Your chances of getting tickets for the final National Gallery Night on May 11 may have just gotten better. The National Gallery of Art implemented a new lottery system for tickets that opened at 10 a.m. this morning. The portal to request free tickets is open now until May 4 at 11:59 p.m.
Originally, the sign-up period was scheduled for noon on May 4, and tickets for past NGA Nights have been distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis. But the NGA’s head of education, Damon Reaves, said they are anticipating unusually high demand for tickets for the May 11 event—which will feature DC go-go band Rare Essence—and switched to a lottery system to make registration as equitable as possible.
The May 11 event, whose theme is “homegrown,” will celebrate the people and culture of DC. Besides three performances by Rare Essence during the evening, there will be art and activities inspired by the Washington Color School, a movement in DC from 1950 through 1970 that prioritized color over structure.
Everyone who requests tickets on the portal will be notified via email on May 8 at 10 a.m. if they were selected. There will also be 202 tickets—in a nod to DC’s area code—available at the entrance to the East Building, beginning at 5:30 p.m., on the day of the event.
Keely recently graduated with her master’s in journalism from American University and has reported on local DC, national politics, and business. She has previously written for The Capitol Forum.
