How to Request Saturday Night Live Standby Tickets
Want to catch an episode live from 30 Rock? Here's the process for booking standby reservations for a chance to see SNL Season 50 in person.
Saturday Night Live has always been one of the toughest tickets in town to score — and that's especially true now that the show's in its historic 50th season with a brand-new cast lineup. To attend a taping, your best bet is entering the SNL ticket lottery, which is open every year from August 1 through August 31. But requesting an SNL standby ticket reservation is your second-best option.
So if you happened to miss out on the lottery this year, don't fret. Every week that there's a new episode, you can still request standby for the chance to snag a last-minute ticket to witness the iconic sketches and music performances in-person. What it requires is some planning, flexibility, and a willingness to wait in line the weekend of a given show.
Below, everything you need to know about how you can get your hands on SNL standby tickets. If you're lucky, you might catch this season live from New York!
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What are SNL standby tickets?
A standby ticket is a reservation that puts you on a waitlist, should any spots open up in the SNL audience for that week's show.
How to request a spot on the SNL standby line
1. The first step in requesting a standby ticket by heading to this SNL standby reservation link, which goes live at 10 a.m. E.T. on the Thursday of a show week. You can request up to four standby spots, with the option to reserve for either the 8 p.m. dress rehearsal or the 11:30 live show.
At the link above, provide your full name, email address, and the number of people in your party. Once you’ve entered your reservation, you’ll receive a confirmation email with your reservation number—if there’s capacity. Due to high demand, you might not receive an email for a few hours.
Reservations are issued on a first come, first served basis, and duplicate submissions for the same show are disregarded — your second, later-entered standby submission will become your new reservation number, so we don't recommend it!
2. If you do receive a confirmation email, your entire party must check in to the in-person standby line between 6-7p.m. at the W. 49th Street NBC Studios marquee on the Friday before show day. Photo I.D. is required, and reservations are non-transferable, so anyone in your party who's not there will forfeit their reservation.
3. Next, take your numerically-assigned place in line outside 30 Rock, and wait patiently until midnight. At approximately 12:01am on Saturday morning, standby cards will be handed out. Standby cards are limited to one per person and, save for quick bathroom breaks, you must remain in line.
The following items are not permitted in the standby line, so leave them at home:
- Alcohol
- Lounge chairs (regular chairs are okay)
- Mattresses
- Sleeping bags
- Tents
Note that a standby card doesn’t guarantee admission until the moment you're seated in Studio 8H!
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How much do SNL standby tickets cost?
Like regular lottery-awarded tickets, SNL standby tickets are free.
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Requirements for SNL audience members
You must be 16 years or older to attend SNL, whether a parent or guardian is present or not. A valid photo I.D. is required upon arrival. Guests that cannot provide this documentation won't be admitted.
For more info, read the complete requirements for standby.
If you miss out on tickets — standby or otherwise — to see SNL, you can always catch episodes when they air live, Saturdays at 11:30/10:30c on NBC and Peacock.
All 49 seasons of Saturday Night Live are currently available to stream on Peacock anytime.
