Playbill's Ultimate Guide to Broadway Ticket Buying

Trying to buy tickets to a Broadway show but don't know where to start, or where you should buy from? Welcome to Playbill's Ultimate Broadway ticket-buying guide. Whether you're a seasoned theatre-goer or a first-time attendee, this compilation of ticket resources will help you navigate your way to a great price.

WHAT‘S RUNNING ON BROADWAY?

There are currently 41 professional venues in New York City designated as Broadway theatres by the trade group The Broadway League. Some Broadway theatres house long-running hits (like the Gershwin Theatre, the home of Wicked since 2003), while other theatres see a regular turnover as shows close, vacate a theatre, and are replaced by a new show. Each year there are regularly 30 or more new shows opening on Broadway.

How can you find out what's running on Broadway and what is worth seeing? Playbill offers a number of resources—including this list of the shows currently running on Broadway, with links to reviews and discount tickets. 

Scroll down for a quick guide on how to choose which show to see.

POPULAR SHOWS

When trying to decide what Broadway show to see, some people may seek out the most popular shows. The following Broadway shows were above 99% capacity, according to the Broadway grosses for the week ending March 22, 2026, making them some of the toughest tickets to secure on Broadway:

Dog Day Afternoon
Every Brilliant Thing
Hadestown
Hamilton
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Ragtime

But don't despair, there are still ways to get a spot at these hot shows.

A future performance that appears sold out may release additional seats 1, 2 or 3 days before the performance as unsold house seats (desirable seats set aside for purchase by stakeholders of the show) are released to the general public. These ticket releases tend to happen at the end of the business day (5PM or later).

With the advent of premium ticket pricing, there may be fewer instances of performances selling out. If you are interested in a show but only premium tickets remain, there is a chance prices may drop closer to performance via dynamic pricing—but this is on a show-by-show basis and playing the waiting game may mean a ticket you have your eye is snapped up while still at a premium price.  

Stopping by the box office when it opens (typically 10 AM Monday-Saturday, 12 PM on Sunday, but check box office hours for your show to make sure) may also yield tickets for that day's performance(s). As a general rule, a Broadway show isn't officially sold out until 5 minutes before the performance begins, so if you are willing to wait (potentially a long time) in a cancellation line or a rush line (more on that later), you may get into a coveted sold-out show a minute or two before the curtain rises.

KIDS

Broadway offers a broad range of family-friendly shows, with the content of many musicals at a PG-movie level. For instance, below are the recommended minimum age for some popular Broadway show:

Ages 6 and Up
Aladdin
The Lion King

Ages 8 and Up
& Juliet
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Maybe Happy Ending
Wicked

Every Broadway show has a recommended minimum age on their official website, so be sure to check that out before you purchase. 

Every child has a different personality and history in attending live performances, so parents are encouraged to regard the above classifications as mere suggestions and to use their judgement when making theatregoing decisions for their child.

HOW TO BUY TICKETS TO BROADWAY SHOWS

With the proliferation of online ticket-buying options and search engine advertising, buying a ticket to a Broadway show is more confusing than ever. Here is Playbill's guide to securing a ticket for the best price to suit your budget.

OFFICIAL TICKET VENDORS

The only way to ensure you are buying valid tickets to a Broadway show is to buy from the official ticket vendor. To purchase full price tickets to Broadway shows, you can either visit the show's box office, or purchase via phone or online from the show's official ticket seller, which is linked to from the show's official website and on Playbill.com listings and articles. Buying directly from the official ticket vendor ensures you are paying the lowest service fees, are being offered the most complete inventory of available seats, and will be notified the earliest if there is a performance cancellation.

