Broadway Lotteries, Rush and Standing Room Guide

By the Reserved Seat editorial teamUpdated October 1, 2026How we research

Discount route or reserved seat: decide first

Broadway's discount programs, the digital lottery, rush, standing room and the TKTS booths, each sell a limited number of cheaper tickets for a given performance. What they share matters more than how they differ: in every case the theater assigns your spot, and in almost every case you are limited to two tickets. If the exact seat or the exact night matters, a reserved seat is the plan and the discounts are the bonus.

Quick definitions before the details:

Lottery: an online random drawing for a set number of tickets to one performance.
Rush: same-day tickets sold first come, first served, at the box office or in an app.
Standing room: a standing position, usually behind the last orchestra row, sold only for sold-out performances.
TKTS: nonprofit discount booths selling same-day seats for shows that still have tickets left.

Each one costs you something other than money. The lottery costs certainty. Rush costs your morning. Standing room costs a seat. TKTS costs your choice of show.

Digital lotteries: entry, odds and the seat you get

Most long-running musicals hold a digital lottery. You register for a particular performance, winners are drawn at random, and each winner gets a limited window to pay. There is no benefit to entering the moment it opens; any entry before the deadline counts the same.

Platforms by show

Lotteries do not share one home. As of late September 2026, the platforms and published guides showed this split:

Broadway Direct: Wicked, The Lion King, SIX, MJ the Musical and Aladdin, along with others.
Lucky Seat: The Book of Mormon and Hadestown.
Telecharge: Oh, Mary! and The Outsiders.
TodayTix: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
Its own app: Hamilton.

Shows switch partners, open and close, so check the production's own website before you enter anywhere.

Schedules differ

Wicked's FAQ describes a daily cycle: entry opens at 9 a.m. the day before the performance, closes at 3 p.m., and winners then have an hour to buy. Hamilton runs weekly. Its lottery page says entries open Friday at 10 a.m. and close the following Thursday at noon; winners hear that Thursday afternoon about the week ahead and get two hours to claim and pay.

Where the seat lands

This is the part people overlook. A lottery seat might be front row center or a far-side seat with part of the stage hidden; Hadestown's site warns that some lottery seats may have an obstructed view. Other rules to expect:

One or two tickets per winner.
One entry per person per performance; duplicates can be thrown out.
ID checks. Hamilton entrants must be 18 or older, with a photo ID matching the name on the entry, and other shows check at pickup.

Rush: being first in line or first in the app

Rush tickets go on sale the day of the performance and go to whoever gets there first. You will see three versions:

General rush is sold at the box office when it opens. Wicked's in-person rush at the Gershwin Theatre starts at 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday and at noon on Sunday; other houses keep similar hours, but confirm per show. For a hit, the line can start long before the window opens.
Student rush works the same way but requires a valid student ID.
Digital rush drops in an app, most often TodayTix, usually on the morning of the show. Popular titles can be gone within minutes, so be ready when it opens.

The limits mirror the lottery: usually two tickets, seats picked by the box office, and a real chance of a partial view. Rush suits people already in Manhattan with loose mornings who can shrug off going home without tickets. It is a poor first plan for a single evening built around one specific show.

Standing room at the back of the orchestra

Standing room, often shortened to SRO (standing room only), is a marked place to stand, usually behind the final orchestra row. Theaters sell it only on the day of a sold-out performance, at the box office, typically two per person.

Hadestown spells out its version: a limited number of standing-room tickets go on sale at the box office on the day of sold-out shows, two per person, paid by cash or card. Guides published in late September 2026 also listed standing room at & Juliet, The Outsiders and SIX, among others.

Two things make it attractive. The view from the rear orchestra is often better than from the back of the mezzanine, and on a sold-out night the program reliably exists. The price is your legs: you are upright for the whole show, often around two and a half hours, with a rail to lean on and intermission to stretch. For a short, in-demand show, it is a smart buy. For anyone with back or knee problems, reserve a seat.

The TKTS booths and what the board shows

TKTS is a set of discount booths operated since 1973 by the Theatre Development Fund, a nonprofit. As of 2026, New York has two active booths: the Times Square booth in Duffy Square, beneath the red glass steps finished in 2008, and a booth in the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center.

Per TDF's TKTS page, the booths sell tickets for that day's matinees and evening shows plus next-day matinees, at discounts of up to 50 percent, generally ranging from 20 to 50 percent. Expect a per-ticket service charge and a six-ticket limit per person; the TKTS app shows live availability. Major credit cards and cash are accepted, though some Off-Broadway shows take cash only.

The limit is what appears on the board. Theaters send TKTS the seats they have not sold, so the list leans toward shows with spare inventory that day, and a nightly sellout has no reason to discount. Use TKTS when you want to see something tonight and have several shows in mind, not when you have your heart set on one hit.

A trip plan that combines discounts and reserved seats

Discount programs reward flexible locals and visitors with open evenings. They punish trips built around one performance, because Broadway plays to nearly full houses: the Broadway League reported 91.2 percent of available seats filled in the 2024-2025 season, which leaves a small discounted slice of any house.

Reserve ahead when:

Your group is larger than two, since no lottery or rush program reliably seats three or more together.
The night cannot move, such as a birthday, an anniversary or a one-night stay.
The location matters, for example a child who needs a clear line of sight or a guest who cannot manage balcony stairs.
Standing is not an option.

For a flexible week, a simple approach works: enter the lotteries for every show you would be glad to see, check TKTS and digital rush each day, and reserve a seat for the one show you refuse to miss. The Best Seats for a Broadway Show explains how to choose that seat, and every order on Reserved Seat is backed by a 100% guarantee.

Frequently asked questions

Can I choose my seat with a Broadway lottery or rush ticket?

No. The box office assigns the seats, which can be anywhere from the front row to a far-side or partial-view location.

Does entering a Broadway lottery early improve my odds?

No. Winners are drawn at random, so any entry submitted before the deadline has the same chance.

Can a group of four use the lottery or rush?

Not reliably. Most lottery, rush and standing room programs cap purchases at two tickets per person, so larger groups should reserve seats.

When is standing room sold?

Only on the day of a sold-out performance, at the box office, usually two per person. You stand for the whole show, typically behind the last orchestra row.

What discount does TKTS offer?

Up to 50 percent off, generally 20 to 50 percent, plus a per-ticket service charge. The booths sell same-day tickets and next-day matinees.

Why are popular shows missing from the TKTS board?

Theaters only send TKTS seats they have not sold. Shows that sell out nightly rarely need to discount, so check the TKTS app for that day's list.

Broadway Lotteries, Rush and Standing Room