how to get (stand-by) tickets to snl.

So. You want to see Saturday Night Live, well, live. Let’s begin with one word: Perseverance.

And two more: Good luck.

In hopes of helping and entertaining you, here’s our story.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the NBC process from hell, there are only two ways you can get tickets to the show (or three, if you count knowing someone in the show who can get you VIP tickets, but I’m going to assume that if you’re reading this, that’s not a feasible option):

1. Send your name and contact information to snltickets@nbcuni.com during the month of August and be very, very lucky. On an NBC studio tour, our guide told us that 50,000 people email for tickets and 1,500 win a pair (that’s 3% folks, so keep trying).

2. The stand-by line:

Our fun little (or long) story about the stand-by line, in handy, bullet-point form:

• Upon first arriving at NBC Studios, we counted about 45 people in line ahead of us. We knew (from previous experience) that this number would grow because – despite NBC’s warning – friends always join late. But as long as it didn’t grow past 60 (split this number in half – 30 – since some will chose dress rehearsal tickets and some will chose live tickets), then we’d receive the 30th (or so) ticket and most likely get in.
• The people in front of us arrived just before 4:30pm and the people behind us did not arrive until 5:30pm
• 

• Our chances were pretty good, so we decided to stay the night.
• A quick warning: Be prepared for every other person to ask you what you’re waiting for and every third person to ask you if you’re Occupy Wall Street. Yeah.
• We settled in, and Lorne Michaels sent everyone split pea soup at 10pm or so, which was a very nice surprise.
• 
• At 7am the morning (more details on the night coming below), we got to choose if we wanted to take the dress rehearsal or live show tickets. The dress rehearsal tickets were at number 23 and live show tickets were at least at 35. Naturally, we took the dress rehearsal (the general consensus is you should pick the show with the lowest ticket number, although rumor has it that a few more stand-by get into the dress compared to the live show).
• 
• Don’t bother attempting to camp out for someone else (they better be offering you a lot of money if you were considering this). It used to be easy enough, but NBC has increased their thoroughness as of January 2012; they write down your name in the morning and check your photo ID before they hand you your stand-by ticket, and then they check your name when you return in the evening and scrutinize your face as they compare it to your ID picture.
• By the time you get your ticket, and your face, hair, and body have been utterly destroyed, you forgot why you wanted it so badly all along. All you want is a soft, warm, surface to lie down on forever.
• In the evening, after sleeping all day, we returned to NBC studios to line up yet again – inside this time, thankfully – to see if we made the cut. They kept us waiting in suspense for much too long, and finally told us how many stand-by they needed. For our show, it was 28 people. I may have screamed a little bit when I found out we were in.
• The dress rehearsal is an extra 40 minutes (8pm-10:10pm) of material that no one else gets to see. Plus, your laughter decides what makes it into the live show. I highly recommend choosing dress tickets for this reason.
• Just to be clear: it is worth it. So, so worth it. If you are a fan of the show, the host, the musical guest, television production, or comedy in general (or all of these things, like me), it is one of the best things you can possibly do in NYC.

So, if you decide to attempt this crazy feat, here are some extra, essential things you should know:

• What to bring: Of course this varies by time of year/weather, but if you go when it’s going to get below 45 degrees F at night, keep reading. Layers. Tights, then leggings, then jeans, then sweat pants, and at least 3 jackets. Plenty of blankets. A pillow. If you have access to folding chairs, a small air mattress (or even a small tent if you’re feeling adventurous), you will thank yourself at around 4 in the morning. Our secret weapon: Hot Hands (shake up) hand warmers. Stuff them in your pants, shoes, gloves, scarf – everywhere – to stop the uncontrollable shivering and make everyone around you jealous.
• 

• Bathrooms (and other essential things, like french fries): You can go inside (and down the stairs of) the building you’re sleeping next to (the lower level of 30 Rock) to use their bathrooms until midnight (depending on the time of year). If you need a bathroom (or you get a french fry craving in the middle of the night – I’m telling you now, you probably will), there are two 24/7 McDonalds nearby. The one between 46th and 47th on 6th avenue has much nicer bathrooms (upstairs).

Final notes (I promise):

• A note on the number of people who typically get in: We spoke to several people in line who had different experiences with the amount of people who got into shows in the past, and the general consensus was about 15-40 people get in per show. The number has been both lower and higher, but if there are more than 80 people in front of you when you arrive (so 40 tickets per show), I would suggest going home, making a nice cup of tea, and coming back next Friday.

• A note on when to arrive to the line: For really, really unpopular shows (think unknown/unliked hosts or really, really cold days), I’ve heard of people arriving at 4AM on Saturday morning and getting a low enough ticket number to get in (Melissa McCarthy/Lady Antebellum). If the show is fairly popular, I would suggest arriving before 6pm on the Friday before. If the show is INSANELY popular (think Emma Stone and Coldplay), get ready to camp out for two nights, folks. Yes, the people in the front of the line for that show did, in fact, sleep on the street for two nights in a row. We arrived at 2:00pm on Friday for that show and got tickets 57-60 for the dress rehearsal (we didn’t get in – 38 people got into the dress, 7 got into the live. We’re only a little bitter about this).

I hope you found our experience helpful and (at least slightly) amusing. If you’ve camped out before, please share your experiences/tips/stories in the comments. If you’re planning to camp out and you have any more questions, feel free to ask in the comments as well.

Stay tuned for more NYC adventures and amazing things to do in this incredible city.

x.