A new web site, CultureCapital.com, plans to serve as a “one stop shop for arts and cultural events in the Washington metropolitan area,” said Jennifer Cover Payne, President of the Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington as she announced the launch of the site in downtown Washington, D.C. this week.  

Produced by the Cultural Alliance, a nonprofit arts organization serving the metropolitan area, CultureCapital.com is an online index of arts and culture events in the region list of more than 300 organizations and institutions in D.C., Maryland and Virginia. CultureCapital.com “makes it extremely easy for people to experience the abundance of arts and culture offered in the region,” Payne said. 

The new web site, which is now receiving more than 600 visitors daily, allows visitors to browse events, both ticketed and free, by a number of variables, including jurisdiction, date, event category and venue. After selecting a particular event, visitors can purchase tickets directly from the site. CultureCapital.com does not charge any additional ticketing fees.

“I have to say, I was greatly impressed the first time I bought a ticket from our new site,” Payne said following a live demonstration of the site. “Send to a Friend,” one of the site’s new features, allows visitors to send information about events they are considering attending to up to 10 friends via e-mail.

One of the goals of the project was to create a level playing field for organizations of all sizes and budgets. Because events are added to the site by representatives of the event itself, everyone has the opportunity to have their event listed. “I believe the new web site is helping us reach our objective to be as inclusive as we can possibly be,” Payne said.  

As of the launch, over 11,000 events were listed on the site. The launch of CultureCapital.com is the culmination of a nearly three-year process that included planning sessions with funders and arts leaders and an extensive study of similar initiatives from around the country.

Eileen Rappaport, Vice President of the Cultural Alliance said that increasing the region’s status as an arts and culture hub is one of the long-term goals of CultureCapital.com. The next phase of marketing for the project, Rappaport said, is aimed at increasing the awareness of the site among people outside of the region.