You HAVE to be paying attention this weekend. Memorial Day weekend Broadway gets quietly weird — the tourists arrive in waves, the rush lines move faster than usual on Monday matinees, and one of the year’s best student deals is in its final stretch. Here is exactly how to land a Saturday matinee, a Sunday show, or a Monday holiday performance without paying full price.
Don’t Miss: Wicked’s $45 Student Rush (Ends May 31)
The deal of the month for college students is at the Gershwin Theatre. For the entire month of May 2026, Wicked has dropped its student ticket from $69 to $45, available in person at the Gershwin box office with a valid college ID. You have eight days left. If you are a student in NYC this weekend — or know someone visiting who is — this is the one to act on. Show up at the box office, ID in hand, and you are paying less than a decent dinner for one of the longest-running musicals on Broadway.
Hamilton Lottery: $10 Front-Row Seats, All Weekend
The Hamilton digital lottery is a $10 entry on the Hamilton App or HamiltonMusical.com, opening Friday at 10 a.m. ET and running through Thursday at noon. Winners get front-row orchestra seats, two-ticket limit per winner. The odds are not great — thousands of people enter every drawing — but the upside is unreal. Enter every show. It takes 30 seconds, and you only need to win once.
Wicked Digital Lottery: $55-$65 Seats
Even if you are not a student, Wicked‘s digital lottery runs through Broadway Direct at $55 for most performances and $65 for Friday evening, Saturday matinee, Saturday evening, and Sunday matinee — the prime tourist slots. For matinee performances the lottery opens the day before at 10 a.m. and closes the day before at 4 p.m. For evening performances it opens the day before at 8 p.m. and closes at 11 a.m. the day of the show. Set a calendar reminder.
MJ The Musical Lottery: $49
MJ: The Musical — the Michael Jackson biographical musical at the Neil Simon Theatre — runs a digital lottery at $49 per ticket. If you have not seen it, the dance numbers alone justify the lottery entry. Enter through Broadway Direct.
The Saturday Matinee TKTS Strategy That Actually Works
TKTS at Times Square (under the red steps) and Lincoln Center (61 W 62nd St) is the most reliable same-day discount on Broadway, selling tickets at 20-50% off face value — sometimes more on slower performances. Saturday booth hours run 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., but here is the move:
- Arrive at 9:30 a.m. The booth technically opens at 10 a.m. for matinee tickets. Get there at 9:30 and you will have meaningful options.
- Arrive at noon and you are picking from what’s left. Still a discount, but the top-tier hits will be gone.
- Check the TKTS Live app before you head over. Inventory updates in real time, so you can see whether the show you want is even on the board before standing in line.
Sunday is similar but the lines are shorter. Monday Memorial Day matinees are the sleeper deal of the weekend — the booth is open, demand is lower because the tourists are at parades, and a number of shows that never appear on the TKTS board on Saturdays show up on Monday.
What to See This Weekend
If you are choosing between rush, lottery, and TKTS, here is a simple decision tree. Rush (in-person at the box office, 9 a.m. on show day) is best for non-blockbusters where you actually have a shot — off-Broadway and mid-tier Broadway. Lottery is best for the blockbusters you cannot afford otherwise (Hamilton, Wicked, MJ) — enter every show, expect to lose, occasionally win. TKTS is best when you do not care which show you see and you want a guaranteed seat at a discount.
One More Tip
The TodayTix app runs its own rush program, app-exclusive, updated daily. Tickets are typically $40-$60. If you have a smartphone and 30 seconds, downloading TodayTix gives you a third lane on top of the box office rush and the digital lotteries. Three shots for the price of attention.
Memorial Day weekend on Broadway is one of the best windows of the year. Get out there.
