The streets of NYC’s Theater District brimmed with Broadway magic as the Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction returned Sunday, September 21, 2025. From star-studded encounters to one-of-a-kind finds, theater lovers and Broadway favorites transformed the neighborhood into the Biggest Day for Broadway Fans – all while making a lifesaving impact.

The 39th annual edition of the Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction, produced by and benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, raised a record-breaking $1,633,803.

The day brought together 65 Broadway shows and theatrical organizations at tables in Shubert Alley and on West 44th and West 45th Streets. Fans bid on 156 silent and 67 live auction lots offering rare memorabilia and once-in-a-lifetime experiences, while 54 of Broadway’s brightest stars signed autographs and posed for photos.

This year’s show-stopping fundraising will provide lifesaving meals and medication, health care and hope for all in entertainment and the performing arts, as well as those living with HIV/AIDS or facing other critical illnesses in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. 

“The Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction is a joyful reminder of what makes this community so extraordinary,” said Danny Whitman, executive director of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. “It exemplifies the most brilliant embodiment of creativity, generosity and volunteerism in action – those who make Broadway magic happen eight times a week and thousands of fans, coming together to celebrate all things theater. All while ensuring meals, medication, housing and more lifesaving and life-affirming support reaches those who need them most.”

Attendees were treated to starry surprise encounters throughout the day, from drag legend and Tony Award-winning playwright Charles Busch and Tony-nominated actor and playwright John Cariani to Broadway’s beloved botanical diva HwaBoon and Tony nominee Louis McCartney. Mylinda Hull, Cheryl Porter and Jessica Vosk joined additional cast members from & Juliet, Death Becomes Her, Operation Mincemeat, The Outsiders, Stranger Things: The First Shadow and more, who stopped by tables across the afternoon. Adding to the excitement, global superstar P!NK was spotted browsing the tables with her Broadway-loving daughter, Willow Sage Hart.

Among the singular and sensational finds at the Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction were stage-used shovels from Death Becomes Her, a cast-signed locker from John Proctor Is the Villain, pothos plants propagated from Jonathan Groff’s Merrily We Roll Along dressing room greenery and Elphaba- and Glinda-themed Labubus. When Operation Mincemeat sold out of treasures for the day, they kept the fun going by selling the sign marking their spot on the bustling streets of the Theater District.

The shows that filled the streets of the Theater District with props, costumes, posters, Playbills and more were & Juliet, Aladdin, Beetlejuice, Buena Vista Social Club, Cabaret, Death Becomes Her, Gypsy, Hadestown, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Hell’s Kitchen, Just in Time, The Lion King, Little Shop of Horrors, Maybe Happy Ending, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Oh, Mary!, Operation Mincemeat, The Outsiders, Six, Stranger Things: The First Shadow and Wicked. A special Curtain Call table featured mementos from shows that recently ended their runs, including Redwood, Sunset Blvd., Titanique and more.

The tables at this year’s market raised a record $851,552, led by perennial top fundraiser the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers (ATPAM) with $86,861. 

Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers	$86,861
The Outsiders	$74,002
Hadestown	$48,269
Death Becomes Her	$42,581
Telecharge and the Shubert Organization	$39,031
Maybe Happy Ending	$36,195
Just in Time	$34,143
Curtain Call	$28,014
Wicked and Broadway Green Alliance	$28,014
Operation Mincemeat	$27,469

The day concluded with the exhilarating live auction, which raised a show-stopping $521,200.

The most popular live auction lot was the chance to watch Hamilton from a music lover’s ultimate “room where it happens” – the orchestra pit – which brought in a spectacular $21,000.

Close behind was a killer poster from the original production of Assassins, signed by the cast and legendary composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim himself, which raised $20,000. Other buzzy highlights included making your Broadway debut with a walk-on role in & Juliet for $17,000; a My Fair Lady print by celebrated caricaturist Al Hirschfeld print signed by Julie Andrews at $16,000; and, tied at $15,000, the chance to see Broadway’s The Queen of Versailles and meet the show’s star Kristin Chenoweth, and opening night tickets and party passes to the anticipated revival of Ragtime.

