Overview
- From Sept. 3 to Oct. 19, about 43% of seats at the Opera House, Concert Hall and Eisenhower Theater were unsold, compared with roughly 7% unsold in fall 2024 and 20% in 2023, according to a Washington Post analysis.
- Consumer Edge credit and debit card data reviewed by the Post show spending on Kennedy Center tickets fell by more than half in September and early October versus a year earlier, the sharpest decline since the pandemic closures.
- More than 50,000 of roughly 143,000 available seats went unfilled during the six-week window, with some sold tickets likely comps, and multiple events were downsized or moved, including Parade’s shift to a smaller theater.
- Cancellations and withdrawals by artists and productions, including the Hamilton tour and some Les Misérables cast members, followed President Trump’s February takeover and Richard Grenell’s programming shift toward “common‑sense” and faith‑oriented events.
- Grenell said Friday the Center raised $58 million in 30 days and has a balanced budget, while earlier reporting documented a 36% drop in subscriptions by early summer and roughly 50% declines in single-ticket sales in April–May compared with 2024.