Culture Pass Surpasses Half a Million Reservations
The program has grown to now provide free passes to over 100 museums and cultural institutions to Brooklyn, Queens and New York Public Library Cardholders
New York—The Brooklyn, Queens and New York Public libraries announced today that their joint Culture Pass program has surpassed 500,000 reservations. Culture Pass unlocks New York’s cultural treasures by providing library cardholders free admission to over 100 museums and cultural attractions in all five boroughs.
The program, which began in the summer of 2018, has continued to see remarkable growth, even with a brief pause just two years into the program because of the pandemic. Starting with only 30 participating institutions, the program now offers access to 100 museums, gardens, historic homes, and performance venues. In 2025, BPL, QPL, and NYPL cardholders made nearly 120,000 Culture Pass reservations—the highest yearly total since the program began.
Participating organizations generously donate passes to the program on a monthly basis, helping to build awareness and expand audiences. The total estimated value of all passes reserved since the program launched is $25,647,435.
“Culture Pass has been an outstanding partner for the Whitney, and we are proud to collaborate with New York City’s public libraries to improve access. Libraries played a key role during our inaugural year of Free Second Sunday, and we value maintaining this partnership. We believe that access to art should be an integral part of civic life, and Culture Pass helps make that a reality for more New Yorkers. It is a vital resource that encourages inclusivity, making visitors feel welcome at the Museum and connected to art and ideas instantly and openly,” said Cris Scorza, the Helena Rubinstein Chair of Education, the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Culture Pass was designed to eliminate barriers to entry to museums and other cultural institutions, including but not limited to the cost of admission, unfamiliarity with visiting museums, or the perception that museums were overly formal. Approximately 75 percent of Culture Pass users report visiting a site they had never been to before. In addition, over half of the reservations were made by New Yorkers living in low or mixed-income neighborhoods.
“Culture Pass embodies the very mission of a public library: to provide free resources for learning, be that between the pages of a book or on the walls of a gallery. We are grateful to the organizations who provide free passes, ensuring all New Yorkers can access the world-class museums and performance spaces across the city,” said Linda E. Johnson, President and CEO, Brooklyn Public Library.
“A public library card is every New Yorker's key to unlocking this city’s wealth of cultural treasures,” said Anthony W. Marx, President and CEO of The New York Public Library. “Library card holders not only gain access to our world-class collections and vast book selection, but also free entry to more than 100 museums, theaters, gardens, and more through Culture Pass."
“Surpassing 500,000 reservations highlights how essential public libraries are in expanding access to the city’s iconic museums, gardens, and performance spaces,” said QPL President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott. “We are thrilled that Culture Pass continues to grow, strengthening our ties to the community while delivering exceptional value at no cost to our cardholders. We are deeply grateful to our partner cultural institutions for their generosity and support.”
Library patrons can reserve one pass per cultural institution per calendar year and have up to four active reservations at one time. Incorporating large and small institutions, from Historic Richmond Town on Staten Island to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan, library cardholders can choose from over 100 options including art, performances, films, historic homes, gardens, and more. The wide variety of museums and exhibits reflect the diversity of New York City from El Museo de Barrio to the Bronx Music Heritage Center to the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art and many more.
"Participating in Culture Pass aligns perfectly with our mission to connect bold, challenging new cinema with as broad an audience of New Yorkers as possible, and has brought over 1000 new moviegoers through our doors thus far,” said Adam Grant-Walker, Director of Communications, Film Forum.
In addition, many museums visit library branches throughout the year to provide storytelling, concerts, art, and science programs.
To learn more visit: https://www.culturepass.nyc/. There, you can find out how to reserve a pass or sign up for a library card.
Support for Culture Pass is provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies, Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust, and the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund.
About Brooklyn Public Library
Brooklyn Public Library is one of the nation’s largest library systems and among New York City’s most democratic institutions. Providing innovative library service for over 125 years, we support personal advancement, foster civic literacy, and strengthen the fabric of community among the more than 2.6 million individuals who call Brooklyn home. We are a global leader in the fight for the freedom to read through our Books Unbanned initiative, offering teens across the US access to the library’s online catalog. We provide nearly 65,000 free programs a year with writers, thinkers, artists, and educators—from around the corner and around the world. And we give patrons millions of opportunities to enjoy one of life’s greatest satisfactions: the joy of a good book.
About Queens Public Library
Queens Public Library is one of the largest and busiest public library systems in the United States, dedicated to serving the most ethnically and culturally diverse area in the country. An independent, non-profit organization founded in 1896, Queens Public Library offers free access to a collection of more than 5 million books and other materials in 50 languages, technology, and digital resources. Each year, the Library hosts tens of thousands of online and in-person educational, cultural, and civic programs and welcomes millions of visitors through its doors. With a presence in nearly every neighborhood across the borough of Queens, the Library consists of 66 locations, including branch libraries, a Central Library, seven adult learning centers, a technology lab at the Queensbridge public housing complex, a community learning center at the Ravenswood public housing complex, and five teen centers. It also has five bookmobiles and two book bicycles.
About The New York Public Library
For over 125 years, The New York Public Library has been a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With over 90 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars. The New York Public Library receives approximately 16 million visits through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at www.nypl.org. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at nypl.org/give.