Fine arts events are great ways to fill up your weekend, enrich your life and expose yourself to new things. But tickets to a symphony or theater performance can easily top $100 apiece – or more. Thankfully, a little strategizing can help get you into fine-arts events without emptying your wallet. Check out these tips for high culture with a low price.
Attend gallery openings. Launches of art exhibitions are free most of the time – after all, they’re hoping to get you in to buy some of the artists’ works. Free refreshments are often served at these events, too. To hear about gallery openings in your area, get on the e-mail lists of local galleries and museums. The website ArtInfo has a fairly comprehensive directory of art venues.
Check out community and college arts organizations. Local theater troupes and community symphonies may not be as prestigious as the big-name outfits, but their performances are often just as good – and infinitely more affordable. Googling “community theater [Your City]” and similar terms will usually turn up these organizations. Bonus tip: If you live near a university, you can also check out its fine-arts and music departments on the Web for upcoming performances.
Wait until the last minute. Many big-city symphonies and operas offer deeply discounted “rush tickets” an hour or two before a scheduled performance to fill any remaining empty seats. You can call your local opera or symphony to find out whether they have such a program. Many symphonies limit rush tickets to students and senior citizens, but some, like the Boston Symphony Orchestra, offer them to the general public.
Get on the email list. Being an email subscriber to a performing-arts organization not only gives you a head’s up about upcoming performances, but can often get you discounted tickets. Often, symphonies and theater troupes will send discount codes that can help you get a cheaper seat, or a good seat for the price of a cheap one. If the outfit has a Facebook page, be sure to “like” it for more discount opportunities.
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