Radio City Christmas Spectacular Tickets 2026–27: Rockettes Show Guide
Thirty-six Rockettes, ten numbers, one brand-new tap routine and 230 shows between November 4 and January 4. Here’s how to pick the date, the seat and the price without overpaying.
The Radio City Christmas Spectacular is the city’s biggest holiday tradition with a curtain: a 90-minute show starring the Radio City Rockettes, running November 4, 2026, through January 4, 2027, at Radio City Music Hall in Rockefeller Center. This season has 230 performances, the most ever, and a new tap number called “Ring” that brings the Rockettes to ten numbers.
Radio City Christmas Spectacular tickets are on sale now, starting at $50 at the box office and $55 online. The catch is that the price of the show swings hard depending on the day and time you pick. This guide covers where to buy, what dates really cost, the honest truth about promo codes, the best seats in a 6,000-seat room and how to fit the show into a Midtown holiday day with kids or without.
The Program: Christmas Spectacular Quick Facts
Facts checked October 14, 2026, against MSG Entertainment and the official Rockettes site.
Radio City Christmas Spectacular Tickets 2026–2027
You’re not short of places to buy Rockettes tickets. The official seller is MSG, through rockettes.com and Ticketmaster, plus the box office under the Radio City marquee. Then there’s resale, where fans and brokers list seats on verified marketplaces, including the live listings on this page. On a slow Tuesday in November, official seats are easy to find at or near face value. On a December Saturday, resale is often where the good seats are.
Pick the date before the seat
The day you choose moves the price more than the section does. Settle on two or three dates that work, then compare.
Check every showtime that day
Busy days have up to five performances, and they’re priced differently. The 10 a.m. or 10 p.m. show can cost half what the 1 p.m. does.
Compare totals at checkout
Online orders carry service charges and box office orders don’t. Take your seats to the final screen on each site before you decide.
Plan for phone entry
Every ticket is digital and there’s no will-call. Load them in the Rockettes app or your Ticketmaster account before you leave the hotel.
All sales are final
The official seller doesn’t offer refunds or exchanges, and it limits each buyer to 14 tickets for the whole season. Double-check the date and time before you pay, especially if you’re booking for a group.
How Long Is the Radio City Christmas Spectacular?
The Radio City Christmas Spectacular runs about 90 minutes, with no intermission.
That’s the whole Rockettes show, start to finish: no first act and second act, just one straight run from the overture to the finale.
Doors open an hour before showtime. The Rockettes ask you to be seated at least 30 minutes early, and latecomers wait for a break between scenes. Some numbers, including “Dance of the Frost Fairies,” don’t allow late seating at all.
When you’ll get out
Add 90 minutes to your showtime and you’re close. Exiting a full house of about 6,000 people takes another 10 to 15 minutes.
With kids: no intermission means no built-in bathroom break. Go after you clear security, before you find your seats. That 90 minutes is the main reason the show works for little ones: it’s shorter than most Broadway musicals and over before attention runs out.
How Much Are Rockettes Tickets?
The official starting price is $50 at the Radio City box office or $55 online, and that $55 includes a $5 service charge. Treat those as the floor for the season, not a price you’ll see on every date. The cheapest seats go first, and the weeks that families want most, from Thanksgiving through Christmas, cost more across the board.
Each range runs from the cheapest to the priciest per-performance “from” price we saw in that stretch, on one resale site, one day. They’re not face values, and they move. New Year’s week and January weren’t in this check.
Ways to buy, compared
| Option | What to expect | Best for | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radio City box office | Face value with no service charges. Open Mon–Sat, 12–6 PM. Cards and mobile pay only. | Locals and anyone already in Midtown | Hours can change, and the cheapest seats can be gone on popular dates |
| Official online (rockettes.com / Ticketmaster) | Full seat map for every performance, from $55 with fees | Picking exact seats ahead of time | Service charges grow with the seat price. Limit of 14 per buyer for the season |
| Verified resale | Seats on dates the official seller has run low on, priced by demand | Sold-down weekends, last-minute trips, specific rows | Can run well above face on peak days. Compare all-in totals |
| Group sales | Preferred pricing and a dedicated rep for 9 or more | Schools, offices, big family trips | Booked by phone or request form, not instant checkout |
What moves the price
- The calendar. Early November is the quietest stretch. Thanksgiving weekend and the three December weekends before Christmas are the peak.
- The clock. Midday weekend shows cost the most. The first show of the morning and the 10 p.m. late show are often the cheapest on the same day.
- The level. Orchestra and the front of the First Mezzanine are the premium seats. The Second and Third Mezzanines are where the $55 seats usually are.
