Your home for world-class performing arts, right on campus!

Cal Performances is one of the world’s premier performing arts presenters for music, dance, and theater. Each season (roughly in line with the school year), we bring 80+ of the very best music, dance, and theater performances from all over the world right to the UC Berkeley campus!

Want to attend live performances, but not sure where to start? We’ve got you covered!

  1. Browse more than 80 music, dance, theater, and interdisciplinary performances happening this school year.
  2. Review your UC Berkeley student discount options.
  3. Claim your seat by purchasing online or at our Box Office at Zellerbach Hall.
  4. Check out more ways to get involved

Discounts for Every Occasion

The variety of Cal Performances’ UC Berkeley student discounts allows you to prioritize what matters most to you when purchasing tickets—flexibility in choosing performances, seat selection, price, and more!

An image depicting the words: UC Berkeley 50% Off Discounts

50% Off Tickets
Half-off any seat at any performance

Cal students get 50% off single ticket prices for all Cal Performances events, without exception. Tickets can be purchased in person with your current student ID at the Zellerbach Hall Ticket Office or online with CalNet authentication.

All UC Berkeley Student tickets require authentication with your current UC Berkeley student ID. Until you authenticate, you will not see your 50% off discounted ticket price. Please note: one ticket per student, per event at the 50% off discounted rate. Authenticate via CalNet

An image depicting the words: UCB Student Flex Pass

Student Flex Pass
4, 6, or 8 performances for $15 per ticket

Student Flex Pass:
4 performances for only $60
6 performances for only $90
8 performances for only $120

Buy in bulk and you can get four, six, or eight tickets to world-class performances for just $15 per ticket! Tickets can be redeemed at any point during the season, so you can find shows that fit your schedule.

Buy Flex Pass 4

Buy Flex Pass 6

Buy Flex Pass 8

Each student is allowed to redeem their Flex Passes for up to two tickets per performance, regardless of the number of Flex Passes purchased. Student Flex Passes are redeemable for the best available seats at the time of redemption in price sections 6 and lawn for the Greek, 3–6 for Zellerbach Hall, the balcony in First Congregational Church, and all seats in Hertz Hall and Zellerbach Playhouse. (Other seating restrictions may apply.) If redeeming for two tickets, your guest does not need to be a UCB student. Tickets for individual performances as well as Flex Passes are subject to limitations and availability. Redeem “Flex Pass Performance” vouchers for the performance of your choice by visiting the Ticket Office any time between Pass purchase and the day of the show. You will need to have a valid, current UCB student ID to redeem. All Flex Pass sales are final and unused tickets are not refundable.

The following 2025–26 events or event dates are not available for Flex Pass redemption or Student Group Sales: Paris Opera Ballet: Red Carpet: A North American Premiere by Hofesh Shechter (Oct 4); MOMIX: Alice (Nov 30); Martha Graham Dance Company: GRAHAM100: A Three-Season Celebration of the Company’s 100th Anniversary (Feb 15); Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (Apr 11 2pm and Apr 12); The Joffrey Ballet: Midsummer Night’s Dream (Apr 17 and 19).

Performances not available for Flex Pass redemption and Group Sales are subject to change.

An image depicting the words: UCB Student Golden Bear Circle

Golden Bear Circle
$10 premium seats for our 10+ most anticipated events

For just $10 per ticket, UC Berkeley students can secure some of the best seats in the house for 10 or more of our most anticipated performances of the 2025–26 season. Come solo or bring a friend (limit two tickets per student). A limited number of premium tickets will be available at the special $10 price for Cal Students on a first-come, first-served basis. And be sure to join Email Club to get the schedule announcement direct to your inbox. Tickets go on sale at noon approximately two weeks (with some exceptions) before each performance and are available online only.

Limit two tickets per performance. If you purchase two tickets, your guest does not need to be a UC Berkeley student. A limited number of premium seats available on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets must be purchased online.

An image depicting the words: UCB Student Group Discounts

Student Groups Discounts
$15 Tickets for groups of 10+

From classroom enrichment outings to a special get together for campus student organizations, Cal Performances offers UCB student group rate pricing of $15 per ticket for select performances to groups of 10 or more. Get your friends, sorority, fraternity, club, or classmates together and share an experience you’ll never forget.

