AFI Fest 2026: How to Get Into Hollywood's Own Film Festival This October

Most film festivals ask you to travel to a ski town, a seaside resort or a European capital. AFI Fest asks you to go to Hollywood Boulevard. For five days every autumn, the American Film Institute turns the TCL Chinese Theatres, the most famous cinema forecourt in the world, into a festival hub, and anyone with a ticket can walk past the handprints in the cement and into a premiere.

This year is a milestone: the 40th AFI Fest runs October 21–25, 2026, and public tickets went on sale on Saturday, October 3. If you are anywhere near Los Angeles in late October, this is the easiest major festival in America to actually attend.

What it is

AFI Fest is the American Film Institute's annual showcase of new cinema, presented by Canva. It sits at a crucial point on the calendar: late enough to gather the big autumn titles that have been touring Venice, Telluride, Toronto and New York, early enough that many of them have not yet opened in theaters. The program mixes Red Carpet Premieres and Special Screenings with discovery-focused sections for new voices, international films and short films. Last year's highlight reel on AFI's official YouTube channel gives a good sense of the atmosphere.

Unlike a market festival, AFI Fest is built for audiences. You don't need a badge or an industry job. You need a ticket and a little planning.

Who can attend

Anyone. Individual tickets are sold to the general public, and there is a four-ticket limit per person per screening. Industry professionals can apply separately for an Industry Pass, which AFI approves case by case.

What it costs

According to AFI's official ticket page, 2026 prices are:

• Feature films (excluding Red Carpet Premieres): $19
• Short film programs: $12
• Red Carpet Premieres: $25 for matinees, $30 for evening shows
• 10-Ticket Bundle: $175, limited quantities. It covers any mix of screenings except Red Carpet Premieres, gave buyers early selection on October 2, and includes free Rush-line access for every screening, including Red Carpet Premieres.

If you want more than a handful of films, AFI also sells passes:

• Star Pass – $300: regular screenings (not red carpet events), early selection, Festival Lounge access, a mixer invitation and free rush access.
• Patron Pass – $600: everything above, plus Red Carpet Premiere access, two premiere tickets and priority selection.
• Marquee Pass: a new hospitality tier handled directly by AFI staff.

One important rule: a pass alone does not get you into a screening. Passholders still have to reserve a ticket for each film in advance. Passes are non-transferable and non-refundable.

AFI members get 20% off festival tickets, and members at the Cinephile level and above receive complimentary tickets. If you were already thinking about joining, now is the time.

How to get tickets, step by step

1. Go to the official ticket page, fest.afi.com/tickets, and click through to the 2026 film listings.
2. Build a shortlist before you buy. Red Carpet Premieres and anything with a director or cast conversation tend to go first.
3. Decide between single tickets and the bundle. At $19 per feature, the $175 bundle only saves money once you are past nine films, but its real value is the free Rush-line access, which is your best shot at sold-out premieres.
4. Buy, then check your confirmation. Tickets are capped at four per person per screening.
5. If a film is sold out, plan for the Rush line at the theater. Bundle holders and passholders get free rush access; arrive early.

Insider tips

• Think in blocks, not titles. The festival is concentrated in one multiplex, so you can stack three or four films in a day without travel. Leave at least 30 minutes between screenings for lines.
• Don't chase only the red carpet. The discovery and international sections are where you see films months before (or instead of) a US release, and those screenings are far easier to get into.
• Stay for the Q&A. Many screenings are followed by conversations with filmmakers. AFI publishes some of them on YouTube afterward, but nothing beats asking the question yourself.
• Leave the car at home if you can. Metro's B Line has a Hollywood/Highland stop in the heart of the boulevard, and parking in the middle of a festival week is nobody's idea of fun.
• Groups of ten or more can contact the AFI Fest box office for group pricing.

For a city that makes movies for a living, Los Angeles has surprisingly few chances for ordinary moviegoers to share a room with the people who made them. AFI Fest is one of the best. Book early, keep an evening free for the rush line, and enjoy the 40th.