Donor FAQ

Start by learning more about our giving levels and benefits. You can donate on our website here, or you may call our development department at 847-266-5461. Creating an account and donating online is your best bet for being prepared for the donor ticket requesting period each spring.

Your donation will be valid until September 30, 2023.

You can view all donation levels and corresponding benefits by clicking here.

Charitable contributions to Ravinia are not refundable and do not guarantee any benefits or specific concert seating at any level.

Your gift is tax deductible to the extent that it exceeds the value of the benefits you receive in exchange for your donation. Some donors choose to make an additional gift to cover the cost of benefits. If you wish for your gift to be fully tax-deductible, you may decline your benefits. The cost of benefits for each donation level are as follows:

• Bravo/Encore - $0
• Friend - $40
• Affiliate - $50
• Patron - $50
• Marquee - $70
• Opus - $177
• Guarantor - $364
• President’s Circle - $364
• Chairman’s Circle - $364

Yes! Consider donating appreciated stock to Ravinia to receive both contributor and potential tax benefits! You could receive a charitable deduction for the full fair market value of the securities and avoid capital gains tax on securities that have increased in value, provided you have owned them for at least one year. Please consult your tax professional for specific tax advice regarding gifts of stock. For more information on gifting stock to Ravinia visit this page. If you need additional assistance, please contact us at 847-266-5023 or donors@ravinia.org.

You may be able to double or even triple your gift, giving you increased benefits that come with your new giving level. Read more about matching gifts.

Yes. Please call us at 847-266-5461 for assistance.

All donor benefits, except for the priority parking pass for donors at the Opus level and above, can be accessed digitally from your myRavinia account. Log in here on your mobile device to access your concert tickets and benefits barcode digitally.

All donor benefits, except for the priority parking pass for donors at the Opus level and above, can be accessed digitally from your myRavinia account. Log in here on your mobile device to access your concert tickets and benefits barcode digitally. The priority parking pass will be mailed just before the season begins. After the season has begun, new or upgrading donors can expect to access these benefits on their myRavinia account immediately and receive a parking pass (if applicable) in 7–10 days.

Donors can enter the park 30 minutes prior to the general public at the South, East, and West Gates with an early entry card. Please refer to the park map here for locations of all park entrances.

No. You must have your digital early entry barcode and digital tickets for the night’s performance in hand in order to enter the park early. You can access your tickets and early entry pass digitally from your myRavinia account. Log in here.

If you made a donation during the advance ticketing period for your level of support, you may request tickets immediately at Ravinia.org. Please click here to review information about advance ticketing for current Ravinia donors.

All donor benefits, excluding the priority parking pass for donors at the Opus level and above, can be accessed digitally from your myRavinia account. Log in here on your mobile device to access your concert tickets and benefits barcode digitally.

The priority parking pass will be mailed in just before the season begins. After the season has begun, new or upgrading donors can expect to access these benefits on their myRavinia account immediately and receive a parking pass (if applicable) in 7–10 days.

Donor benefits, including early entry cards, season parking passes, season Lawn passes, and restaurant reservations are intended for personal or household use only. In the event that Ravinia has reason to believe that benefits are not being used as such, we reserve the right to withdraw donor privileges.

Donors have access to all of Ravinia’s performance tickets prior to the general public.

Seats are assigned based on the level of donation and then by the date the request is received. Special consideration is also given to donors who are part of our Silver Circle, having given to Ravinia for 25 or more consecutive years. You can find more information about donor ticketing here.

Our Pavilion, which seats as many as 3,350, is wider than it is deep, so there isn’t a bad seat in the house! Ticket requests are filled based on level of donation and when the request is received, and seat locations can vary depending on demand for each concert.

Similar to ticket fulfillment, restaurant reservations are filled first and foremost based on level of donation, then by the date the request is received. We do our best to honor all requests but typically have more demand than we are able to accommodate.