Tickets for Broadway shows are sold by one of five official outlets, depending on the theatre:

TELECHARGE: Ambassador Theatre • Belasco Theatre • Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre • Booth Theatre • Broadhurst Theatre • Broadway Theatre • Circle in the Square Theatre • Ethel Barrymore Theatre • Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre • Imperial Theatre • James Earl Jones Theatre • John Golden Theatre • Longacre Theatre • Lyceum Theatre • Majestic Theatre • Music Box Theatre • Samuel J. Friedman Theatre • Shubert Theatre • Vivian Beaumont Theater • Winter Garden Theatre

BROADWAY DIRECT: Gershwin Theatre • Lena Horne Theatre • Lunt-Fontanne Theatre • Marquis Theatre • Minskoff Theatre • Nederlander Theatre • Neil Simon Theatre • New Amsterdam Theatre • Palace Theatre • Richard Rodgers Theatre

ATG TICKETS: Al Hirschfield Theatre • August Wilson Theatre • Eugene O'Neill Theatre • Hudson Theatre • Lyric Theatre • St. James Theatre • Walter Kerr Theatre

ROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY / CRITERION: Studio 54 • Todd Haimes Theatre • Stephen Sondheim Theatre

SECOND STAGE: Helen Hayes Theater

All ticket links on Playbill.com point to official ticket vendors. When you buy tickets through Playbill, you are buying directly from the shows themselves, so there are no mark-ups or surprise fees. 

PREMIUM TICKETS
Most Broadway shows now offer premium seat locations at higher prices (typically $250-plus versus the "regular" price of $180 or so for an orchestra seat). Such tickets sell at a slower rate and, as a result, some premium seats may remain available in the days leading up to a given performance. Such premium tickets are a viable option for a very special occasion and provide the peace of mind of buying legitimate tickets from the official ticket vendor.

Visit Playbill's listings page, where you can purchase tickets to every show on Broadway through official ticket vendors.

DISCOUNT TICKETS

Don't worry, there are still ways to see Broadway shows on a budget. Discounts tickets to Broadway shows are available either online, by phone, in person at the theatre's box office, or the TKTS discount booths.

Online, Phone, and In Person
Purchases of discount tickets made online, over the phone, or in person at the theatre have the advantage of allowing buyers to secure tickets well in advance of a performance. Discounts can range from 10 to 50 percent off depending on the popularity of the show (averaging about 25 percent, meaning $100 ticket, discounted from about $135). You can select exact seats as well. 

To take advantage of these discounts, visit the Playbill Club for discount codes to select shows. These codes are redeemable online, over the phone, and in person from the official ticket vendors, ensuring your tickets are legit. Online and phone orders carry a service fee (averaging about $14 per ticket) while redeeming in person at the box office will eliminate all service fees except a facility/restoration charge of $2 to $3, which is usually included in the ticket price (make sure you present the discount code to the box office).

TKTS Discount Booths
Since its opening in 1973 at Duffy Square (Broadway at West 47th St.) in Times Square, the TKTS ticket booth has become an institution for those looking for last-minute discount tickets to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. The service, run by TDF, has since expanded to one other location (Lincoln Center at 61 West 62nd St). TKTS offers day-of or one-day-advance tickets, with discounts ranging from 20–50 percent—there's an additional $7 per ticket fee that supports the running of the booths and TDF's audience development initiatives.

Duffy Square Hours
Monday, Tuesday, Friday: 3PM - 8PM
Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday: 11AM - 8PM

Lincoln Center Hours
Tuesday-Saturday: 11AM - 6PM

The lines can be long for the Duffy Square booth, though you can view a live webcam to determine the length of the line before venturing to Times Square. Visit TDF.org for booth locations and hours.

Additional tips:

—TKTS booths now accept credit cards in addition to cash, although a few Off-Broadway shows may require cash.

—Real-time listings of what's available at TKTS are now available, to allow you to see if your desired show is being offered. There is no guarantee the show still still be available when you arrive at the booth, though.

—You can now buy tickets at the booth to the next day's matinee

—Fast Pass: if you buy a ticket at TKTS and return to the booth with your ticket stub within 7 days, you can jump to the head of the line to buy another ticket.