- The headcount. A family of five turns a $40 difference per seat into $200. Price out the whole party, not one ticket.
Cheap Rockettes Tickets, Discounts & Promo Codes
We didn’t find a working public promo code for the 2026 season.
As of October 14, 2026, the official offers on rockettes.com are perks around the show, not discounts on the ticket itself. A coupon site advertising a Rockettes discount or “promo code” doesn’t mean an active one exists, and with no refunds on Christmas Spectacular tickets, a dodgy code or a sketchy seller is an expensive mistake. If an official discount launches, we’ll add it here with its terms.
Ways to pay less that actually work
Go early in the run
Weekday shows in the first two weeks of November were the cheapest stretch in our check, with resale starting in the $70s.
Take the late show
On Saturday, November 28, the 10 p.m. show started at $73 while the 1 p.m. started at $177. If your kids can stay up, late shows on peak weekends are the best deal in the building.
Buy at the box office
No service charges in person, which is the difference between $50 and $55 on the cheapest seats and more as prices climb. Open Monday to Saturday, noon to 6.
Try Christmas morning
The 10 a.m. Christmas Day show started at $101 in our check, while the afternoon shows that day ran past $170.
Sit higher, center
A center seat in the Second or Third Mezzanine shows you every formation, and the new side-stage screens bring the faces closer.
Book as a group
Nine or more people get preferred group pricing. Call 212-465-6080 or use the group request form on rockettes.com.
Official offers this season
- Chase cardholders: 20% off concessions, alcohol excluded, when you pay with a Chase card. It’s a food and drink discount, not a ticket discount.
- Delta SkyMiles members: a free prosecco or small popcorn at the First Mezzanine bar at select shows. 21+ for the prosecco, one per SkyMiles number.
- Hard Rock Cafe Times Square: a free kids’ meal (12 and under) with each adult entrée for ticket holders.
The Rockettes say offers apply to select dates and inventory, can’t be combined, aren’t refundable, can change without notice and run through January 4, 2027, unless stated otherwise. Check the current terms before you count on one.
Radio City Christmas Spectacular Showtimes and Dates
The season runs from Wednesday, November 4, 2026, to Monday, January 4, 2027, with 230 performances. There’s no single daily schedule. Based on listings we checked on October 14, early-November weekdays mostly have two shows, many later weekdays have four, and peak weekends run five, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The official calendar has the final times for every date.
Early November
Fewer shows a day, smaller crowds and the lowest prices. Midtown isn’t fully dressed for the holidays yet, but the show is the same.
Thanksgiving week
Shows on Thanksgiving Day itself, then a packed four-day weekend. Daytime shows that weekend are pricey; the evening and late shows much less so.
December weekends
The most expensive tickets of the run. If you can, swap to a weekday in the same week; prices dropped by a third or more in our check.
Christmas Eve & Day
Listings showed four shows on Christmas Eve and five on Christmas Day, starting at 10 a.m. Popular with visitors, but the earliest show is usually the bargain.
New Year’s week to Jan 4
The run ends Monday, January 4. Final-week shows draw holiday visitors; check the calendar for times, which we haven’t confirmed yet.
Choosing a time: morning shows suit younger kids and leave the afternoon for the tree, the rink and Fifth Avenue windows. Early-evening shows turn it into a dinner-and-a-show night. The 10 p.m. show is for adults, night owls and anyone after the lowest price on a peak weekend.
Times and dates come from listings checked October 14, 2026. Confirm on the official Christmas Spectacular calendar before you buy.
What’s New in the 2026 Christmas Spectacular
If you’ve seen the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular before, this is the year to go back. MSG announced two big changes on September 23: a new number, and a new way of watching the old ones.
“Ring”
A contemporary tap number set to “Carol of the Bells,” choreographed by Emmy nominee Chloé Arnold. It opens with three Rockettes in silhouette and builds until all 36 dancers lock into the final kickline. The footwork is more intricate than the show’s other tap numbers, “12 Days of Christmas” and “Rag Dolls,” and each dancer’s shoes carry Radio City’s wireless microphones so you hear every tap. The costumes carry more than 3,600 crystals.
“Ring” brings the show to ten Rockettes numbers, the most in its history, and it marks the start of the troupe’s second century after the 2025 centennial.
🎥 Live cameras
Cameras placed around the stage, including overhead in the proscenium arches, capture every number from above, the sides and the front. The feeds play in real time on two screens flanking the stage, a first for the production. If you’ve only ever seen the kickline from straight on, the overhead view is the new thing to watch.
