I have been going to NYC to see shows on Broadway for over 10 years. There are few things that bring me as much joy and I try to make the trip into the city at least once a year and see as many shows as I can possibly fit in with each visit. I have tried literally EVERY strategy under the sun for purchasing tickets and am sharing some of my tips for how to score the best Broadway tickets for your corresponding budget.
If there’s one thing I know, it’s that going to see a show on Broadway is EXPENSIVE and seeing even two or three shows in one trip can add up really quickly. What I also know, is that scoring tickets to the most coveted shows can be REALLY difficult, so when it comes to planning your upcoming trip to NYC you really have to ask yourself what is most important to you.
GETTING TICKETS WITHIN A LIMITED BUDGET
If seeing a show on Broadway (or perhaps multiple shows) is a huge priority for you but you really don’t want to break the bank (meaning you’re looking for tickets under $99), then I actually recommend purchasing your tickets in advance. There are two places I recommend purchasing your tickets from:
1. Today Tix – This is a website that sells Broadway tickets at a discounted rate. They will often have specials for weekday tickets. I like to check out their availability as a first step.
2. The show’s website – If Today Tix does not have what you’re looking for, then the next best option is to go directly to the website for the Broadway show you are interested in and purchase a ticket that’s within your price range. You can often find Mezzanine/Balcony level tickets for under $100 and when it comes to shows on Broadway, there really isn’t a bad seat in the house.
There are other strategies for getting cheap tickets but they are much “riskier” (see the Take It or Leave It section below).
GETTING THE BEST SEATS FOR SHOWS WITHIN A MODERATE BUDGET
If you’re looking for great seats and are willing to spend around $150 on a ticket then my recommendations above apply here as well. There is one additional option that you can consider, depending on your level of flexibility with the shows you want to see.
If you don’t have your heart set on a specific show but are rather looking for the experience of seeing a Broadway production from some great seats, then I recommend getting your tickets from the infamous TKTS booths. There are 3 booths located around NYC and each has different ticket availability. These booths are run by the New York Theater Development Fund and work with all of the theaters on Broadway and Off Broadway to sell surplus same day tickets to customers at a discounted rate. You can often get AMAZING seats for around $130-$150 (which is usually about 30-40% of the full price). You can sometimes get tickets for less than that but it’s not always a guarantee.
The most popular booth (by far) is the Times Square location. If this is the most convenient option for you, then I recommend lining up at least a full hour before the booth opens to get the best selection of tickets. If it’s possible for you to go to one of the other two booths then I recommend starting there as those lines are usually much shorter.
TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT
If your opinion on Broadway shows is that you could take it or leave it on this trip, then my last recommendation is entering the daily digital lotteries. But I want to break down the truth about these digital lotteries because I think many tourists (including myself) have put way too much weight/hope in these avenues. Over the past 2 years there has been a major shift on Broadway away from the in-person lottery draws (you know the ones where people would wait outside of the theater an hour before the show started with the hope that their name is picked out of a bowl…) in favor of digital lotteries. This has REALLY hurt visitors’ chances of winning tickets since literally anyone can enter from ANYWHERE. For popular shows like Hamilton many New Yorkers will enter every day for years until they win. The chances of winning these digital lotteries are SO low that it’s really an unwise strategy if you care deeply about the show you’re entering the lottery for. BUT someone’s got to win, so if you really don’t care if you aren’t chosen, then you have nothing to lose by entering!
The second way to get tickets if you’re not averse to risk, is to wait in line at the theater box office the morning before it opens for rush and/or standing room only tickets. Rush tickets are tickets that the theater will sell at a discounted price because the seats did not sell, they no longer need to hold them (e.g., handicap seats), or a patron decided to return the ticket last minute because they couldn’t make the show. There are a limited number of these available and for popular shows, people will line up HOURS in advance to be the first one in line. Once rush tickets are gone, some theaters will sell standing room only tickets so that people can stand at the back of the orchestra and watch the performance. These are usually only sold if the show is sold out.
GETTING THAT COVETED TICKET
So what about those shows that EVERYONE is talking about? The first thing I’ll say is that if you want to go to the most talked about shows then you’re going to have to be willing to spend $199+ per ticket. Unless you are able to purchase your tickets when ticket sales for a show first open, there is a low probability that you’ll be able to get a ticket to one of these coveted shows that isn’t a premium seat at a premium price. Scoring tickets to these popular shows is not impossible, it’s just expensive. The best strategy is always to first contact the box office directly to see what is available. If that does not work, there are plenty of resale Broadway ticket places in NYC where you can purchase your tickets in person or you can look on Stubhub if you want to purchase them in advance.
You can also try the “risky” strategy of waiting in line for rush or standing room only tickets. I will say that if you care deeply about a show, you need to be willing to get up very early (i.e., 4/5am) to get in line. For really popular shows, people will camp out overnight. There are also lots of people in New York who make a side income by getting up (or camping overnight) to be the first one in line for the rush tickets. They then resell these tickets or “sell” their place in line to their customers. So it’s best to know what you’re up against before you try this strategy.
I hope this post was helpful to you. There are literally TONS of different ways to see theater on Broadway and I always encourage everyone I know to take advantage of the myriad of opportunities available because seeing a show on Broadway truly is a very special experience.
What about you? Do you have a strategy for scoring Broadway tickets that’s worked for you in the past?
