Broadway has grown increasingly expensive in recent years, with many tickets costing well over $100 for seats even in obstructed sections of a theatre. But there are still ways to get tickets to many Broadway shows for much cheaper, often with tickets costing less than $50 per ticket if you know where to look.
So here are 10 tips and methods to get cheap tickets to Broadway shows that may apply to your next trip to the theatre district of New York City. While all of them may not apply to you, hopefully, you will be able to utilize some of these techniques to save money when going to Broadway.
1. Lotteries
Many Broadway shows offer lotteries for the chance at last-minute tickets to the show. Often these can even be amazing seats, and most of them cost less than $50 (Hamilton only costs $10). Each show has its own rules and you can find our guides to current lotteries here.
Typically how they work is you enter one or two days before the show you want to see, and you find out the day before if you won, and are given an opportunity to purchase 1 or 2 tickets to a chosen performance.
Seat location is not guaranteed and can be anywhere in the theatre from the front row, to box seats, to partial view seats.
2. Avoid Broadway.com
Broadway.Com seems like a great place to buy tickets to Broadway shows, and it looks incredibly professional. But this is actually a ticket resale site with some very high fees. You are much better off just buying tickets directly from a show's own website, box office, or any number of other options. Whatever tickets you buy here will likely be more expensive than if you had bought them in any other location.
3. Rush Tickets
Rush Tickets are a good way to get same-day tickets to a Broadway show for a discounted rate. Not all shows offer Rush, but many do. How Rush works, is the first people to purchase tickets to a show each day at the Box Office (or in an online setting for a few shows), get the chance to purchase discounted tickets usually for less than $50. Most shows have a limit of two Rush tickets per person per day, but beyond that, this can be a great way to see a show. Tickets can be anywhere in the theater from the front row to the last row.
4. Today Tix
TodayTix is an app that offers discounted tickets to certain Broadway and off-Broadway shows, as well as various other theaters beyond New York. Discounts are listed often weeks in advance and they have a wide selection of shows to choose from. While you will not know exactly where your tickets are with this option, you do get a choice of what region in the theater you want to sit in, often with different areas having different discounts.
5. TKTS
TKTS is a great last-minute option to get tickets to a Broadway show. This booth, located under the red stairs in Times Square, offers same-day discounted tickets to certain shows. What shows are offered changes daily, as do the deals, but they do have an app which can be useful for doing research before your trip on average prices or the shows they typically offer.
6. Broadway Roullete
Broadway Roullete is a way to see a show on Broadway that involves a bit of uncertainty, but still guarantees you tickets to something on a given date. How it works is you choose a performance time and pay for tickets at a rate of either $49 or $59 per ticket depending on the date. The trick is you don't know what show you are seeing. It can be anything on Broadway, from hits like Hamilton, to newer shows like MJ. You do get the chance to eliminate certain shows if you have already seen something or want to avoid a show for whatever reason. This is a nice option to guarantee a ticket at a reasonable price if you are ok with what show you are seeing being a surprise.
7. Broadway Week Deals
Broadway Week is an annual celebration in February where for a limited time most Broadway shows offer discounted tickets. Which shows and how good the deals are on tickets does depend on the year, but this can be a great way to cheaply see multiple different shows if you can visit during this time period.
8. Check Tickets Close To Showtime
This is a risky one, but if you are willing to wait until closer to the show you want to see, even the same day, sometimes tickets will become less expensive if they are still available as curtain time approaches. This is not always the case, but it can allow you to get some better deals on some shows.
9. TDF
TDF is a subscription service that allows you the chance at cheap tickets to some Broadway shows. For a $40 yearly fee, you get access to discounted tickets to a rotating set of shows as well as a variety of other benefits. This membership is not available to everyone, but if you qualify, or someone in your traveling party does it can be a great way to cheaply see Broadway shows.
10. Standing Room
If you are willing to stand through a show, some Broadway shows offer standing-room-only tickets that allow you a chance to see a show for an inexpensive rate. Standing room on Broadway is typically at the back of the orchestra, and you are given an assigned spot along a railing to watch the show from. If you are lucky, many shows will relocate standing room ticket holders at intermission to seats if any went unsold.
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