FAQ

I bought tickets to Marxfest! What do I do now?

No physical ticket is required.

Manhattan Weekend, May 17-19: Just show up at the first event you hold tickets for, and check in with a Marxfest Agent. You’ll be on the list, and you’ll be given admission credentials for every event you hold tickets for. You may be asked to provide a photo ID to confirm your ticket purchase. (Note: If your first event is an à la carte event like a walking tour or The Herring Barrel Revue, you’ll be given admission credentials at the first event you attend at the 3 West Club, 3 West 51st Street.)

Coney Island Weekend, May 24-26: Just show up at Coney Island USA (1208 Surf Avenue, Brooklyn), and you’ll be on the list. You may be asked to provide a photo ID to confirm your ticket purchase.

Can I purchase tickets to Marxfest events in person?

Manhattan Weekend: Tickets are available exclusively at marxfest.org. This includes day-of and  in-person ticket purchases. (You’ll simply be instructed to purchase tickets using a smartphone).

There are three exceptions: 1) Tickets for The Herring Barrel Revue (May 18) may be purchased at marxfest.org or in-person at the Laurie Beechman Theatre box office.  2) Tickets for Duck Soup at the United Palace Theatre (May 19, included in our Sunday Ballroom Pass) are available individually from United Palace’s website, or at their box office. 3) Tickets for Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks at Birdland (May 20), are available through Birdland’s website.

Coney Island Weekend: The Coney Island Weekend Pass is available through our website, marxfest.org. Tickets to individual Coney Island events are available at coneyisland.com and may be purchased in person on the day of the event while supplies last.

Can I purchase tickets to a single Marxfest event?

Manhattan Weekend: With the exception of à la carte events like walking tours and The Herring Barrel Revue, ticketing for Marxfest’s Manhattan Weekend is by day, rather than by event. For example, the Friday, May 17 Salon Pass and  Sunday, May 19 Ballroom Pass includes four events. Of course, ticketholders are free to attend as many or as few of the day’s events as they choose, but the festival is designed for the full-day experience. There are generous breaks between events, and we hope that attendees will spend the day with us.

Coney Island Weekend: Through coneyisland.com, tickets for evening events (An Evening with Marx & Ferrante and A Day on the Boardwalk, A Night at the Strip Show) are available individually or as part of a weekend package. Daytime events are ticketed by day, or as part of the weekend package.

Are Marxfest events accessible?

All events at 3 West 51st Street are wheelchair accessible.

The Laurie Beechman Theater has a separate accessible entrance; please contact us at info@marxfest.org before the day of the event for more info. 

At Coney Island USA, events in the theatre space (i.e. An Evening with Marx and Ferrante and A Day on the Boardwalk, A Night at the Stripshow) are wheelchair accessible. Events in the museum space (i.e. all other Coney Island events) are not.

For à la carte and partner events, please contact the venues for information.

If you are visually- or hearing-impaired, please contact us at info@marxfest.org to arrange up-front seating.

Is there a dress code for Marxfest?

Yes. The 3 West Club, location of most of our Manhattan Weekend events, has a business casual dress code: no jeans, shorts, sandals, or baseball caps; a tee shirt is permissible under a jacket or other top.

Marxfest attendees are strongly encouraged to arrive in costume as a Marx Brother or related figure, or simply in vintage or vintage-inspired attire.

Where can I get food near Marxfest events?

If you’re looking for nourishment in the vicinity of the 3 West Club during Marxfest’s Manhattan weekend, the possibilities are almost limitless. For convenience, you can’t beat the 2M Pub if it’s open; it’s located at 3 West 51st Street on floor 2M, but it’s closed on Sundays. Nearly as convenient as the 2M are Abitino’s Pizzeria next door (5 West 51st Street, 212-356-6181) and Bill’s Bar & Burger across the street (16 West 51st Street, 212-705-8510). Or choose from the dozens of exceptional restaurants across the street at Rockefeller Center.

If you’re looking for nourishment in the vicinity of Coney Island USA during Marxfest’s Coney Island weekend, why are you even reading this? Go outside and eat your way up and down that boardwalk as nature intended.

If you’re attending The Herring Barrel Revue (Saturday, May 18 at 9:30 pm), note that the venue, the Laurie Beechman Theatre (407 West 42nd Street), has a $25 per person food-and-drink minimum. The Laurie Beechman Theatre shares a location and a full menu with the West Bank Cafe. You can find the menu, and other information about the venue, here.

Where are the nearest subway stations?

There are several subway stations near 3 West 51st Street, including the Rockefeller Center Station (B, D, F, M trains), the Fifth Avenue / 53rd Street Station (E, M trains), the 51st Street Station (6 train), and the Seventh Avenue Station (E, B, D trains). Visit the MTA’s website, including the useful Nearby Stations tool, for more information.

For subway service between Manhattan and Coney Island, use the D / F and N / Q lines. The subway ride from midtown Manhattan to Coney Island takes at least an hour. Check mta.info for service updates.

How can I get from 3 West to the United Palace Theatre for Duck Soup on 5/19?

The United Palace Theatre is located at 4140 Broadway (corner of 175th Street), one block from the A train’s 175th Street station, in the Upper Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Heights. Many Marxfest attendees will take the subway there, which can take 45-60 minutes (including some walking on each end).

There are many possible routes, but we suggest: From 3 West 51st Street, walk to the Rockefeller Center station at 50th Street and Sixth Avenue. Take the uptown D train to 59th Street / Columbus Circle (two stops). Wait (on the same platform) for the uptown A train to 175th Street (four stops).

To return to midtown Manhattan from Washington Heights, you can take the downtown A train, or catch the M5 bus down Broadway (bus stop at 176th Street). 

New York City subways and buses are accessible via MetroCard (available at any subway station) or the OMNY app. For transit by car, taxicabs can be easily hailed on the street, or you can use rideshare apps like Uber or the official NYC taxi app, Curb.

For more information about mass transit in New York City, including service updates, please visit mta.info. You can use the MTA’s Nearby Stations tool to help plan trips between specific locations in the city.

Does Marxfest have a covid masking policy?

As with all indoor public events, the use of face masks is encouraged but not required.

Can I record video or audio at Marxfest?

Making or distributing audio or video recordings of Marxfest events is strictly prohibited. The taking of still photographs is permitted, but the use of a flash during presentations is prohibited.

Will any Marxfest events be livestreamed?

No. We do plan to make some video from certain parts of the festival available after the fact at marxfest.org. 

Will there be merch?

Yes! Tee shirts, posters, and other Marxfest merch will be available for purchase at the 3 West Club during all three days of our Manhattan Weekend. Books by Marxfest presenters will also be available on-site through our bookselling partner, McNally Jackson. Hirschfeld books and prints will be available on-site from the Al Hirschfeld Foundation.

At this time, Marxfest merch is not available for online purchase. We plan to make Marxfest merch available for online purchase in the future.