Thursday Night Music Standby Information

Standby ticketing will only occur when all tickets have been sold for a Thursday Night Music performance. Standby tickets are not guaranteed, and only occur if ticketholders do not show, thereby opening up seats.

Starting at 5:30 pm on the evening of a sold-out performance, visitors can add their name to a standby list at the admissions desk after purchasing a general admission ticket and checking in. They will receive a number upon being added to the list. The standby list is first come, first listed. No one will be added to the standby list prior to 5:30 pm. Museum staff will stop adding visitors to the standby list when the anticipated number of available seats is reached.

Visitors on the standby list should gather in the Museum's Living Room on the first floor of the New Building (room behind Coat Check) by 6:30 pm. As seats become available, Museum Staff will begin to escort visitors on the standby list from the Living Room into Calderwood Hall in the order in which they joined the list. If a visitor is not present when their assigned number is called, they will forfeit their place in the standby line.

Once all seating in Calderwood Hall is filled, staff will make an announcement to anyone left on the standby list in the Living Room that no more seats remain for the performance. The remaining visitors can explore the Museum with their general admission ticket.