Broadway Week (mid-January and early September) and Kids' Night on Broadway (late February)
Several times a year, Broadway shows work together to promote near-industry-wide discounts. The next few discount periods are NYC Broadway Week, with 2-for-1 tickets available in mid-January and early September. There's also an annual Kids' Night on Broadway, usually in late February, with a free ticket for a young person 18 and under accompanied by a full-paying adult. Keep your eye on Playbill.com which usually announces when these promotions are live. 

Student and Young Adult Ticket Programs
Many Broadway productions are commercial ventures, but the four not-for-profit theatres (Lincoln Center Theater, Roundabout Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club and Second Stage Theater) offer deeply discounted (in the range of $30) tickets, usually to students or theatregoers under 30 or 35. Some theatres may sell a student ticket at the box office with valid ID. Click on the link for each theatre to learn more about their young-audience program.

TDF for Students, Educators, Theatre Artists and Retirees
The Theatre Development Fund, which runs the TKTS booth, also offers a discount ticket membership program to students, educators, non-profit employees, retirees, and other classes of individuals. For a $42 annual membership fee (proof of eligibility is required to qualify), members are eligible to purchase tickets ranging from $11 to $62.50 for Broadway and Off-Broadway shows—with a handling fee between $1 to $5.50. Seat locations are assigned by the box office. Available performances are typically for the select dates during the upcoming week(s). Visit TDF for more information about membership.

Learn how to buy cheap show tickets here.

RUSH/SRO/LOTTERY TICKETS

If you are on tight budget, have plenty of time to spare and don't mind doing some work to secure deeply discounted day-of performance tickets ($30–$60), rush and SRO (standing room only) tickets may be for you. Rush seats are typically sold when the box office opens for that day's performance(s) while standing room may be sold at the same time or later in the day, but only after the performance is sold out. Can't make it to the box office? 

Many shows also offer Digital Rush or Lottery through services like rush.telecharge.com, luckyseat.com, BroadwayDirect, or TodayTix. You can view each show's rush policy here.

In-person lotteries are conducted for that day's show(s), usually a few hours before the performance, while digital lotteries are usually conducted the day before online. Odds of winning may be low for popular shows, so patience and persistence are the key to getting into a show this way. However, you may have a better chance winning a Wednesday matinee lottery!

Find out more about Broadway Rush, Lottery, and Standing Room tickets.

SECONDARY TICKET SELLERS

Ticket resellers have been around for decades. These days, ticket reselling sites—such as StubHub, SeatGeek, and VividSeats—are as popular as official sites. These “secondary market” sites allow individuals to re-sell tickets (originally purchased from primary, official ticket vendors) often at prices well above face value.

However, some apps don't come with that caveat. TodayTix is a discount ticketing app and site that provides discount tickets to nearly all Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, using tickets provided by the venues themselves. Many shows also offer Digital Rush tickets through the app that can be purchased the morning of the show. You can even bookmark shows and set alerts for when discount tickets are available.

Theatr is another popular app for buying re-sold tickets from other audience members.

It should be noted that there are people who take advantage of secondary market services to traffic counterfeit tickets. These services may offer a money-back guarantee to customers in these cases, but always exercise caution when buying tickets from secondary sellers. Getting your money back may be cold comfort to the buyer who has invested a whole evening centered around a Broadway show only to be turned away by the venue.

You are strongly urged to avoid tickets sold on Craigslist, which may often be counterfeit and offer no money-back guarantee.

SEAT-FILLING AGENCIES (PAPERING)

For undersold shows where a producer may want a fuller house, several seat-filling agencies exist to distribute complimentary tickets (with a $4.50–$5 service fee) to last-minute performances. These agencies, including Play-by-Play and Theater Extras, charge an annual $100 membership fee for access. The program includes up to 2 tickets to primarily Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and cabaret shows, with a rare Broadway production in the mix (usually a newer show). For those interested in Broadway shows, seat-filling agencies are not recommended.