Kennedy Center ticket sales fall to lowest in years after Trump’s takeover | Washington DC
Ticket sales for the Kennedy Center’s three largest performance spaces have reportedly fallen to their lowest level in years after Donald Trump took over the performing arts institution earlier this year. Washington Post.
The Post reported Friday that it collected and analyzed ticket sales data from Sept. 3 to Oct. 19 and found that about 43% of tickets for typical productions went unsold. By contrast, the Post reported that about 93% of tickets were sold or issued for free in fall 2024 and 80% in fall 2023.
The analysis found that the decline affected all three of the center’s main venues: the Opera House, Concert Hall and Eisenhower Theatre.
The Kennedy Center did not respond to requests for comment from the Washington Post or the Guardian.
Michael Kaiser, who served as president of the Kennedy Center from 2001 to 2014, warned in an emailed statement to the Post that “low ticket sales not only result in a reduction in revenue but also bode poorly for future fundraising revenues.”
“The vast majority of donors are ticket buyers who want to enhance their relationship with the organization by contributing in addition to paying for their tickets,” Kaiser said.
The Post noted several possible factors that could be behind the collapse. Debut, Broadway musical Theater ticket sales also dropped and reported that the Trump administration’s recent national guard deployment in Washington, D.C., “hurt them both.” tourism And nightlifeThe report also states that many former Kennedy Center bosses vowed to boycott the institution while Trump was president.
Trump’s appointment of himself as chairman of the Kennedy Center board of directors in February and his reshuffle of the board of trustees sparked controversy in the art community.
In the week after the announcement, several staffers told the Washington Post that ticket sales were down. about 50%compared to the previous week.
In June, subscription sales were reportedly down about $1.6 million, or about 36%, compared to 2024 levels. Then in early September an analysis Washingtonian magazine found that ticket sales at the center continued to decline, with audiences “voting with their feet” at demonstrations to protest Trump’s rise to power.
Some artists also participated in the boycott. Since Trump took control, some prominent artists have also cut ties with the center and many productions have been canceled, including the halting of the Hamilton tour, which was canceled by the production itself.
In May, some cast members of Les Misérables withdrew from a performance at the center in protest of Trump’s planned attendance.
