Box Office Policies

Ordering Tickets Online

The easiest way to order tickets at Sunset Center is to use this Web site with your Visa, Discover, MasterCard or American Express. Use the Calendar to locate the show you want to see. To place your order, hit the Buy Tickets button next to any event. Follow the prompts, and click Submit.

We do not accept unpaid ticket reservations or hold tickets for in-person purchase later. For information about the security of online transactions, please refer to our Privacy Policy.

General Ticket Release Dates: Every subscription series show on the Events Calendar includes a date when we release tickets for sale to the general public. Prior to that date, tickets are available only as part of the subscription series or on a special priority basis. You may submit an order any time by calling the Box Office and we will hold it until the general ticket release date for that event.

Online Seat Selection: You may select your seat online and choose to have your tickets mailed or reserved in Will Call.

Ticket Handling Fees: Sunset Center Box Office will charge a $3.50 per ticket handling fee for all online and phone ticket orders. Handling fees are waived for orders taken at the Box Office window.

Tickets Purchased More Than 10 Days Before a Show: Orders received more than 10 days before a show will be mailed to the shipping address that you indicate via first-class mail. You may also request that we hold your tickets at Will Call. Sunset Center Box Office is open Monday to Friday from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm and Saturday from noon to 4:00 pm. You must show a photo ID to pick up tickets at Will Call.

Tickets Purchased Within 10 Days of a Show: Tickets purchased within 10 days of a show are held at Will Call. Tickets held in Will Call can be picked up at the Sunset Center Box Office during our regular business hours or immediately before the show. The Box Office is open from two hours before every performance until intermission.

Ordering Tickets by Phone

If you prefer to speak with the Sunset Center Box Office please call us at 831-620-2048. Our hours are Monday to Friday from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm and Saturday from noon to 4:00 pm. In addition, the Sunset Center Box Office is open two hours prior to every performance until intermission. The same practices outlined above for online ticket orders apply to all phone orders, including general public ticket sales, mailing tickets and Will Call.

Buying Tickets in Person

The Sunset Center Box Office is located near the theater entrance off San Carlos Street, between Ninth and Tenth Avenues. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm and Saturday from noon to 4:00 pm. In addition, the Sunset Center Box Office opens two hours prior to every performance and remains open until intermission. Parking is free in the San Carlos parking lot adjacent to the theater.

Tickets purchased in person may be paid for with cash, check (CA only), Visa, American Express, Discover or MasterCard.

Refunds and Exchanges

All sales are final. If you are a Season Subscriber, you may exchange tickets for an equal or lower priced show within the series, depending on ticket availability.

Program Changes and Cancellations

Occasionally, due to unforeseen circumstances, the programs and artists scheduled to appear at Sunset Center change, or a show may be cancelled. As soon as we know a show has been changed, postponed or cancelled, we will announce changes on this Web site and in local newspapers. If you are a ticket holder to a show that is rescheduled or cancelled, hold on to your tickets. We will contact you with information about exchanging or refunding your tickets. Program changes or cancellations are updated daily on the Web site or you can call the Box Office at 831-620-2048.

Most performances at Sunset Center occur as scheduled, regardless of weather. If weather concerns arise on the day of an event, please check with the Box Office at 831-620-2048. The Box Office is open from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm Monday through Friday and Saturday from noon to 4:00 pm. We are also open two hours before every show.

Unable to Use Your Tickets?

All ticket sales are final. If you are not able to use your tickets, you may donate them. To donate your tickets, please return your tickets to the Box Office prior to the performance. Sunset Center Box Office will acknowledge your ticket donation by mail and you will receive a donation letter suitable for filing with your tax return. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 1950, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA 93921.

Missing or Lost Tickets:

Don’t worry. If your tickets do not arrive before a show, have been lost or left at home, come to the Box Office at least one hour before the performance. Show the representative a photo ID and we will reprint your tickets. A $3.50 per ticket handling fee will be charged for the reissue of all missing and lost tickets.

Group Sales

Sunset Center would like to work with you to arrange special group discounts for twenty or more tickets to events. Please contact us early so that we can make certain you get the best seats at the best price. To inquire about group discounts, please e-mail us at patronsvcs@sunsetcenter.org, or call Patron Services at 831-620-2053.

Late Arrivals

Shows at Sunset Center start promptly. If you are unavoidably delayed, you will be seated at the discretion of the House Manager, usually following a pause in the program.

We suggest patrons arrive at the Sunset Center at least 20 minutes before curtain time if you already have your tickets and no later than 30 minutes before the show if your tickets are being held at Will Call. If you are purchasing tickets, please allow additional time. Sunset Center Box Office opens two hours prior to the start of the event and remains open through intermission.

Alcohol and Food

Alcoholic beverages and food may not be brought inside the Sunset Center Theater. The nonprofit volunteer organization Friends of Sunset sells wine and some snack foods before shows and during intermission. Patrons should enjoy their refreshments in the Lobby area only. Patrons are not allowed to carry beverages or food into the auditorium of the Theater at any performance.

Mailing Lists and Privacy Policy

When you order tickets either online, by phone or in person, we automatically add your name and address to our mailing list. In addition, we would like to add your e-mail address. Sunset Center understands our patrons and users of this Web site care about the personal information they provide. Please refer to our Privacy Policy to read about the information we collect and how we secure and use it.


For the Comfort and Pleasure of All Our Patrons, We Ask…

  • All patrons, regardless of their age, must have a ticket. We urge parents to make sure attendance by young children is appropriate.
  • Photographing, recording, or electronically transmitting a performance is not permitted at Sunset Center, except by prior arrangement with the Sunset Center management.
  • Please turn off your cell phone, alarm watch, pager and other electronic devices before entering the Theater building. If you need to make a call, please do so outside the Sunset Center Theater building itself, not in the lobby.
  • In accordance with California State law, Sunset Center is a “No Smoking” facility.