🎶 Still in the show
The favorites are back, including:
The new number sits on top of recent upgrades: the Sphere Immersive Sound system added in 2025, plus digital projections, holographic animation and the fairy drones.
Best Seats for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular
Radio City holds about 6,000 people across four levels: the Orchestra and three shallow mezzanines stacked above it. The Rockettes are a formation act. Kicklines, the slow toppling of the Wooden Soldiers and the patterns across the stage all read best from a little above, which is why the seat most people should want isn’t the one closest to the stage.
Orchestra, center
The most immersive view and the best sense of scale. Midway back and center is the sweet spot. The very front rows sit below stage level and lose the floor patterns.
First & Second Mezzanine, center
High enough to see every formation line up. The front of the First Mezzanine keeps you close to faces, and Second Mezzanine center gives the cleanest picture of the full kickline. If you’re only going once, aim here.
Third Mezzanine, center
The farthest seats in a very big room, but the full stage picture is all there, ceiling effects included. This is where the cheapest seats usually are, and where the new side screens help most.
Seats to think twice about
- Back of the Orchestra, under the overhang. The First Mezzanine hangs over the rear rows and can cut off the top of the stage, where projections and drones play.
- Far side seats on any level. Radio City is wide. Extreme side angles flatten the formations and can hide the edge of the stage.
- Second Mezzanine center, rows A–B. For this show the sound desk usually sits there, so pick row C or farther back in that section.
- Row one, for little kids. It sounds like a treat, but they’ll spend 90 minutes looking up.
The seating chart for every performance is on the official calendar when you choose a date. For level-by-level sightlines and section detail, see our Radio City Music Hall seating guide.
Radio City Christmas Spectacular With Kids
This is the most kid-proof big show in New York: short, no plot to follow, Santa included. A few details are worth knowing before you book.
Under 2s ride free
Children under 2 don’t need a ticket but must sit on a parent’s or guardian’s lap. Everyone 2 and up needs a seat.
Strollers checked free
On every level. There’s no coat or bag check, though, so everyone’s winter layers end up on laps.
It gets loud
The show uses loud effects, flashing lights, smoke, pyrotechnics and drones. Sensitive kids may want ear protection.
Sensory support
Radio City is KultureCity certified, with a sensory room and free sensory bags at Guest Services.
Autism-friendly performance: Sunday, November 8, 9:30 AM
TDF is hosting an autism-friendly performance with a calmer environment for families who need it. Tickets are $75–$85 including a $5 fee, sold on Ticketmaster through TDF’s link, up to eight per order. You don’t need a TDF membership.
For the whole family day, from lunch spots to what else is on in December, see our guides to NYC with kids, family-friendly restaurants and family-friendly hotels. Planning a Broadway show on the same trip? Start with Broadway with kids.
Getting to Radio City Music Hall
Radio City is on Sixth Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets, in the middle of Rockefeller Center and the busiest holiday blocks in the city. In December, give the last few blocks more time than you think.
🚇 Subway
BDFM to 47–50 Sts–Rockefeller Ctr, a block away. The 1 at 50 St and NQRW at 49 St are a short walk west.
🚕 Drop-off
The Rockettes recommend Fifth Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets. Sixth Avenue at showtime is gridlock. The accessible entrance is the box office under the marquee at 50th and Sixth.
🚗 Driving
Reserve a garage before you go; holiday Midtown fills up fast. Our parking near Radio City guide covers the options.
A 2 PM matinee that works
Every route, entrance and late-night option is in our how to get to Radio City Music Hall guide. Note that Radio City is cashless; there’s a reverse ATM inside if you only have cash.
Restaurants, Hotels and the Rest of the Day
🍽 Before or after the show
The blocks right around Rockefeller Center are packed and pricey in December. Book anything sit-down, especially around 5 to 7 p.m., or walk a few blocks west toward Hell’s Kitchen. No outside food is allowed inside the theater.
🛏 Staying nearby
Staying within walking distance makes a morning show or a 10 p.m. show far easier, especially with kids or tired feet. Midtown hotel rates climb in December, so book early.
Want another holiday show? For more of the season on stage, see New York City Ballet’s The Nutcracker at Lincoln Center, A Christmas Carol, It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play and Blue Man Group: A New Holiday Surprise, or browse everything in our NYC Christmas guide.
Christmas Spectacular Checklist
- Right date and time. Busy days have up to five shows. All sales are final.
- Tickets on your phone. Digital only, no will-call. The Rockettes app holds group and accessible tickets.
- Seated 30 minutes early. Doors open an hour before, and some scenes have no late seating.
