‘Broadway Flea Market’ defies the storm and raises nearly $1.5 million: 40th charity edition nears the record

A fierce nor’easter storm did not stop thousands of theatre fans from packing on Sunday, 27 September, the 40th edition of the “Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction”: organised for and benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the event — moved indoors to New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom — raised a full $1,487,927, very close to the 2025 record total of $1.63 million, as Playbill reports.

The 63 tables filled with posters, used stage props, costumes, set pieces, old Playbills and unique memorabilia from Broadway’s past and present together raised $685,124. The absolute leader was The Lost Boys with $104,376 — a record for an individual table — followed by Hadestown ($59,972), The Outsiders ($57,576), the ATPAM press agents’ association ($44,999), Operation Mincemeat ($43,035), Shubert/Telecharge ($29,040), Curtain Call ($24,054), Oh, Mary! ($20,119), Maybe Happy Ending ($17,199) and Just in Time ($16,881).

The live auction that closed the day broke a record with $562,300 raised. The highest lot was a London adventure — three pairs of tickets to West End shows and United business-class return flights — which went for $30,000; a meet-and-greet with the cast of The Lost Boys followed at $22,000, while the chance to shadow the stage manager of Wicked reached $20,000. The 156 silent-auction lots raised $206,450: Ricky Rojas’s acoustic guitar, signed by him, Danny Burstein, Aaron Tveit and other cast members of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, sold for $15,500; Satine’s swing for $9,000; while the chess knight piece from Chess, signed by Lea Michele and Aaron Tveit, went for $6,300.

The star autograph and photo table gathered 39 Broadway performers who greeted fans, among them Bernadette Peters, Shoshana Bean, Danny Burstein, Ariana Madix, Jennifer Simard and Kara Young. Fans from across America also took part online through FleaBay, Broadway Cares’ special eBay shop, which raised a record $34,053 with unique items from John Proctor is the Villain, The Lost Boys and Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

“We couldn’t be more grateful to everyone who helped us turn a scary day into such a success, despite everything the weather threw at us,” Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS executive director Danny Whitman said in a statement. “The day was a reminder of what theatre people do best: show up for each other.” The “Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction” was born in 1987, when actors from the original musical A Chorus Line set up two tables outside the stage door in Shubert Alley. Last year the event raised the record $1,633,803, and across 40 editions it has collected over $22 million. Broadway Cares is one of the leading American AIDS fundraising organisations: since 1988 it has distributed over $300 million for essential services for people with HIV/AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.