https://teens.artsconnection.org/
High 5 Tickets to the Arts
High 5 Tickets to the Arts is ArtsConnection’s resource for young people to experience the best dance, music, theater, film, and visual arts New York City (and sometimes New Jersey and Westchester!) has to offer – for only $5 a ticket. (Yes, you heard us right!) All you have to do is be a middle or high school student and you can join in on the fun. And, for every student ticket, an adult can get a $5 ticket too. What are you waiting for?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is High 5?
High 5 is an ArtsConnection teen program dedicated to making the arts affordable for young people. Through ArtsConnection’s High 5 Tickets to the Arts, any middle or high school student can buy $5 tickets to hundreds of New York’s best dance, music, theater, film, and museum events all year round.
How much does each ticket cost?
Tickets are just $5 each! As an extra bonus, all our museum passes are 2-for-$5 (aka $2.50) and we also have our
Take 5 program that lets a group of six attend for the price of five. Every purchase is also completely fee-free – there are no surprise service charges on High 5 tickets.
Why $5?
When High 5 Tickets to the Arts first came into existence, we debated whether we should charge anything at all. After all, the program was about access to the arts without the sticker shock. Eventually, we concluded that building a motivated audience for the future has to be a group effort. It requires donations on the part of arts organizations, upkeep and maintenance of our ticketing system, a great deal of funding from private investors and corporate funders, and a little financial commitment from participating students and their parents. We still love free stuff as much as the next guy, but have often found that when something is free, its value decreases. If people pay for a product or service, even a small amount, they tend to regard the purchase as an investment, and so will be more likely to grab up only the things they know they will use.
Where does the $5 go?
As a non-profit organization, ArtsConnection does not buy the tickets at low prices then turn around and sell them to you at a marked increase. Instead, we rely on gracious donations by the venues themselves. Every week and sometimes every day, ArtsConnection asks arts organizations from across NYC and beyond to donate tickets to our program. Once the tickets have been donated, we list the events on our website. When you buy a ticket, the $5 goes right back into funding our website and educational programming – though we still rely on donations from generous
funders and sponsors. The costs of collaborating with our arts partners and providing free-after school arts enrichment (like our
TRaC program, Teen Advisory Council, Pizza and a Movie events, and high school internships) far surpass all the revenue we could collect, even if we sold every single ticket we had.
Who’s eligible?
If you are a middle school or high school student from anywhere in the world, you can purchase High 5 tickets. You do not need to be from New York. You do not even need to be from the United States. But you need to be in middle or high school. You must present proper identification when you arrive at the theater or museum. Identification can be anything proving your age or school enrollment. It can be a student ID, a driver’s license, or even a school report card. For every eligible High 5 student they are allowed one (1) non-student (adult or child) ticket at the same $5 discount price. However, there can never be more adults than eligible students in a group. (Of course, grownups can be loyal High 5-ers, too, and purchase tickets or subscribe to our newsletter. But when it’s time to pick up High 5 tickets at a venue, there must be at least one eligible student present for every two tickets.)
How do I join High 5’s mailing list?Get all the latest High 5 news – weekly blasts about new listings and Save the Date reminders for season launches — by
clicking here and subscribing to our e-newsletter. Once you’ve answered a few questions to let us know a little bit about you, you’ll be on the list to get all our emails!
Extra Hint: Every once and a while, we get a great last-minute offer and have less than 24 hours to let people know about it. On those days, we put together a special, quick All-Access Alert only to our email subscribers! You don’t want to miss out.
What types of shows do you have?There’s no quick way to summarize the arts you can see with ArtsConnection’s High 5 Tickets to the Arts. Our events cover many genres and hundreds of venues across New York City and the surrounding areas. We have performances available for every night of the week, with many of them falling on the weekends. The best way to find out what events we offer is to check our
Event Calendar — 100% of what we have for sale is on there.
But since this is the FAQ and it
is a FAQ…We almost NEVER have tickets to Broadway shows. For discount options to the big shows in Times Square, look into TKTS,
TDF,
Playbill.com and other theater websites.
How many tickets do you have for most performances?
Because our arts partners are companies of varying sizes who produce in different venues with a wide range of seats, their ticket donations can include anything from 2 tickets per performance to 200. Most commonly, we get offers of anywhere between 4 to 20 tickets per performance. If you’re trying to get a group trip together, check out our Take 5 programs below.