You can work with our Ticket Office to create a promotion code so that those in your group can individually order their tickets, or, alternately, make arrangements to purchase tickets all at once for direct distribution to your group. Limit two tickets per student (at least half of your group must be UC Berkeley students; any guests do not need to be students).

For an added social dimension to your experience, Cal Performances can help make arrangements for groups of 25-125 people to get together in the hall during intermission or following the performance (space availability permitting).

To purchase UC Berkeley Student Group tickets, start by filling out the request form. UCB student group tickets are available for limited events and in limited quantities and are available for requesting groups on a first-come-first-serve basis.

The following 2025–26 events or event dates are not available for Flex Pass redemption or Student Group Sales: Paris Opera Ballet: Red Carpet: A North American Premiere by Hofesh Shechter (Oct 4); MOMIX: Alice (Nov 30); Martha Graham Dance Company: GRAHAM100: A Three-Season Celebration of the Company’s 100th Anniversary (Feb 15); Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (Apr 11 2pm and Apr 12); The Joffrey Ballet: Midsummer Night’s Dream (Apr 17 and 19). Performances not available for Flex Pass redemption and Group Sales are subject to change.

Please note: a full list of attendees names and email addresses will be required by Cal Performances in advance of the performance.

An image depicting the words: UCB Student Rush

Student Rush
$10 tickets available an hour before the performance

For select performances, UCB Students can purchase $10 tickets beginning an hour before the performance at the Cal Performances Ticket Office.

To find out if rush tickets will be available for a particular show, call 510.642.9988 beginning three hours prior to the performance.

More Ways to Get Involved

Want to get deeper into the programming and the community at Cal Performances?

An image depicting the words: Post-performance UCB Student Receptions

Attend UC Berkeley Student Receptions
Meet other arts-lovers

For our 2025–26 season, we’ve planned four post-performance receptions to celebrate the UC Berkeley students in our Cal Performances community and to provide a space for you to connect with other students who share a love for live performance! Free light refreshments will be served on the Zellerbach Hall Mezzanine (second floor) for all UCB student ticketholders and their guests.

Receptions will be held immediately following:

Philharmonia Orchestra; Santtu-Matias Rouvali, principal conductor; Víkingur Ólafsson, piano (Oct 18)
Cecile McLorin Salvant (Feb 5)
Opera Parallèle: La Belle et la Bête (Mar 13)
The Joffrey Ballet: Midsummer Night’s Dream (Apr 18)

An RSVP is not required to attend post-performance receptions. We encourage you to check out our student discounts below, particularly our Golden Bear Circle program, as you plan your visit.

An image depicting the words: Become a UCB Student Worker

Become a Student Worker
Get paid to make great art happen

Cal Performances employs student workers in a variety of departments, including the ticket office, front-of-house, marketing and communications, and education! All work is paid and part-time, and open to all currently enrolled students, including those participating in work study programs. Additional benefits of working at Cal Performances include:

  • Enjoying free access to the world’s finest music, dance, and theater performances
  • Gaining experience and insight into what it takes to present live performances of the highest caliber
  • Joining a community of other students and staff with your shared interests
  • Developing transferable skills and growing your responsibilities over time
  • Work hours are flexible and typically align with UC Berkeley’s academic year.

See current student job openings

An image depicting the words: Become a UCB Student Volunteer

Become a Student Volunteer
Support the performances you love

Want to be part of the magic, but need a bit more flexibility with scheduling? Cal Performances relies on the generosity of more than 200 volunteers each season to serve as ushers at all of our performances. Volunteer for as many performances as you’d like and gain free entrance to see world-class talent while you’re already onsite!

Find more information about volunteer openings

An image depicting the words: Learn with Illuminations

Learn with Illuminations
Connect performing arts with campus research

Illuminations puts the groundbreaking scholarship of UC Berkeley and the world-class music, dance, and theater presented by Cal Performances in conversation with one another to shed light on pressing themes with the power to transform our understanding of the world and shape the future.

The 2025–26 Illuminations theme, “Exile & Sanctuary,” invites us to explore how people who have experienced exile have found comfort in building new identities and narratives, and how the arts can give voice to these important stories.

Learn more about Illuminations “Exile & Sanctuary”

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Email Club is the best way to find out about student discounts, upcoming events, and more.