We offer onsite parking in our North and South Lots exclusively for Opus ($4,000) and above donors. We offer general parking in our West Lot on a first-come, first-served basis. The West Lot is $25 for pop and jazz concerts, $10 for classical concerts in the Pavilion, and FREE for Martin Theatre concerts, Kids Concerts, and dance concerts. All parking lots open one hour before the gates open to the general public. All public gate opening times are listed on the season calendar and on our website. For more parking information, including parking maps, please click here.

There is handicap accessible parking available for Opus and above donors in the North and South lots. There is also accessible parking in the right-of-way south of the Tyler Gate (West Gate) off of St. Johns Avenue and in our West Lot which is located off of Green Bay Road. All handicap accessible parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Onsite parking is only included in the benefits of donors at the Opus ($4,000) level and above. Opus donors receive one digital season parking pass and are able to park in our North and South Priority Lots. Guarantor and higher donors receive two digital season parking passes for these parking lots.

All parking lots open one hour before the general public gate opening time.
Vehicles are not permitted to line up on public streets before the parking lots open.

The West Lot opens one hour before the gates open to the general public, and depending on the concert, can fill up quite quickly. We suggest arriving as early as you are able, and then having a picnic on our beautiful lawn! If you are unable to park in the West Lot, we offer Park and Ride shuttles for free. You can find more information on Park and Ride here.

All ticket sales are final and non-refundable. If you have Pavilion tickets and it is more than 24 hours prior to the concert, you can either exchange them for a different performance or for a Ticket Credit Voucher (good towards a ticket purchase during the current season only). If it is less than 24 hours prior to the concert, or if you have lawn tickets, you can donate them back to Ravinia for a tax-deductible donation. To donate your tickets for a specific concert back to Ravinia, please contact the box office at tickets@ravinia.org or (847) 266-5100 before that concert begins.

If you have Pavilion tickets and it is more than 48 hours prior to the concert, you can either exchange them for a different performance or for a Ticket Credit Voucher (good toward a ticket purchase during the current season only). If it is less than 48 hours prior to the concert, or if you have Lawn tickets, you can donate them back to Ravinia as a tax-deductible donation. To donate your tickets for a specific concert back to Ravinia, you can contact the box office at either tickets@ravinia.org or 847-266-5100 before the concert begins.

While the ticket reselling industry is legal in the state of Illinois, we are deeply concerned about the reselling of Ravinia tickets ahead of our public on-sale date. Even though they do not have any tickets in their possession, many sites sell on speculation in order to lure buyers prior to this date. We are actively working to identify the original buyers of resold tickets and cancel orders of brokers caught abusing donor benefits here at Ravinia. We will continue to strive to make the festival accessible to all in a fair and legal way.

Ravinia does not sell any tickets to anyone in advance of our donors. The safest and surest way to get tickets to all of Ravinia’s great concerts is to become a donor in advance of our donor ticket requesting period in the spring. Please click here for more information on donor ticketing privileges and donor on sale dates.

There are wheelchairs available for transportation from the gates into the park on a first-come, first-served basis. If none are immediately available, please talk to one of our staff members, and they will try to assist you. We are unable to reserve a wheelchair for any one patron but will do our best to assist you in any way possible once you arrive at the park. We also offer wheelchairs for patrons who need assistance from the West Lot through the Grand Entrance. You can learn more about accessibility at Ravinia here.

Mobility carts operate for all classical and Martin Theatre performances. They are not in service for non-classical concerts due to large crowds and safety concerns. You can learn more about accessibility at Ravinia here.

There is handicap accessible parking available for Opus and above donors in the North and South lots. There is also accessible parking in the right-of-way south of the Tyler Gate (West Gate) off of St. Johns Avenue and in our main lot which is located off of Green Bay Road. All handicap accessible parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis. You can learn more about accessibility at Ravinia here.

Timings vary depending on the concert and often change. We usually don’t receive that information until a day or two before the concert. You can contact our box office for more information at 847-266-5100 or tickets@ravinia.org.

You can reach us at donors@ravinia.org or 847-266-5461.