Opening night tickets to 13 of this season’s most anticipated new shows brought in an impressive $55,050. Leading the way was Ragtime, whose opening night raised a remarkable $15,000. The runner-up was the star-studded revival of Chess, led by Nicholas Christopher, Lea Michele and Aaron Tveit, with its opening night tickets and party fetching $8,000.

Charismatic auctioneer Nick Nicholson helmed the thrilling live auction alongside host Bryan Batt, beloved for his work on Broadway as well as on film and television.

Earlier in the day, Todd Buonopane, Jen Cody and Michael Goddard returned to Shubert Alley to host the silent auction, with guest auctioneer Dan Perry. The silent auction raised a near-record  $212,354. Topping the lots was the chance to “Put On Your Sunday Clothes” with a pair of shoes worn onstage and signed by Bette Midler in Hello, Dolly! at $8,000. Close behind were Kit Connor’s signed, stage-worn Romeo + Juliet tank top at $6,900; the pilot script from SMASH signed by the starry cast; and the first page of the conductor’s score from the 10th anniversary performance of Hamilton, signed by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Alex Lacamoire, at $6,000.

While hunting for one-of-a-kind treasures at the tables and auctions, fans also rubbed elbows with their favorite Broadway stars at the Autograph Table and Photo Booth, raising $26,556.

The Broadway favorites who signed memorabilia and snapped photos with fans from the deck of Junior’s restaurant were F. Murray Abraham, Jenna Bainbridge, Scott Bakula, Dan Berry, Kerry Butler, Marcus Choi, Justin Collette, Kevin Del Aguila, Christian Douglas, Morgan Dudley, Dez Duron, Kurt Elling, Isabella Esler, Andrew Barth Feldman, Drew Gehling, Alex Joseph Grayson, Claire-Marie Hall, Olivia Elease Hardy, Gianna Harris, Jessica Hecht, Grey Henson, Vincent Jamal Hooper, James Monroe Iglehart, Aisha Jackson, Alison Jaye, Lencia Kebede, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, John Krause, Judy Kuhn, McKenzie Kurtz, Jeremy Kushnier, Sky Lakota-Lynch, Gracie Lawrence, Beth Leavel, Jordan Litz, Alison Luff, Ryan McCarten, Javier Muñoz, Tam Mutu, Alex Newell, Michele Pawk, Bernadette Peters, Emma Pittman, Daniel Quadrino, Helen J. Shen, Christopher Sieber, Burke Swanson, Paulo Szot, L. Steven Taylor, Elizabeth Teeter, Allie Trimm, Jordan Tyson, Marisha Wallace and Michelle Williams. Dionne Figgins, co-founder of Broadway Cares affiliate organization Broadway Serves and a Broadway favorite most recently seen in A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical, hosted the Autograph Table and Photo Booth. 

In addition to the treasures found in the Theater District, special “Fleabay” lots in Broadway Cares’ eBay store gave fans across the country a chance to snag unique collectibles. Together, these virtual offerings raised a record $18,641.

The Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction is one of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS’ longest-held traditions. The event had its humble beginnings more than three decades ago with two tables set up by cast members of A Chorus Line outside their stage door in Shubert Alley. Now, the Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction is one of the most anticipated events of the season for theater lovers.

Last year’s Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction raised a then-record $1,421,675. Since 1987, the 39 editions of the event have raised $21.8 million.

The Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction is supported by corporate sponsors The New York Times and United Airlines, the official airline of Broadway Cares.

Photos by Michael Hull, Rebecca J Michelson and Katie Mollison

Video by Víctor Rodríguez, Edlyn González and Josh Drake; Video editing by Josh Drake