It’s a great day to be a Saturday Night Live fan, as NBC has officially opened up the ticket lottery for Season 50.
Fans can enter for a chance to score two free tickets to an SNL show taping at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. Lottery winners are chosen at random, and contestants cannot request specific show dates.
SNL’s milestone 50th season kicks off on September 28. Typically, the series premieres in mid-October; however, it has become a tradition during election years to start the party slightly earlier.
There’s already lots of excitement in the air about the upcoming season, from the SNL 50 promo machine out in full force at the Paris Olympics (which has included John Mulaney stopping by and Colin Jost weathering some seriously grisly injuries) to the recent news that Maya Rudolph will reprise her role as Kamala Harris.
In May, NBC announced that it would be throwing a “seven-month long party” to celebrate SNL turning 50, featuring the November election special, new holiday specials, music specials, a documentary series, and a comedy special at Radio City Music Hall. A live, three-hour SNL 50 primetime special will also air on Sunday, February 16, 2025 at 8 p.m. ET.
Fans can enter the lottery by sending ticket requests to [email protected]. Submissions must include your full name, email address, and why you want to be a part of SNL‘s studio audience. Only one request is allowed per household, and attendees must be 16 or older.
The lottery runs through 11:59 p.m. ET on August 31, 2024. After the cutoff date, tickets are randomly allotted for the entire season. May the odds be ever in your favor.
I’ve never understood what caused NBC to add “an essay portion” to the SNL lottery. Does an actual human go thru each request?