How to Fest and FAQs | AFI FEST Film Festival

AFI FEST 2026 presented by Canva will be held exclusively in person with screenings at the TCL Chinese Theatre and the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres located in Hollywood.

PASSES:
Limited quantities available. Buy your pass today!
Passes are the best way to attend AFI FEST 2026. Select the one that works best for you!

Patron Pass: $600
The PATRON Pass allows you to select one ticket for each in-person screening you would like to attend, including two tickets to Red Carpet Premiere Screenings, with priority entry to all screenings, subject to seating availability.

The PATRON Pass also includes daily access to the festival lounge, free RUSH access to Red Carpet Premieres, invitation to the festival mixer and an AFI FEST tote. Limited quantities available. Buy your pass today!

Star Pass: $300
The STAR Pass allows you to select one ticket for each in-person screening you would like to attend (excluding Red Carpet Premieres) with priority entry to all screenings, subject to seating availability.

The STAR Pass also includes daily access to the festival lounge, free RUSH access to Red Carpet Premieres, invitation to the festival mixer and an AFI FEST tote. Limited quantities available. Buy your pass today!

Fine Print for All Festival Passes
Every person attending a screening must reserve a ticket to enter any theater. A pass alone does not grant entry to screenings, and all passholders must reserve tickets in advance. Passholders must have their pass (with preselected tickets linked to their pass) with them at the theater, have printed tickets with them or be able to open eTickets on their phone.

All attendees must be seated in the theater 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time of the screening, or your seat may be forfeited.

At any point up to two hours prior to a screening, PATRON and STAR passholders may cancel a ticket reservation to receive a credit back to their pass which they can redeem for another screening.

Passes and tickets do not guarantee admission. Passes are non-transferable. No refunds or exchanges. Please note, some films shown at this festival are pre-release versions and may not include accessibility features such as closed captions or audio descriptions that you would otherwise expect at a standard theatrical screening. Additionally, all films are not rated, and viewer discretion is advised.

TICKETS:
AFI FEST 2026 festivalgoers may purchase individual tickets for screenings or an 10-ticket bundle featuring exclusive discounts and more. Ticket bundles and individual tickets are now available.

10-Ticket Bundle – $175
Available starting October 3 at 11:00 a.m. PT

Includes:
-10 transferable tickets (excluding Red Carpet Premieres)
-Early screening selection
-Free RUSH access to all screenings with proof of bundle purchase

Individual Feature Film Ticket (excludes Red Carpet Premieres) – $19.00*

Individual Shorts Program Ticket– $12.00*

Red Carpet Ticket – Matinee (if applicable)– $25.00*
Red Carpet Ticket – Evening – $30.00*

*AFI Members receive a 20% discount on tickets. Premiere Circle Members receive a 50% discount.

Fine Print for Tickets
Every person attending a screening must have a ticket to enter any theater.

All attendees must be seated in the theater 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time of the screening, or your seat may be forfeited.

Some tickets may be available on the day of the screening; please visit the AFI FEST Box Office for availability of same-day tickets.

No refunds or exchanges. Tickets are transferable. Please note, some films shown at this festival are pre-release versions and may not include accessibility features such as closed captions or audio descriptions that you would otherwise expect at a standard theatrical screening. Additionally, all films are not rated, and viewer discretion is advised.

Standby/Rush Line Tickets
Please see the FAQ below.

TCL Chinese Theatre
6925 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood, CA 90028

TCL Chinese 6 Theatres
6801 Hollywood Boulevard, Level 3
Hollywood, CA 90028

Ovation Hollywood
For more information, visit https://www.ovationhollywood.com/visit
6801 Hollywood Boulevard

• $3.00 for up to four hours with TCL Chinese Theatres validation
• $2.00 every 20 minutes ($6.00 every hour) with a daily maximum of $20.00

Go Metro

• Ride the Metro to the Hollywood/Highland Metro station, which drops you off right in front of Ovation Hollywood.

ONLINE
Festivalgoers can select and purchase tickets at FEST.AFI.com.

IN PERSON
AFI FEST Box Office inside the TCL Chinese 6 Lobby
6801 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood, CA 90028

The box office is open one hour before the first screening of the day and closes 30 minutes after the last screening of the day begins.

For customer service inquiries, please call 866.AFI.FEST or email fest.boxoffice@AFI.com. Individual tickets are not sold by phone or email.

Box Office hours:

The Box Office is open one hour before the first screening of the day and closes 30 minutes after the last screening of the day begins. For customer service inquiries, please call 866.AFI.FEST or email fest.boxoffice@afi.com. Individual tickets are not sold by phone or email.

Visit FEST.AFI.com and browse through our online film guide. Once you find a screening you would like to see, click on the “Purchase Ticket” button. Choose the number of tickets you would like and add them to your cart to check out. Follow the checkout prompt to place your order. You will receive a confirmation email with a PDF attachment containing your eTicket(s).

Yes, every person attending a screening must have a ticket to enter any theater. A pass alone does not grant entry to a screening, and passholders must reserve tickets in advance. Passholders must have their pass (with preselected tickets linked to their pass) with them at the theater and have printed tickets or eTickets on their phone.

To reserve your tickets online in advance, visit FEST.AFI.com and browse through our film guide. Make sure that you are logged into the Eventive account associated with your pass; otherwise, you will be charged for any tickets you order. Once you find a screening you would like to see, click on the “Purchase Ticket” button. Choose the number of tickets you would like and add them to your cart to checkout. Follow the checkout prompt to place your order. You will receive a confirmation email with a PDF attachment containing your eTickets.

Sold-out screenings will have a RUSH Line on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to seating availability. RUSH Lines are cashless and require a credit/debit card to complete a purchase. Any passholder (PATRON and STAR) and bundle owner selected from the RUSH Line will receive FREE admission to all screenings.

All Red Carpet Premieres will have a RUSH line. Any Passholder (PATRON and STAR) and bundle owner without a reservation will receive FREE admission in the RUSH line.

Once a screening is marked as sold out, additional tickets may be made available. Keep checking the website and follow AFI FEST on social media for announcements about additional tickets available for purchase. You can join the Rush Line on the day of the screening and may be able to attend subject to seating availability, but joining the Rush Line does not guarantee admission.

Please arrive one hour before your film’s scheduled screening time. Theaters will start seating 30 minutes before scheduled showtime. All attendees must be seated in the theater 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time of the screening, or your seat may be forfeited. Seating for screenings (excluding Red Carpet Premieres) is open and not assigned.

Only our Red Carpet Premieres will have assigned seating. All other screenings will have open seating, with priority entry for passholders who reserved tickets.

All sales are final. No refunds or exchanges on passes or tickets are permitted.

Find the film you would like to watch on FEST.AFI.com and click the “Purchase Ticket” button. Once you select your number of tickets and are taken to the checkout page, you will see a “Have a Discount Code?” link on the bottom right corner of the window. Click on the link and enter your discount code. You should see the discounted price reflected in the final total.

Screenings will have programmer introductions and/or in-person Q&As with filmmakers, subject to availability. Please check the individual film page on our website to confirm if there will be a Q&A following the screening.