Shakespeare in the Park

http://www.publictheater.org/
Central Park West, New York, NY ‎
(212) 539-8500
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77th Street
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81st Street – Museum of Natural History

Shakespeare in the Park

Location:      Central Park

Dates:          May 19 - June 21 - 2020 - July 14 - August 8 - 2020

Schedule:     8:00 pm

Shakespeare in the park is a set of Shakespeare's plays  presented every summer at the open-air Delacorte Theater in Central Park; this  is one of the best free events in the city. Usually, well-known actors are part of the cast, such as Anne Hathaway, Al Pacino, and Denzel Washington who have acted in previous editions.

This event has more than 50 years of tradition with complete success; Having Belvedere Castle in the background and a full moon in the sky create an incredible atmosphere.

Even though tickets are not easy to get due to its high demand, this is a great experience to enjoy.

Food & Drink: there are food and drinks areas where you can find sandwiches, hot dogs, beer wine, etc.

How to get tickets:

Traditional: Tickets are distributed free on the day of the show at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park from 12 noon. Every person older than 5 years will receive 2 tickets.

Lottery:  Waiting in line for hours, it is not for everyone; in that case, you can apply for tickets in a daily online raffle; by taking one of these two options. 

  • On the day of the show at the Public Theater's lobby in Central Park, registration for the lottery starts at 11:30am raffled will be at 12pm, each winner receives two tickets.
  • Cell phone app (Click to download AndroidIOS) starts at 12 pm, you will be notified between noon and 2:15 pm if you are the winner. Make sure you have notifications enabled on your phone, because there will be only 45 minutes to confirm your attendance, and each winner receives two tickets.

Distribution of vouchers in the 5 boroughs: A limited number of vouchers are distributed in each of the five boroughs (some dates) between 12pm and 2pm. These vouchers can be exchanged at the Delacorte theater tickets between 5:00pm and 7:30pm. Click here to find out when and where vouchers will be available.

Donation: With a $200 dollars donation or higher, you will get some tickets depending on your donation, for more information click here

Waiting list: If you want to have the last chance to enter the play, from 6pm admission will be given to people who are outside the theater, keep in mind that spaces are very limited, they only distribute tickets that were not claimed, One ticket per person.

Our advice:

  • If you want to get these free tickets, we recommend starting making the line no later than 10 am, sometimes people start making the line from 6am. Or you can always try the raffle options.
  • Although it seems contradictory these tickets are easier to get when the season starts, after advertising and good reviews is more difficult to get them. 
  • The theater has public restrooms; you should be patience because lines are long.