2021 Ticketing FAQ

April 20, 2021

Updates & Details for 2021 Ticketing

(updated June 9, 2021)

New seats are available!

As of June 9, seats in the first five rows of Chautauqua Auditorium are available for purchase for all Festival concerts. These seats had previously been held in order to maintain distance between the musicians and the audience, but it was been determined that those seats can be occupied safely.

Note: These newly-released rows are being sold at full capacity, with no social distancing between them.

For the time being, social distancing measures will not change in our seating.

The county no longer requires social distancing between seats, but Chautauqua Auditorium and the Colorado Music Festival have not made a final decision on whether or not we will remove the social distancing restrictions that we have currently placed between groups of tickets. We will communicate with you if this changes.

Bubble seating has been entirely removed throughout the Auditorium. 

Previously you could only buy tickets in sets of 2, 3, or 4, but due to changes in restrictions from Boulder County, we have removed all “bubble seating,” effective immediately. The Chautauqua website is still being updated; if the website suggests that you purchase an entire bubble, you may ignore that text and buy as many or as few of the available seats as you’d like.

Note: this also means that if you buy fewer than a full group of tickets — previously our enforced bubbles — you may end up sitting next to another person from outside of your party.

The 2021 Festival is not sold out.

In fact, every concert has tickets available! For the best availability, check section CL (far left) of each concert. See the full season >

Frequently Asked Questions About Ticketing

Q: Are you removing social distance between seats now?

At this time we are not making any changes to the social distancing between seats. We feel we need more time to decide if this is in the best interest of our patrons, staff and musicians. We are working with Chautauqua Auditorium to review our options as of today we are not making any changes to social distancing between seats.

However, as we remove our “bubble seating” configurations, new ticket buyers may end up sitting next to another party. As of June 9 we have also opened the first 5 rows of the auditorium for seating at 100% capacity (with no social distancing between them).

Q: Can I change my seating location now?

We will honor any seat change requests that you have, but we ask that you only make such a request if absolutely necessary. The box office staff is very busy helping patrons secure seats for the festival, so your help in not adding to that burden would be appreciated.

Q: Is the Festival sold out?

The Festival is not sold out… in fact, there are seats available to every concert!

Tip: Our most popular concerts are Thursday evenings, but many of these concerts repeat on Fridays, which have fantastic availability.

Tip: The “CL” section of the auditorium (far left) is a great place to look for tickets. This section, though still in “bubbles,” is set up for pairs of seats.

Q: Is the Festival offering open rehearsals in the 2021 season?

Due to restrictions related to the pandemic, we will not be able to make any of our 2021 season rehearsals open to the public. We hope to resume open rehearsals next season.

Reminders About 2021 Ticketing

The Chautauqua ticket kiosk on the west side of the auditorium is open for in-person customer service! Hours: Monday-Friday 12:00-5:00 PM

Not certain about attending in person? 7 of our concerts will be livestreamed this season! These tickets are sold through the Colorado Music Festival and not through the Chautauqua box office. Learn more >

Other questions? Please reach out to the Chautauqua box office (303-440-7666) for ticketing, seating, or subscription questions, and to info@comusic.org for Festival-related issues.

Previous information

(updated April 20, 2021) 

Due to health and safety requirements for the 2021 Festival season, Chautauqua Auditorium is implementing “bubble seating” and other adjustments to ticketing. Read our Frequently Asked Questions below.

Note: All orders using discount codes, all Design-Your-Own subscriptions, and all fixed subscriptions must be purchased either in person at the Chautauqua ticket kiosk, by email at boxoffice@chautauqua.com, or by phone (303-440-7666). These purchases cannot be made online.

See our subscriber-specific FAQ >> 

What is bubble seating?

To help maintain social distancing throughout Chautauqua Auditorium, the box office has divided the auditorium into pre-set “bubbles” of 2, 3, and 4 seats, with distance between the bubbles. You are required to purchase all of the seats within a bubble. Below is a map of the available seats in Chautauqua Auditorium.

What if I cannot find a bubble that fits the number of tickets I need?

Because smaller bubbles will sell out faster, you may need to purchase a larger bubble to fit your party. We encourage you to invite friends that you feel comfortable sitting close to, to help round out your bubble! If you need a larger bubble than 4 tickets, please consider purchasing multiple bubbles.

Why can’t I purchase a single seat in the auditorium?

To help maintain social distancing throughout Chautauqua Auditorium, the box office has divided the auditorium into pre-set “bubbles” of 2, 3, and 4 seats, with distance between the bubbles. Some pairs of seats are available in the center sections of the auditorium and the far left and right sections of the venue are all sold in pairs. We encourage you to invite friends to help round out your bubble!

Why is seating changing this year? 

Chautauqua Auditorium (our venue, box office, and partner for seating) will be using bubble seating for our 2021 season in order to enable social distance between groups of seats, in compliance with Boulder County’s COVID restrictions. We all hope to return to a more normal seating arrangement in the 2022 season, and we appreciate your continued flexibility.

Why are the front rows of the auditorium unavailable for purchase?

For the safety of our audience and our musicians, we are currently required to expand the stage to accommodate appropriate spacing between musicians as well as provide a buffer between our musicians, some of whom perform without masks, and the audience.

Why can I not purchase seats on the aisles or behind walkways?

We are required to provide a 6-foot minimum distance between individuals and to provide adequate space for ingress and egress. Due to the narrowness of certain walkways, we are unable to ensure proper distancing while placing individuals in aisle seating.

What happened to your lowest price seating?

Given the restricted number of seats available to sell, we had to remove the lowest-priced tickets to help secure the financial health of the organization. Providing continued access for all to enjoy our programs is important to us, so virtual concerts are available at low cost and our Family Concert will be streamed for free.

I have a discount code. How can I use that? 

To utilize a discount code, you will need to speak to the Chautauqua box office by phone (303-440-7666), email (boxoffice@chautauqua.com), or in person at the ticket kiosk.

Can we sit outside the Auditorium for concerts?

We recognize that many people enjoy overhearing our concerts from the area surrounding Chautauqua Auditorium. This year, Chautauqua is changing ingress and egress from the venue, requiring the areas close to the auditorium to remain clear; on top of this, Boulder County requires every concert attendee to have a ticket. For these reasons, outdoor seating on the terraces surrounding the Auditorium will not be allowed and these areas will be blocked off. 

We are unable to sell tickets for seating outside of the Auditorium. This year and every year, if you plan to enjoy most of a concert from outside of the Auditorium, we ask you to consider purchasing a ticket, making a donation, or (an option for this year only!) purchasing a virtual ticket, in order to help compensate the staff and musicians working so hard to create these fantastic musical experiences.

I have a question not answered here. 

For ticketing or seating questions, please reach out to the Chautauqua box office by email at boxoffice@chautauqua.com or by phone at 303-440-7666), For Festival-related issues, email info@comusic.org.

See our subscriber-specific FAQ >>