New York's Met is the largest opera house in the world

The Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center in New York is the largest opera house in the world by capacity, holding 3,975 people — 3,800 seats plus 175 standing-room places.

The present house opened on 16 September 1966, replacing the company’s original 1883 building further downtown. Its auditorium is famous for the Sputnik chandeliers that rise to the ceiling as the lights dim, and for one of the largest proscenium stages in the world, engineered to swap massive sets between performances.

By comparison, Milan’s storied La Scala seats roughly 2,000, and London’s Royal Opera House about 2,250 — so the Met holds nearly twice as many people as some of the world’s most celebrated opera venues. Even at that size, sought-after productions routinely sell out.