Season 51 of “Saturday Night Live” premieres on October 4, and the ticket lottery is already open.

The lottery for the 2025-2026 season of “SNL” will only be open until 11:59pm ET on Sunday, August 31. To enter the lottery, send an email to SNLTICKETS@NBCUNI.COM.

Per the NBC website, the body of the email should include your first and last name and the reason why you’d like to attend an “SNL” show. You can only send one email per person.

Sending an email does not guarantee that you will get tickets. If you are selected, you’ll receive an email notification and a set number of complimentary tickets for a random show date and time. You aren’t able to select tickets for a specific show date.

‘SNL’ ticket rules

If you receive tickets to an “SNL” taping, you cannot sell them to another person. You and anyone you attend the show with must be at least 16 years of age and have a valid photo I.D. with their date of birth.

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How to do standby for ‘SNL’

If you don’t have luck with the “SNL” ticket lottery, you can book a standby reservation. The standby reservation link opens up at 10 a.m. ET on the Thursday before each show. You can choose to register for an 8 p.m. ET dress rehearsal or an 11:30 p.m. ET live show.

The standby process requires patience. If you get an email confirmation with a reservation number, you then have to wait on line for several hours on the Friday before a show. First, you check in at at the 49th Street NBC Studios Marquee between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET on Friday, and then you wait in line for your standby card until about 12:00 a.m. ET.

‘SNL’ standby rules

Only one standby card is allowed per person. You must present photo ID to receive you card, and they’re non-transferable, so you can’t wait in line and grab a standby card on another person’s behalf.

You also can’t hold a friend’s place in line. Everyone who joins the queue on Friday night must remain in place until the standby cards are handed out, with the exception of bathroom breaks.

“Saturday Night Live” is available to stream on Peacock.

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