Blue Man Group Fun Facts and DC Ticket Giveaway

Whether you’re a Blue Man Group fan or have always wanted to see group perform, DC area readers will get their chance as they return to Washington, D.C. for a week of performances at the National Theater. From May 6-11 the three bald blue headed men will treat audiences to a funny, entertaining, spectacular, and visually compelling multimedia performances that includes a live band.

Blue Man Group is a performance that I never get tired of even though I’ve seen it a number of times in various venues. From seeing it as a single graduate student in Boston, to with my husband pre-kids, and with our kids both during touring shows in DC and also at Universal Studios Orlando, it remains a favorite.

We love the Twinkie bit that involves audience participation, the use of pipes as a musical instrument, the beauty of what they do with paint, and the incorporation of technology, despite the non-verbal nature of the performance, is so well done that it will make you pause and consider your personal use of devices for a minute before the next funny bit has you laughing out loud. I won’t spoil the show by giving away more details but it’s performance art at its best that is truly fun for all ages.

If you’ve been to the show, have purchased tickets, or buying tickets is on your to-do list, here’s a fascinating look at Blue Man Group by the numbers. Did you know that:

• 9 crew members run the show. This includes wardrobe, props, video, sound, electrics, deck and stage management.
• Roughly 40 drum heads used in the show, including both the band loft and stage.
• Approximately 20 cymbals used with the drum kit.
• 45 drumsticks are used each week.
• 550 feet worth of PVC piping makes up the PVC tubed instruments.
• 10 gallons of paint are used each week. Paint used is regular egg-based Temper watered down a bit.
• 12 five-gallon and 12 16-oz containers of Jell-O are made each week. That’s approximately 360 pounds 
of Jell-O a week. It is made with 200-degree water, powder gelatin and orange food color. This Jell-O 
would not be good to eat, in that it has no flavoring.
• 15 pounds of Cap’n Crunch cereal are used per week.
• 36 pieces of white chocolate Toblerone candy are used per week.
• 45 marshmallows are used per show; that’s 640 per week.
• 910 bananas are used per week.
• 30 boxes of Twinkie Lights are used every week.
• 100 cakes of blue makeup and 36 bald caps are used each week.
• And all of this adds up to 75 loads of laundry done weekly!

Blue Man Group will only be at the National Theater for one week. Here’s a list of the performance dates and times:

• Tuesday, May 6 at 7:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m.
• Thursday, May 8 at 7:30 p.m.
• Friday, May 9 at 8 p.m.
• Saturday, May 10 at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.
• Sunday, May 11 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Tickets for Blue Man Group start at $48, plus applicable service charges, and are on sale now online at thenationaldc.com, by phone at (800) 514-3849, or in person at the National Theatre box office. For more information, call (202) 628-6161.

Enter to win tickets to the opening night performance to see Blue Man Group with your family!

To enter to win 4 tickets to the 7:30 pm performance on Tuesday, May 6, visit the official Blue Man Group YouTube channel and leave a link to your favorite video by Sunday, May 4 at 5 pm ET. Unfortunately behind the scenes meet-and-greet not included!

For additional entries, complete the required entry above and do any of the following:

• Follow me on Instagram @TechSavvyMama and leave me your Instagram user name in your comment (1 entry)
• Tweet this daily and leave a link to your tweet in your comment: Excited to see @BlueManGroup in #DC! I entered to win 4 tickets from @TechSavvyMama http://bit.ly/TSMBlueManGiveaway #giveaway (1 tweet/day)

Winner must reply within 24 hours and provide their full name as it appears on their ID in order to claim tickets at the box office the night of the performance. Official Sweepstakes Rules provide all contest details.

 I received tickets for my family to attend a Blue Man Group performance in exchange for this post and giveaway. Family photo taken at Universal Studios Orlando as part of the Despicable Me 2 press trip during Blue Man Group post-show meet and greet. All opinions are my own and based on my family attending many personally paid for performances in the past. Some images courtesy of Blue Man Group.