Ticket sales at the Kennedy Center have dropped significantly since its takeover in February by President Trump and his allies. “Unfilled seats are now a regular feature of Washington’s national center for the performing arts,” The Washington Post’s Travis M. Andrews, Jeremy B. Merrill and Shelly Tan report.
Their article includes a chart showing that so far this year, 43 percent of “seats available for [a] median Kennedy Center show” had not been sold before the day of performance. That compares with 7 percent in 2024 and 20 percent in 2023. The empty-seat rate even exceeds that of 2021 (34 percent), when the center was reopening after going dark through most of 2020 during the pandemic.
Those numbers are based on ticket-spending data compiled by Consumer Edge. The Post also tabulated ticket availability for 63 events in the Kennedy Center’s main venues from Sept. 3 to Oct. 19.
The reporters note that ticket sales have dropped at venues in other cultural centers, citing as an example The New York Times’ recent report of lower sales for Broadway shows.
The Kennedy Center did not respond to The Post’s request for comment; but one staffer, quoted anonymously “for fear of reprisal,” said: “This downturn isn’t just about pricing or programming – it feels directly tied to the new regime’s leadership shift and the broader political climate. . . . I’ve heard from ticket buyers who say they’re choosing not to attend because of what the Kennedy Center now represents. The brand itself has become polarizing . . . ”
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