Grab Your Free Passes: Explore Arizona’s Cultural Gems at Your Local Library!

Act One is launching a program providing free “Culture Passes” for families and children across Arizona, accessible through local public and educational libraries.

Since 2013, this Southern Arizona nonprofit has facilitated free access to numerous arts and culture venues statewide. In 2025, the University of Arizona Main Library joins over 50 other participating libraries in this initiative.

Anne Osborne, manager of the Culture Pass program, stated, “We offer the passes through the libraries because it is a public resource and our program is also a public resource.” She emphasizes that anyone can obtain a public library card to access the passes.

The program aims to provide students, seniors, and under-resourced families with free entry to various arts and cultural institutions. Each pass allows two individuals to visit specific sites across Arizona, including renowned locations like the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and Reid Park Zoo. Act One reports distributing more than 500,000 free culture passes annually across Northern, Central, and Southern Arizona.

The offerings include diverse venues such as the Desert Botanical Gardens and the Children’s Museum Tucson. “The pass is then good for admission for two people to dozens of museums, art galleries, gardens, and other cultural hotspots,” Osborne noted. “People can go completely free.”

Primarily, Act One’s mission is to enrich the lives of Arizona’s children and families through quality arts experiences. Additionally, the nonprofit organizes virtual and in-person field trips for students in low-income schools.

The Culture Passes are available year-round and are particularly beneficial for families during school breaks, according to program organizers. They can be checked out from branches of the Pima County Public Library, Pima Community College libraries, and the UA Main Library, with a validity period of seven days.