The 37th annual “Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction” raised $1,237,179 — a record-breaking amount for the event. Proceeds from the event, produced by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, support the nonprofit’s humanitarian efforts to provide meals, medication and healthcare to those living with HIV/AIDS and other serious illnesses in the United States and Puerto Rico.
The flea market took place in Manhattan’s Theater District on Oct. 1. The event featured a live and silent auction, as well as individual booths selling theatrical memorabilia and providing experiences to fans who crowded the streets.
The tables at the 2023 flea market raised $552,549. The table hosted by the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers (ATPAM) led the pack, setting an all-time table fundraising record of $78,671. Other tables included Telecharge and the Shubert Organization, TDF’s Pik-a-Tkt, “The Phantom of the Opera” and Michael Crawford International Fan Association and United Scenic Artists, as well as currently running productions “Hadestown,” “Kimberly Akimbo,” “Moulin Rouge!,” “Some Like It Hot,” “Sweeney Todd” and more.
The live auction raised $493,500, breaking the previous record of $381,450, which had been set in 2017. The top-sold item was a business-class trip to London, courtesy of Broadway Cares’ official airline, United, to see three West End shows and meet Tony Award winners Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga after seeing them in “Old Friends.” The package sold for $32,000.
Last year, the 2022 flea market earned $1,043,825. To date, the 37 editions have brought in more than $18.7 million.
The flea is among a number of record-breaking events that have been held by Broadway Cares in 2023. The nonprofit’s 2023 edition of Broadway Bets broke its fundraising record in May, and this year’s “Broadway Backwards” also set a new record in March.
