Some of the acts being booked for the arts center may be new to local audiences. More recently, many major orchestras and dance companies have not made stops in Philadelphia for a variety of reasons. For the arts center organization itself, the success of touring groups with audiences is a question of survival. It is counting on income generated by those visits to help pay the bills. So far, five of those acts are booked.
Tickets go on sale in late summer.
For the arts center's inaugural season, ticket prices are generally more expensive than those at other venues presenting the same groups. Carnegie Hall, generally regarded as the gold standard of American venues, does sell more expensive seats to its orchestra series, but it also has cheaper seats than those being offered in the Kimmel. Lockwood says Kimmel events are more expensive, in part, because the house is smaller - 2,500 seats as opposed to the slightly larger Carnegie and New Jersey arts center.