If you wish to attend an NAC event (in-person and/or virtual), you must complete the online registration form.
To make a reservation, please visit the Arts Alive website and register for the event you wish to attend. Requests must be received prior to the indicated event period deadline. Once we receive your reservation request, we will follow up by email to confirm details. We will then send you an invoice confirming the number of seats, performance date and time, amount payable.
Immediately upon receiving your invoice, please check that it is accurate. The deadline by which you must submit payment is three weeks prior to the performance.
We accept one payment per invoice* for the total amount indicated, payable by credit card (American Express, VISA, MasterCard), money order or cheque.
*Please note that we cannot accept multiple payments for one invoice, nor can we accept one cheque for multiple invoices. Cheques should be made payable to the National Arts Centre.
Out of respect for groups on the waiting list, please understand that the NAC reserves the right to cancel any orders or release any tickets that have not been paid by the payment deadline.
One free adult chaperone ticket will be issued for every 15 student admissions purchased. Special Needs Assistants are admitted free of charge. Any additional chaperones are allowed at the discretion of the National Arts Centre and are charged the ticket price (HST included).
All sales are final. Cancellations of tickets will not be accepted after the payment deadline indicated on your invoice. You will be liable for full payment.
PLEASE NOTE: Tickets cannot be refunded or exchanged unless a performance is cancelled by the NAC or if school buses are cancelled by the school board due to inclement weather. Please ensure that numbers are correct before making the final payment.
The NAC is unable to refund or resell unused tickets due to student absences on the day of the performance.
The NAC can help cover the cost of artist fees for arts education activities this season, as our funds permit, for schools requiring financial assistance. To submit a request for financial assistance, please follow the instructions in our online registration form.
Arriving by bus, students may be dropped off at the Rideau Canal side of the NAC (accessed from Freiman Lane off Elgin Street). Buses cannot park onsite at the NAC; please see here for more information about parking buses downtown. An NAC representative will greet your group upon arrival and will direct you to the performance hall.
The NAC is only a 5-to-10-minute walk from major bus interchanges, including the Mackenzie King and Rideau Street stations. For bus schedules and maps please refer to your bus website.
Please note student matinee performances general seating events and physical and/or digital tickets are not issued. An NAC representative will be onsite on the day of the performance to confirm your attendance.
All performance halls are wheelchair accessible and equipped with an Assistive Listening System; please ensure you inform us of any accessibility requirements your group has when placing your reservation request.
The NAC has designated universal (gender neutral) washrooms on the main floor of the Southam foyer and the second level of the Studio foyer.
School groups are permitted to eat lunch or snacks on site in the NAC’s public spaces. If you would like to purchase lunch or snacks, the NAC is near the Rideau Centre, Elgin Street, Sparks Street and the Byward Market.
Teachers and/or supervisors must remain with their students at all times. Students are solely responsible for their personal belongings.
Please be advised that some NAC presentations may deal with mature themes and/or may contain coarse language, violence, sexuality or nudity. Grade level recommendations have been made with this in mind.
Each student under the age of a majority must have parent/legal guardian consent prior to attending the event.
By completing this application form, you understand and agree to the information noted above.
You are required to review the following guidelines with your students to ensure a positive event for all.
Please arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the performance to allow NAC staff to scan tickets.
Performers on stage rely on the audience for the energy to perform – so have fun and enjoy the experience! Everyone who views a performance will experience it in a different way. It is important to respect this process of exploration in yourselves and those around you.
For information on specific show content, please contact the NAC Arts Alive team at education@nac-cna.ca.
Your donations through the NAC's National Youth and Education Trust help the NAC provide learning and engagement opportunities for all — from young children in the classroom, to artists, to the lifelong learner.
Learning and engagement at Canada’s National Arts Centre is made possible through the support of many generous individuals and organizations from across the country. Arts Alive is generously supported by the Azrieli Foundation, the Government of Nunavut, Canadian North, Calm Air, The River Philip Foundation, The Turnbull Family Community Building Foundation, and The Thomas Sill Foundation. Thank you also to Grant and Alice Burton, Canada Life, A Donor-Advised Fund at the Community Foundation of Ottawa, Friends of the NAC Orchestra, Donors to the NAC Foundation's Future Fund, The Janice and Earle O’Born Fund for Artistic Excellence, and the donors and sponsors of the NAC’s National Youth and Education Trust, the primary resource for youth and education funding at the National Arts Centre.