Rockettes Christmas Show Tickets at Radio City Music Hall

Thirty-six dancers in a single line, kicking at exactly the same instant with no visible gap between them: that image has defined Christmas in New York since 1933. The Rockettes Christmas Show at Radio City Music Hall, officially the Christmas Spectacular, runs about ninety minutes without an intermission and plays from November into early January, with tickets from $89. It is one of the most requested titles among our New York attraction tickets during the holiday weeks.

Below you will find what you need before buying: how much tickets cost and how prices move across the season, what you actually see during the show, which section to pick in a six thousand seat theatre, and the practical details on timing, children and access.

How Much Rockettes Tickets Cost

Prices start at $89 per person and move considerably with three variables: the date, the showtime and the section you choose. Weekday matinees in November are the most affordable slot of the season; December weekend evenings and the days between Christmas and New Year are the most expensive and the first to sell out. There is no reduced child fare: everyone aged 2 and over needs a paid ticket, because every guest occupies a numbered seat.

Book the Smart Way

The Christmas Spectacular fills a theatre of nearly six thousand seats several times a day for two months, and yet December weekend evenings sell out weeks ahead. Buying online lets you compare dates, times and sections calmly instead of taking whatever is left at the box office. You also get support before purchase and a physical office a short walk from Times Square at 324 W 47th St if you would rather talk to someone before deciding.

What You See in the Christmas Spectacular

The show opens with the Precision Kicks, the line of dancers raising their legs in unison: the number that turned the Rockettes into an American icon and that alone justifies the ticket. Next comes the Parade of the Wooden Soldiers, performed almost unchanged since 1933, which ends with the dancers toppling in a chain like a row of dominoes.

From there the show changes register several times in ninety minutes: New York scenes under falling snow with digital projections that push the stage beyond its physical limits, Santa's flight above the city, and the Living Nativity, the one moment when the theatre falls silent, staged with live animals and a full orchestral score. The finale brings every dancer back together, in luminous costumes embroidered with more than three thousand crystals each.

They perform on the Great Stage, equipped with some of the most advanced theatre technology in the world: moving platforms, immersive sound and, in recent productions, illuminated drones for the closing scene. If you are also weighing up the city's stage titles, you can browse the rest of our winter line up among our New York guided tours.

Our tip

Rockettes choreography reads from above: the geometric patterns the line traces are far clearer from the centre of the first mezzanine than from the front orchestra rows, where you sit too close to take in the whole formation. It also costs less.

Which Section to Choose at Radio City Music Hall

The auditorium is split into orchestra, first mezzanine and second mezzanine, for nearly six thousand seats across four levels. The orchestra puts you close to the stage and lets you catch the detail of the footwork and costumes, but flattens the overall view of the formations. The centre of the first mezzanine is the best compromise for this particular show: you see the full width of the Great Stage and the geometry of the kickline. The second mezzanine is the cheapest option and still keeps the whole stage in view.

Every ticket corresponds to a numbered seat, so you pick your section at checkout and there is no queue to secure a better spot.

Where Radio City Music Hall Is

The theatre sits at 1260 Avenue of the Americas, on Sixth Avenue at 50th Street, inside the Rockefeller Center complex in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. It is a few minutes on foot from the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and the Fifth Avenue holiday windows, which makes it easy to build a full afternoon around the show.

Opened in 1932, Radio City Music Hall is the largest indoor theatre in the world, and its Art Deco façade lit for the holidays is a photo stop even for people who never go inside.

What to Know Before Booking

• Arrive at least 30 minutes early: entry once the show has started is at the discretion of front of house staff
• The show runs about 90 minutes with no intermission, worth planning for if you are travelling with small children
• Everyone aged 2 and over needs their own ticket and their own seat
• The theatre is wheelchair accessible, with dedicated seating on every level of the auditorium
• The ticket is not included in the New York CityPASS or the New York Pass and must be bought separately
• The calendar changes every year: daily performances range from one to five depending on the date, so check the current season schedule
• Tickets are digital and shown from your phone at the door

Many visitors pair the show with another New York holiday tradition on the same trip: if that appeals, look at the Dyker Heights Christmas lights tour, which departs in the late afternoon and pairs well with a matinee performance.

Important

This ticket is purchased through a partner resale platform outside our website: order confirmation, ticket delivery and post purchase support are handled directly by that platform, and they are who you contact for changes, refunds or entry problems. Please read their sales conditions before completing the order, since exchange and refund rules for Christmas Spectacular tickets are stricter than those applying to our own tours. Showtimes and prices are set and updated each season by Radio City Music Hall: Il Mio Viaggio a New York follows the production every winter and remains available to help you choose the right date and section before you buy.