The Brooklyn Public Library, Queens Public Library and The New York Public Library announced that their joint Culture Pass program has surpassed 500,000 reservations, marking a major milestone for one of the city’s most popular cultural access initiatives. Culture Pass allows library cardholders to reserve free admission to more than 100 museums and cultural attractions across all five boroughs.
Launched in the summer of 2018, Culture Pass has steadily expanded its reach despite a brief pause early in the pandemic. What began with 30 participating institutions now includes 100 museums, gardens, historic homes and performance venues. In 2025 alone, BPL, QPL and NYPL cardholders made nearly 120,000 reservations, the highest annual total since the program’s inception.
Participating cultural organizations donate passes each month, helping broaden audiences and increase awareness of their offerings. Since the program launched, the total estimated value of all Culture Pass reservations has reached $25,647,435.
Cultural institutions credit the program with expanding access and strengthening partnerships with the city’s public libraries. Leaders at the Whitney Museum of American Art noted that Culture Pass has supported broader access initiatives, reinforced the role of libraries in civic life and helped make museums more welcoming and inclusive for new visitors.
Culture Pass was created to remove common barriers to cultural participation, including admission costs, unfamiliarity with museum settings and perceptions that cultural institutions are unapproachable. About 75% of users report visiting a site they had never visited before and more than half of all reservations are 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,” said Linda E. Johnson, president and chief executive officer of the Brooklyn Public Library.
With a single library card, New Yorkers can access not only books and digital resources, but also free entry to museums, theaters, gardens and historic sites citywide.
Library patrons may reserve one pass per cultural institution per calendar year and can hold up to four active reservations at a time. The program includes both large and small institutions, from Historic Richmond Town on Staten Island to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan.
Offerings span visual art, film, live performance, history and science, reflecting the city’s diversity through institutions such as El Museo del Barrio, the Bronx Music Heritage Center and the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art.
Participating organizations report measurable impact. Film Forum, for example, has welcomed more than 1,000 new moviegoers through Culture Pass, citing the program’s alignment with its mission to connect bold, independent cinema with a broad audience.
Beyond free admission, many museums and cultural organizations also visit library branches throughout the year to offer storytelling sessions, concerts, art workshops and science programs, further extending their reach into local communities.
More information about Culture Pass, including how to reserve passes or sign up for a library card, is available at culturepass.nyc.
