TKTS, the ticketing service that offers discounted tickets to shows, is coming to Philly

TKTS, the ticketing service that offers heavily discounted tickets to theater and other arts performances, is coming to the Philadelphia Visitor Center.

Through a partnership with the Theatre Department Fund, Visit Philadelphia and the Visitor Center are bringing TKTS to the city’s tourism hub on Thursday. The Philadelphia location will be the second U.S. outpost for the ticket service, after New York City.

“This collaboration not only elevates our esteemed theater community, but also underscores our commitment to investing in the city’s arts and culture scene that greatly contributes to making Philadelphia a premier destination,” Angela Val, president and CEO of Visit Philadelphia, said in a press statement.

Kathryn Ott Lovell, president and CEO of the Visitor Center, said the partnership came about after nine months of discussion about the need for increased attendance and engagement in the city’s performing arts scene.

The TKTS brand and platform, Lovell said, will deliver a financial bump to the arts organizations still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There’s a certain percentage of tickets that just go unsold for most of our performances here post-COVID,” Lovell said. “We haven’t really seen a recovery in terms of their ticket sales and attendance that we’ve seen in other industries. I believe this is going to fill seats, connect people to performing arts experiences that they otherwise wouldn’t think about.”

She is also certain that the service will bolster tourism. “We want people to experience Philadelphia and our surrounding counties. We just want to have a robust set of offerings, even for everyday Philadelphians — not just visitors,” she said.

The TKTS booking service, operated by the nonprofit TDF, is a popular service for last-minute theatergoers. Since opening in 1973, TKTS has sold over 69 million tickets to Broadway and NYC’s performing arts. Its success has led to domestic and international expansion, with a second New York City location at Lincoln Center. The ticket service has outposts in London, Tokyo, and now Philadelphia.

Lovell said the TKTS Philadelphia booth will offer tickets at 30-50% discount for live performances scheduled to happen within three days. There will be 20 participating arts companies throughout the region.

Among them are Arden Theatre Company, BalletX, The Wilma Theater, Ensemble Arts Philly, FringeArts, Philadelphia Ballet, and others in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties.

In a statement, Val Gay, chief cultural officer for the City of Philadelphia’s Creative Philadelphia, said this investment will amplify Philly’s arts and culture scene, while opening doors for a broader range of support.

“Continued public investment in the arts — including initiatives like TKTS — helps transform our city in meaningful ways,” Gay said in a press statement. “Not only will TKTS Philadelphia help build the arts and culture community’s reach to visitors, but it will also expand audiences with diverse communities by eliminating barriers to attendance.”

All tickets will be sold in person near the Visitor Center’s information desk, located at 599 Market St. But customers can get a sense of the shows being offered on the organization’s website.

For more information, visit phlvisitorcenter.com/TKTS.