US Open Travel Guide: Tickets, Free Fan Week & Getting There

Last updated: September 2026.

The US Open comes back to Flushing Meadows, Queens every year in the same rough window — late August through mid-September — and a good chunk of it is free to walk into if you know when to show up. This guide isn't built around one year's schedule; it's built around the questions worth answering every year: when it happens, what's free, how tickets actually work, how to get there from Manhattan, and what else is worth doing in Queens while you're out there. We'll use 2026's real dates as the working example throughout.

Quick answer: The US Open runs roughly the last week of August through mid-September, with a free Fan Week the week before the ticketed main draw begins. In 2026 that's Fan Week Aug 23-29 (free grounds access with a Fan Access Pass) and the main draw Aug 30-Sept 13. Get there via the 7 train (cheapest) or LIRR (fastest) to Mets-Willets Point, and budget a grounds pass over a stadium seat if you're going cheap.

When Is the US Open, and When Is Fan Week?

The US Open follows a consistent annual shape: Fan Week and qualifying run the week before the main draw, and the main draw itself runs roughly late August into mid-September, closing with the singles finals. In 2026, Fan Week runs August 23-29, and the main draw runs August 30 through September 13, with the women's final on September 12 and the men's final on September 13.

That means the whole event — free week plus ticketed tournament — spans about three weeks each year. The USTA announces the following year's exact dates on usopen.org well ahead of time; expect 2027 to follow this same late-August-to-mid-September pattern, but confirm the specific dates on the official site once they're published rather than assuming they repeat exactly.

What's Free at the US Open?

Fan Week and qualifying matches are free to attend every year, and that's the single best-value thing about the tournament for travelers. You need a free Fan Access Pass, registered in advance through usopen.org or the US Open app (registration is required for guests 18 and older), but grounds entry itself doesn't cost anything during that week. Fan Week also covers Arthur Ashe Kids' Day and Mixed Doubles qualifying matches.

The tournament typically adds at least one more free day during the main draw's second week — in 2026 it's called Open For All Day (September 10) — giving free grounds admission (no Ashe Stadium seat) with no ticket purchase required. One thing worth correcting if you've seen it described elsewhere: the finals-weekend Fan Fest (Sept 12-13) is not free — it requires its own paid grounds pass, separate from a standard main-draw ticket, even though it doesn't get you into Ashe Stadium itself.

How Do I Get Tickets, and When Do They Go on Sale?

Tickets are sold exclusively through Ticketmaster, the US Open's official ticketing partner — buying direct avoids resale markups. There are two broad categories: a grounds pass (general admission to every court except Arthur Ashe Stadium, first-come first-served) and session tickets (a reserved seat in Ashe, Armstrong, or Grandstand for one day or evening session, which also includes grounds access).

Tickets for the following year's tournament typically go on sale in spring, months ahead of the event — for 2026, general sales opened in May, often preceded by a short presale window for card-partner holders. As of 2026, grounds passes started around $65 and session tickets ranged well above that depending on stadium, round, and day vs. evening session — check usopen.org or Ticketmaster for current pricing before you plan a budget.

How Do I Get to Flushing Meadows from Manhattan?

The 7 train to Mets-Willets Point is the classic, budget route: board at Grand Central or Times Square and it's roughly 30-45 minutes for a standard subway fare (base fare is $3 as of 2026, tapped via OMNY or MetroCard). It drops you right across from the National Tennis Center.

The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), Port Washington branch, is the faster option from Penn Station or Grand Central Madison — figure roughly 20-30 minutes — for a higher fare than the subway (LIRR CityTicket fares run a few dollars more each way than the subway, more during peak hours). The MTA typically adds extra 7 train and LIRR service to Mets-Willets Point during the tournament, so check mta.info closer to your dates for the current schedule.

What Should I Bring — and What's Not Allowed?

Grounds rules cap bag size and ban multi-compartment backpacks, though a single-compartment drawstring bag within the size limit is fine — and you don't need a clear bag, an opaque one that meets the size limit is allowed too. An empty or sealed water bottle up to a set ounce limit is typically permitted, which is worth doing on a hot, humid late-August day with limited shade on the outer courts.

Because bag rules and prohibited-items lists get tweaked year to year, treat any specific size or ounce number you read (including here) as a starting point — confirm the current guest guide on usopen.org before you pack, especially if you're flying in and don't want a bag turned away at the gate.

What Else Is There to Do in Queens During a US Open Trip?

Flushing Meadows Corona Park, home to the tennis center, is also home to the Unisphere, the Queens Museum, and the New York Hall of Science — all an easy stop before or after a session, and the park itself is bigger than Central Park. A few stops further on the 7 train, Flushing's Main Street Chinatown is one of NYC's most concentrated food destinations, with dumpling houses, Malaysian and Taiwanese spots, and the New World Mall food court.

If you're combining a US Open trip with a longer NYC stay, our Queens as a nomad base near the 7 train guide covers the neighborhood in more depth, and our New York/New Jersey travel and transit guide is a useful companion for getting around the wider city on the same trip.

What's the Cheapest Way to Experience the US Open?

The cheapest real way in is Fan Week or a qualifying-round weekday, free with a Fan Access Pass, plus whatever it costs you to get to Queens and eat while you're there. If you want main-draw tennis without a stadium seat, a grounds pass on an early-round weekday beats any session ticket — you trade a guaranteed seat for the freedom to roam every outer court, and weekday crowds are noticeably lighter than weekend sessions.

If you're flying in for it, book early and flexibly: our guide on how to find cheap flights covers deal-alert tools and timing that apply just as well to a late-August NYC trip as anywhere else.

Whether you catch a free qualifying match during Fan Week, grab a grounds pass for an early-round weekday, or splurge on a night session in Arthur Ashe, the US Open gives you several ways into one of tennis's biggest stages — all a short train ride from wherever you're staying in NYC. Bookmark this guide and come back each summer to check the current year's dates before you plan.