Where are the seats?
Seat location is entirely at the discretion of the producing organization. High 5 emails them the names and numbers from our Will Call list by 12:00 p.m. the morning of a performance and they pull your tickets based on where they have open seats. Those spots could be front row, last row, or somewhere in the middle. While we and our arts partners do promise that your High 5 voucher means you will see the show, we cannot make any advance guarantees about where you will be in the house.
If stairs or other issues of accessibility will affect your enjoyment of the event, please contact the box office directly about their own discount tickets or
click here to learn about TDF’s Accessibility Membership program.
How do I know what’s available?We work hard to make sure that our website is a complete and up-to-date resource for you — if we have a ticket to sell, it’s up there on
teens.artsconection.org. The
Event Calendar automatically displays shows taking place in the current month, but you can use the
filters to better tailor your search. To get the details of any event, simply click on the title and you’ll head to an Event Information page, with a full description. Just click on the yellow ‘Buy Tickets’ icon to get your seats!
How do I find out what’s new?
Stay informed about recent additions to the High 5 schedule by subscribing to our All-Access Updates — High 5’s free weekly email newsletters. Each week we send our special Picks of the Week straight to your inbox. Click here to subscribe.
If you’re into browsing, make sure to check out the
Event Calendar regularly. We update it almost every day and often list exciting new opportunities at the top of the page.
Can I filter the Event Calendar to see a smaller list of shows?Use the drop-down lists at the top of the
Event Calendar to sort by genre, venue or organization. Click on a specific day or week of the calendar (located on the lower left side) to see what’s available at that time — or click on “show all dates” to get a list of everything!
Extra Hint: If you’re looking for anything from a specific organization, it’s best to click on “Show All Dates,” and then sort by your chosen producer.
What if there isn’t a yellow ‘Buy Ticket’ icon next to the event I want to see?Gray ticket icons indicate a free event. The
Event Calendar updates its inventory every 15 minutes. If the ticket icon is red and says ‘Sold Out,’ someone else has already snapped up High 5’s
allotment for that performance. We do, however, recommend that you check the calendar often — sometimes customers change their minds after putting tickets in their shopping carts or later inform us that they can’t attend their performance. You can also put your name on the Wait List for an event – the link is on the left-hand side of the
Event Calendar. And don’t forget another obvious source of tickets — the organization itself! High 5’s inventory only represents a tiny portion of the seats available to each performance, so use the link provided at the bottom of each Event Information page to check out what student discounts an organization offers directly.
When should I get my tickets?
You can buy your tickets online any time of the day. Procrastinators beware though, all sales close by 12:00 p.m. the morning of a show (and often on Friday mornings for all weekend events). High 5 museum tickets may be bought in advance or on the same day as your visit. Each pass is valid for one visit, and can be used anytime up to 30 days after purchase.
Our calendar is updated almost every day, but High 5 allotments for popular venues can sell out very quickly however, so don’t delay.
How do I buy tickets?Click any yellow ‘Buy Tickets’ icon on the
Event Calendar or an Event Information page, and you’ll be sent to a Ticketweb purchase page for that event. There, follow the instructions and fill out the necessary information, including your credit card details. (Remember, if the card is your parent or guardian’s, make sure you have permission!) Once your payment has been accepted, you’ll see a confirmation page, which looks like
this. If you don’t see this page, your sale has
not gone through. Make sure to print out either the confirmation page or the email voucher that you should receive shortly. Take your print-out and your ID to the show’s box office
at least 30 minutes prior to the curtain time and the box office will hand you the tickets you need to find your seats.
I bought tickets, but can’t go
If you cannot attend a show, you MUST:
- Call (212-302-7433) or email (ThomasB@ArtsConnection.org) ArtsConnection. We’re here Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Let us know and we will let the theaters know.
- If it’s last-minute or the weekend when our offices are closed, call the theater directly and let them know. Give them you name, tell them you’re with High 5 and you won’t be able to use your tickets for that night.
Any account that displays three (3) no-shows without prior notification to either High 5 or the theater will be banned from any future use of the program.
What if I don’t have a credit card to use online?
