Same-Day Theater from the TKTS Booth

The TKTS booth in Duffy Square, under the red glass steps at Broadway and West 47th Street, is run by the nonprofit Theatre Development Fund and sells same-day Broadway and Off-Broadway tickets at discounts of up to half off. It has been a Times Square ritual for decades: a line, a board of what is available that day, and a decision made with the lights of the theater district all around you. TDF also runs a second booth at Lincoln Center.

Check the TKTS Live listings on TDF's site or app before you join the line, so you know what is on the board. Each ticket carries a TDF service charge, $7 per ticket according to TDF's listings. Weekday lines are shorter than weekends; Off-Broadway shows are often the best bargains. Keep your stub, since it works as a Fast Pass for a quicker line within a week. Then climb the red steps for the view down Broadway.