- Bag under 22 × 14 × 9 inches. It has to fit under your seat. No bag or coat check.
- No outside food or drink. Concessions are on every level, and the venue is cashless.
- Phones away during the show. No photos or video once it starts, and no selfie sticks or pro cameras inside.
- No re-entry. Once you leave, you’re out.
- Dress warm for the line, festive for the room. There’s no dress code; plenty of families go all out.
Radio City Christmas Spectacular FAQs
How long is the Radio City Christmas Spectacular?
About 90 minutes, with no intermission. Doors open an hour before showtime, and the Rockettes ask you to be in your seat at least 30 minutes early, so plan on roughly two and a half hours from arrival to exit.
When does the 2026 Christmas Spectacular run?
From Wednesday, November 4, 2026, through Monday, January 4, 2027, at Radio City Music Hall. MSG has scheduled 230 performances, the most in the show’s history.
How much are Radio City Christmas Spectacular tickets?
The official starting price is $50 at the Radio City box office or $55 online, which includes a $5 service charge. Those are season minimums, not a promise for every date. When we checked resale listings on October 14, 2026, early-November weekday shows started in the $70s, while peak December weekend matinees ran past $200.
Where can I buy Radio City Christmas Spectacular tickets?
Official tickets are sold at rockettes.com through Ticketmaster and in person at the Radio City box office on Sixth Avenue at 50th Street. Resale tickets are on verified marketplaces, including the live listings on this page. All tickets are digital, and the official seller caps purchases at 14 tickets per person for the season.
Is there a Rockettes promo code for 2026?
We did not find a verified public promo code for the 2026 season as of October 14, 2026. The official offers we confirmed are perks such as 20% off concessions for Chase cardholders, not ticket discounts. Be careful with coupon sites: an expired or fake code costs you time, and all Christmas Spectacular sales are final.
How can I get cheap Rockettes tickets?
Go early in the run on a weekday, compare every showtime on the day you want, and look at the late shows on busy weekends, which often price far below the matinees. Buying at the box office avoids online service charges, and groups of nine or more can ask for group pricing.
What is new in the 2026 Christmas Spectacular?
A new tap number called “Ring,” set to “Carol of the Bells” and choreographed by Chloé Arnold, which brings the show to ten Rockettes numbers. Live cameras around the stage also feed overhead, side and front views to two screens flanking the stage, a first for the production.
What are the best seats for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular?
Center seats in the First or Second Mezzanine are the classic picks, because the Rockettes’ formations read best from above. Center Orchestra, midway back, puts you closest to the action. The Third Mezzanine is the budget option, and this year’s side-stage screens help most from there. Skip Second Mezzanine center rows A–B, where the sound desk usually sits for this show.
What are the Rockettes show times?
They change by date. Listings we checked on October 14 showed two performances on many early-November weekdays and as many as five on peak days, from about 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Confirm your time on the official calendar before you buy.
What time do doors open for the Christmas Spectacular?
One hour before showtime. Late arrivals are seated between scenes, and there is no late seating during some numbers, so aim to be seated 30 minutes before the start.
Do children need a ticket for the Rockettes?
Children under 2 do not need a ticket, but they must sit on a parent’s or guardian’s lap and cannot have their own seat. Everyone 2 and older needs a ticket.
Is the Christmas Spectacular good for young kids?
It is built for families, and the 90-minute running time works for most kids. The show does use loud effects, flashing lights, smoke, pyrotechnics and drones. For kids who need a gentler room, TDF is hosting an autism-friendly performance on Sunday, November 8, 2026, at 9:30 a.m.
Can I bring a bag or stroller to Radio City?
Bags must fit under your seat and can be no larger than 22 x 14 x 9 inches, and every bag is screened. Strollers can be checked for free, but there is no coat or bag check, so plan to keep your coat with you.
Is there a dress code for the Christmas Spectacular?
No. Festive clothes are encouraged and plenty of families dress up, but anything comfortable is fine. Large costumes, big headpieces and full-face coverings that are not cleared by security are not allowed.
How do I get to Radio City Music Hall by subway?
The B, D, F and M stop at 47–50 Sts–Rockefeller Center, a block from the theater. The 1 at 50 St and the N, Q, R and W at 49 St are each a short walk west. If you are being dropped off, the Rockettes recommend Fifth Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets.
Are there group discounts for the Rockettes?
Yes, for groups of nine or more. Group sales offers preferred group pricing and a dedicated representative. Call 212-465-6080 or go through the group tickets page on rockettes.com.
Christmas Spectacular Snapshot
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