How To Get SNL Tickets And Hear “Live From New York” In Person

On Saturday, September 28, NBC’s long-running sketch series, Saturday Night Live, will have its Season 50 premiere in the iconic Studio 8H. People from around the globe have flocked to New York City to try to see a taping of this famous show, but honestly, how difficult is it to get tickets? It turns out that navigating the ticket process for SNL can be a tad overwhelming, so we’ve broken it down for you step-by-step. Here’s everything we know about how to get SNL tickets. With a big dose of luck, you’ll hearing, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!” in person in the near future.

Where to Buy Tickets to SNL

We’ve got good news and bad news when it comes to getting SNL tickets. The good news is tickets are free. The bad news is that the show runs a digital lottery for fans, and you can only enter during a one-month period, from August 1 through August 31 every year.

How To Enter The Online Lottery For SNL Tickets

While digital lotteries for Broadway shows rely on a website for entries, SNL does something quite different. During the month of August, audience hopefuls need to send an email—yes, an email—to SNLTICKETS@NBCUNI.COM. You need to include your full name, email address, and why you want to be a member of the show’s studio audience.

Because this is a lottery, simply emailing the required information is not a guarantee you will get a ticket. Indeed, NBC gets a lot more requests for tickets than the studio can accommodate—hence the lottery. In addition, the network only allows one email per person. Other rules: Only people who are ages 16 and up may be part of the studio audience and you must bring valid photo ID to prove you meet the minimum age requirement.

If you’re lucky enough to win the lottery, you don’t even get to choose your preferred date. Instead, your winning tickets (you’ll be given two) is assigned a show date and time, and if you can’t make it, there’s no opportunity to reschedule. One past winner said they received their email about 10 days before the episode. If you don’t win the lottery, you won’t receive a rejection email, either.

All that said, there is a second way to get tickets if you either missed the lottery entry window or don’t want to wait.

How To Get Standby Tickets For SNL

If you know you’ll be in NYC on a specific Saturday show date, there’s a waitlist option that gives you a chance to secure an available audience seat. To join, you must go to NBC’s reservation webpage, which goes live at 10 a.m. EST on the Thursday before a show day. When you do this, you can request up to four standby spots and the choice to attend either the 8 p.m. dress rehearsal or the 11:30 p.m. live show. You cannot request both, and of course filling out this form does not guarantee you a spot.

After you enter your information, which includes your full name and email address, you will receive email confirmation with a reservation number—“if there’s capacity,” NBC notes. The show is in high demand and seating is limited, so reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis. A word of warning: Don’t try to double your chances by submitting more than one entry. If you do this, only the most recent entry will be counted, which could damage your chance at getting a reservation number.

If you get an email confirmation congratulations—but there’s more to do to lock in your seat at the show. You and your entire party need to check into an in-person standby line between 6-7 p.m. on the Friday before the Saturday show. This is located at 49 W. 49th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Make sure you bring your photo ID.

You will then be assigned a place in line to wait until 12:01 a.m. Saturday morning. Your entire party must wait in line the entire time (except for bathroom breaks), or you won’t get a standby card. If you were thinking about hiring a line-sitter, NBC strongly advises you not to do it. You also may not bring items like tents or sleeping bags to the line. Regular chairs are allowed, though.

Once the clock strikes 12:01 a.m., you then be awarded your standby card. Even now, though, this standby card does not promise you a seat. You are not guaranteed a seat until, well, you’re actually sitting in the studio audience. This standby card simply offers you a chance to get a spot. You won’t know if you’ll actually be in the audience until you arrive and learn if any seating is still available.

When Do SNL Tickets Go On Sale?

The SNL ticket lottery runs throughout the month of August. If you missed the chance to enter, or don’t want to wait and see if you win, you can try getting a standby ticket. This process begins the Thursday before a Saturday live show and requires you to wait in line from 6-7 p.m. Friday to 12:01 a.m. Saturday.

How Much Are SNL Tickets?

The good news: Tickets to SNL are free. They are difficult to get, however.

SNL 2024 Dates

According to NBC, seasons for SNL generally run for 18-22 episodes. While we know the premiere date is 9/28/24 in New York, New York, the rest of the schedule hasn’t been announced yet. Obviously, they will take place on Saturday nights, but for which dates and who’s hosting are to be determined.

Is It Hard To Get SNL Tickets?

Getting tickets to SNL is not a walk in the park. The easiest way is by winning the digital lottery that runs during the month of August. The other way is to try for standby tickets, which is never a guarantee of a spot until you are actually sitting in a seat at Studio 8H.

There’s no way to get an accurate estimate of your chance of getting a seat, but one person on a Reddit thread theorizes that people have a better chance of seeing a show by going the standby ticket route instead of the lottery, noting “some people enter it for a decade [or more] and never get picked.” An older thread about the SNL lottery estimates there is a 10,000 to one chance of getting picked.

What is the age limit for SNL tickets?

Members of the SNL studio audience must be at least 16 years of age on the date of the show they’re attending, regardless of if they’re with a guardian or not. Audience hopefuls must bring a valid photo ID to prove they meet the age requirement in order to gain entry.

Where is SNL recorded?

Saturday Night Live is recorded in New York, New York, at 30 Rockefeller Plaza—aka 30 Rock—in Studio 8H. For non-New Yorkers, this is in Manhattan. This location is where the show has filmed since 1975.