Due to temporary construction, the Petersen House and Aftermath Exhibits will be closed on Friday, December 6.

A side exterior view of historic Ford’s Theatre, a three-story brick building with five arched windows on the second and third floor. The bottom floor is white and has five arched entryways.
Photo © Maxwell MacKenzie.

Free First Preview

Enter for your chance to win free tickets to our mainstage productions.

Ford’s Theatre and TodayTix have partnered to give you a chance to win free tickets. The lottery is easy to enter and opens the week before the first performance of each production. We hope that by removing price barriers we can invite those in the Washington-area community who might not otherwise consider participation in the arts.

“So magical! I have wanted to take my daughter to A Christmas Carol for 10 years and because of the lottery I finally could.”

-2016 #FordsFreePreview Attendee

Upcoming Free Previews:

  • Sister Act: March 14, 2024, 7:30 p.m.

How to Enter

Enter for a chance to win free tickets to our productions.

Step 1

Download TodayTix

Download the TodayTix app in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Step 2

Enter to Win

Beginning at midnight seven days before the first preview, enter to win up to two free tickets to our upcoming performance.

Step 3

Share on Social

Double or triple your odds by sharing your entry on Facebook and Twitter from the confirmation page.

Step 4

Cross your Fingers

Winners will be notified through the app and by email on the day of the first preview between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. You must claim your winning tickets in the TodayTix app within one hour of being notified. To request accessible seats, contact the TodayTix Customer Experience team by visiting todaytix.com/support and using the Contact Us chat box. 

Other Ways to Win

Beginning at 5 p.m. on the day of the free first preview performance, patrons can sign up using their email address to receive up to two tickets per person at the box office. In-person waiting list entries are eligible for partial view seats and any unclaimed lottery tickets. At 7 p.m., the box office will give out tickets on a first-come, first-served basis according to the wait list order.

Lottery Sponsor