A limited budget shouldn’t prevent you from taking part in the exciting line-up of arts and entertainment events coming to the metro area this fall. Here are some ways you can enjoy some of the activities on the cheap.
Institutional discounts
Most arts and cultural institutions offer discounted or free entry opportunities. Seniors, students or educators, groups and sometimes members of the military have discounted admission options available to them at all times, but there are also options for everyone else.
At the High Museum of Art, for example, walk-up admission is free for Fulton County residents on the first Saturday of each month, but tickets are subject to availability. And every Friday, from 4-9 p.m., everyone gets 50 percent off admission to the High.
Through the Museums on Us program, Bank of America/Merrill Lynch debit or credit cardholders receive free admission on the first Saturday and Sunday of each month at the High Museum, the Atlanta History Center and the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville.
On the second Sunday of every month, the Museum of Design Atlanta offers "pay-as-you-wish" admission. And every September, Smithsonian Museum Day Live! offers a free admission day to arts institutions around the country. This year the event is Sept. 27. Sign up began on Aug. 1 to get tickets for free admission for two. This year, participating institutions include the Center for Puppetry Arts and Booth Western Art Museum.
Presales and previews
Join the fan clubs of your favorite musicians and look for concert ticket alerts from your credit card company regarding presales. Sign up with Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com to gain access to web or app based presales. You may have to give up some personal information (email address, demographics), but in return you can get early access to tickets.
Purchasing tickets in advance can also work for local festivals, which may offer early-bird discounts if you buy your tickets before the event. This is almost always cheaper than buying tickets at the gate.
Some theaters offer discounted preview tickets during the first few days of a new play. Others, such as the Alliance Theatre, offer discounts on same-day tickets. You can also purchase tickets for up to half price (plus fees) through day-of ticket broker AtlantaTix. Sign up for emails to find out which discounts are available.
For sports, concerts, theater and other live events, Scorebig.com sells undersold ticket inventory at lower-than-box-office prices, sometimes up to 60 percent off.
Coupon codes
A coupon code for an Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performance? Yes, it happens. Institutions and organizations may offer limited-time coupon codes for certain performances. Find them by entering performance keywords into your search engine with "coupon code" or "promo code." In the past, this strategy has turned up special codes for Atlanta Ballet performances, the National Black Arts Festival, Taste of Atlanta and other events.
Group buying sites
Websites such as Groupon, Goldstar and Half-Off Depot are still good sources for local events. Goldstar recently had tickets for Cirque du Soleil Amaluna for 36 percent off the box-office price (plus fees). In addition to listing events for at least 50 percent off, Half-Off Depot periodically issues special codes enabling you to get an additional percent off of local deals you purchase on the site.
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