It is the closing night of the festival's 17th edition, which makes it the fullest and the most communal of the six, and it falls on the Labor Day holiday when nobody has to be up early. La Boheme is the opera to bring a skeptic to, two hours of the most familiar melodies in the repertory. Free, outdoors, under the opera house's own arches, with the last of the summer still in the air.
What to expect
A packed plaza, the fountain running, and a crowd that skews larger than the weeknights because it is both closing night and a holiday. Roughly 2,500 chairs face the screen with standing room behind them. Audio carries across the whole courtyard, and the room-wide reaction at the end of Act I is the point of watching it with a few thousand strangers.
Good to know
- Closing night is the busiest of the run, so arrive with more margin than you would on a weeknight
- Seating is first come, first served, with roughly 2,500 chairs set out on the plaza
- The plaza is cleared and secured about two hours ahead, then reopens through designated access points roughly an hour before showtime
- Screenings go ahead in rain, but thunder, lightning or high wind cancels the night with no rescheduling
- La Boheme is the shortest title in the festival at a little over two hours, sung in Italian with subtitles on screen
- The 1 train to 66th St-Lincoln Center leaves you at the foot of the plaza steps
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Common questions
Is it really free?
Yes. Every night of the Summer HD Festival is free and the Met issues no tickets or reservations. Roughly 2,500 seats go out on Josie Robertson Plaza on a first-come, first-served basis.
Why is closing night worth picking over the other screenings?
It is the last night of the festival's 17th edition and it falls on the Labor Day holiday, so the plaza fills up and stays late. La Boheme is also the most approachable title in the run if you have never sat through an opera.
What if the weather turns?
Rain does not stop the screening. The Met cancels only for thunder, lightning or high wind, and because this is the final night of the festival there is no later date to catch it on.