If you do not have a credit card to use or prefer to avoid buying things over the internet, you can:
- Call us: The High 5 Hotline (212.302-7433) rings 24 hours a day! We’re available from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, but we are great at returning messages, too. So give us a call, let us know what you’re looking for, and we’ll get you some tickets. You’ll still need to have a credit card handy for phone orders, but we’ll process your order right here in the office.
- Visit us: Stop in at the High 5 Headquarters anytime during the work week, Monday-Friday! Simply head to 520 8th Ave, 3rd Floor, Suite 321. We can process your order while you wait. We usually have hundreds of tickets on sale on any given day, so we do recommend taking a look at our listings (or even just knowing a convenient date or type of performance) before you stop by. Call our Hotline at 212.302-7433 if you have any questions, or just want to make sure we’re here and still have the tickets you need. You can buy tickets in the office with cash, check or credit card.
A High 5 patron recently shared another great idea for those who don’t regularly use a credit card online: buy a prepaid Visa or Mastercard! You’ll need to do some research to check out if this is the right option for you (after all, we’re experts at tickets for young people, not credit cards), but we thought we’d pass along this creative suggestion.
We are also able to invoice some schools and service organizations who buy larger amounts of tickets. Please ask our High 5 team members for details when you call.
Can I buy High 5 tickets at the venue?
Venues will honor tickets bought from High 5 online or with the help of a High 5 representative, but venues do not provide High 5 tickets on their own. If you go straight to the box office and ask for High 5 tickets, they’ll give you a quizzical look, which won’t be very helpful. Instead, buy ’em online or head to the ArtsConnection office with your five bucks and tell us what show you’d like to see.
Can I use High 5 to see a show with a whole group of middle or high school students?
If you’re a motivated student who has gathered five friends for an arts outing, or if you’re a parent, teacher, or mentor who wants to take a group of young people to a performance, then you’ll want to take part in our Take 5 program. Through Take 5, groups can attend High 5 performances at an even more amazing price: buy five tickets, and your sixth ticket is free!
If you’ve got a bigger group than that, we’ll take a look at our
inventory and accommodate you as best we can. We want to get as many young people to the arts as possible! Call us at 212.302-7433.
My school or Youth Serving Organization is interested in bringing a larger group to see a performance in NYC. Can you help me with this?ArtsConnection partners with NYC public schools and Youth Service Organizations across NYC to provide their larger groups with special $5 (and sometimes free!) ticket offers. Additionally, High 5 can act as a liaison between theater companies and educational groups to find great discounted rates to popular shows. Please contact our High 5 Program Manager Allison Whorton by
e-mail, or by phone (212.302.7433 x 462)
How do I know if a show is interesting for young people?
With around a thousand performances each season, people with all sorts of different interests should be able to find something that appeals to them. Read up on a show to decide if it fits your interests — our Event Information pages will include a brief description (usually straight from the producers) and include a link to the producer’s homepage where you can learn more about the company’s style.
If producers provide additional information about mature content like sexual situations or adult language, we highlight that notice in red whenever applicable on the Event Information page.
Are these tickets refundable? Can I buy tickets for someone else to use?
High 5 tickets are not refundable and you will not be issued a credit for your purchase. All sales are final.
If at any time you find that you cannot attend this event or will not use all of the tickets you initially purchased, please let us know. Organizations set aside a certain number of seats for High 5 students and No-Shows not only prevent other students from attending a great event but WILL negatively affect High 5’s relationship with the presenting organization.
A show I heard was good isn’t on your list. Can I buy $5 tickets to it anyway?If High 5 has tickets to a show, you’ll see the listing on our
Event Calendar. If it’s not there, you might want to check out other discount ticket resources. A few good bets are
TDF and
Playbill.com. We also always recommend looking into the discounts available directly from the official box offices.
Allison Whorton, our High 5 Program Manager, does welcome suggestions for new off-Broadway or other non-commercial productions. If something in a small, off-the-beaten-path theater has caught your attention,
send her an email about it.
Sounds good, how can my arts organization donate tickets?If you or your organization is interested in donating tickets to a current or future production, please contact our High 5 Program Manager Allison Whorton by
e-mail, or by phone (212.302.7433 x 462). You can also find an
Event Information Form on our site. Simply fill out the required information and send it along. We’ll contact you to confirm the information, and start selling the tickets to High 5 patrons immediately.
For more information, call us on the High 5 Hotline: 212.302-7433. Or e-mail us at tickets@artsconnection.org, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
