorkers of every age can participate in the cultural offerings of our city.”

“Public libraries are among the most democratic institutions in our society, and providing access to learning and culture is at the heart of our mission,” said Linda E. Johnson, Anthony W. Marx, and Dennis M. Walcott, the presidents of Brooklyn, New York and Queens Public Libraries. “We are pleased to join Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su, and New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Diya Vij in supporting ‘Opera for All.’ This program reflects a shared commitment to making the arts more accessible and ensuring that all New Yorkers have the opportunity to experience a performance at the Metropolitan Opera, one of the city’s – and the world’s – great cultural institutions.”

“‘Opera for All’ promises a new avenue of access for CUNY students to broaden their perspectives through engagement with our city’s rich arts institutions,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “We’re grateful to Mayor Mamdani and the Metropolitan Opera for making these performances more accessible to CUNY students and all New Yorkers. I urge those who haven’t yet experienced the joy of attending a production at the Met to take advantage of this one-of-a-kind opportunity to attend.”

“Opening doors to NYC students, the next generation of creatives, to the amazing performances featured at the Metropolitan Opera is an incredible step forward in welcoming them into the city’s artistic fold in their own backyards. We couldn’t be more excited for them,” said Damian Bazadona, Founder of Situation Project.