Video Music Awards 2026: Free Audience Tickets in LA

The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards land on Sunday, September 27, airing on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. And you don't have to watch from the couch. 1iota, the free fan-ticketing service a lot of LA productions use, has a request page open for the show with three time slots that afternoon. If you're sorting through LA events this weekend and want one that costs nothing, this is about as big a name as free gets.

The VMAs have been MTV's loudest night since 1984. It's the show people remember for surprise performances and moments that end up clipped and reposted for weeks. The 1iota listing sums it up in one line: "Anything can happen at the #VMAs."

Time slots

1iota lists three options, all on Sunday, September 27:

• 1:00 PM
• 2:00 PM
• 2:30 PM

Those are afternoon call times, well ahead of the evening broadcast. The artwork on the 1iota listing is labeled "Red Carpet Fan," so read the request page carefully to see exactly which part of the night your slot covers before you commit your Sunday to it.

How to get tickets

Make a free 1iota account, open the Video Music Awards page and request the slot you want. Tickets are free. The listing gives the age limit as 18+ and 21+, so plan on being at least 18, and check whether the slot you pick is one of the 21-and-over ones. Leave the under-18s at home for this one.

Here's the part people skip: a 1iota confirmation isn't a guaranteed spot. Free audience services overbook on purpose because some people cancel and others never show up. Your ticket gets you priority in line, not a seat or a spot on the rail. Arrive early. Whoever's at the back when the space fills up gets turned away.

What to expect

Bring a government-issued photo ID that matches the name on your request. Your confirmation email will spell out the exact check-in location, arrival time, dress guidance and the rules on phones and bags. Go by that email, not by anything here, since award-show logistics change right up to the day.

Award-show fan areas mean a lot of standing and waiting. Wear shoes you can stand in for hours, eat beforehand, and bring sunscreen if you'll be outside in late-September sun. Production staff will cue you when to cheer, and you'll probably do more of it than you expect.

Getting there

1iota lists the location only as Los Angeles, CA. The exact address and entrance come in your confirmation, so read it the night before and map your route then. Sunday traffic around a major award show gets ugly near the venue, and street closures are common. Rideshare or transit to a nearby stop usually beats circling for parking.

More free TV tapings

The VMAs are the flashiest listing on the board right now, but talk shows, game shows and sitcoms fill free seats all fall across Burbank, Hollywood and Culver City. They're some of the better Things Happening In Los Angeles if you don't mind a line. See every open request on the Live Audience page, or browse everything else around town on the Los Angeles page.