- Timed entrance tickets now available
- Complimentary bicycle valet service will launch on opening day
(August 25, 2020)—The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today a range of initiatives to welcome visitors back when it reopens on Saturday, August 29, after nearly six months of closure. Previously, The Met had not been closed for more than three days in over a century. The Museum has kept visitor and staff safety a priority while carefully planning its reopening and has developed comprehensive safety procedures.
In anticipation of the reopening, Dan Weiss, President and CEO, and Max Hollein, Director, shared a message in a blog post for visitors: “While much has changed at The Met and in the rest of our lives, we hope you will find comfort in some of the things that have not changed: our world-class collection and wide-ranging exhibitions. We invite you back to the Museum to explore our two million square feet, where there is always something new to uncover.”
Timed Entrance Ticketing
In accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and New York State and City, admission to The Metropolitan Museum of Art will be by timed entry when it re-opens its Fifth Avenue location on Saturday, August 29. General admission tickets may be secured online in advance in one-hour increments. For New Yorkers and New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut students, timed admission may be reserved online, and such visitors may pay as they wish at on-site ticketing desks. Members may show their membership card for direct entry into the galleries. Timed entry will also be in effect at The Met Cloisters when it reopens on September 12 and all admission tickets include entry to exhibitions as well as same-day entry to both Met locations after September 12, 2020.
Bike Valet
Complimentary bicycle valet service will be offered to Museum visitors from Saturday, August 29 through Sunday, September 27. The service, provided by Transportation Alternatives (TA), will be available free of charge during select hours each day the Museum is open. Visitors arriving by bike who wish to check their bikes will be greeted by TA staff at a dedicated tent on The Met’s plaza. The first 500 visitors to use the service will receive a Met-branded bike reflector.
Kenneth Weine, Vice President for External Affairs commented, “This is one more way to make the Museum accessible to visitors, as we know New Yorkers are eager to visit, and that many more are biking. The bike valet will help make a visit to The Met that much easier.”
About The Met’s Reopening
Starting Saturday, August 29, The Met's Fifth Avenue building will be open five days a week, Thursday through Monday. On Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays, it will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Museum will offer later hours on Thursdays and Fridays and be open from noon to 7 p.m. The Met has developed comprehensive safety procedures for its staff and visitors, following guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), New York State, and New York City. Measures include limiting the number of visitors to 25 percent of the Museum's maximum capacity and requiring timed entrance registration. More information on what visitors can expect is available here, or visit metmuseum.org.
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August 25, 2020