Culture Pass turns a New York City library card into reservable museum admission: cardholders age 13+ of any of the three NYC library systems reserve free admission passes to 100+ cultural institutions at culturepass.nyc. Details below come from Culture Pass's own site as of 2026-09-14.
Cardholders age 13+ of Brooklyn Public Library, Queens Public Library, or NYPL (Bronx, Manhattan, Staten Island). The card is the key: free for residents of the service area, same-day issue at most branches, and the pass catalog unlocks immediately.
At culturepass.nyc: pick your library system, log in with card credentials, browse passes by date or venue. Passes for the following month are released at midnight on the 1st of every month. One pass per cultural institution per calendar year; max 4 active reservations at a time; a reserved-but-unused pass still blocks that institution until the next calendar year; passes are non-transferable and the cardholder must show matching photo ID.
100+ cultural institutions (the program's own count) participate as of our last check. Headliners include: The Metropolitan Museum of Art · MoMA · Guggenheim · Brooklyn Botanic Garden · Intrepid Museum · Children's Museum of Manhattan. Each pass covers varies by venue — institutions choose 2 adults or a family of 4; live performances typically admit 1.
Free admission — the program is free-admission passes, not discounts. It matters: a discount pass still beats walk-up prices, but it isn't the free day the headlines suggest — verify your museum's terms first.
New York's own free-day calendar covers 11 institutions we've verified, which changes where a pass earns its keep (Brooklyn Museum, Queens Museum are free every day — never spend a pass there). The pass covers the gaps the calendar leaves; together they cover nearly everything. Full list: free museum days in New York.
↥ Check another program → Browse all library museum pass guides →
Cardholders age 13+ of Brooklyn Public Library, Queens Public Library, or NYPL (Bronx, Manhattan, Staten Island). The buy-in is a free library card and nothing else.
The program's own list shows 100+ cultural institutions (the program's own count), including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, Guggenheim, Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Membership in the program shifts — verify your museum is on the current list first.
Free admission — the program is free-admission passes, not discounts.
One pass per cultural institution per calendar year; max 4 active reservations at a time; a reserved-but-unused pass still blocks that institution until the next calendar year; passes are non-transferable and the cardholder must show matching photo ID. As early as the release schedule allows — demand concentrates on a handful of famous names.