When to buy show tickets? Advance/There

First off thank you very much for all the great information on this website. I am learning a lot and very excited for my first trip July 2-5.

My girlfriend is really excited to see some shows. What is the optimal time to buy? Should I be looking now to snag deals? Will better offers present themselves in time? Should I risk waiting till we are in town?

What do you see as the best bet at snagging good deals on shows?


Thanks!

 

We always get them after arriving to LV. We have gotten better deals at the box office and at the Vegas.com booth on the strip than online. Only glitch I can see is you will be there over a holiday and I have never stayed there over the 4th. Done Memorial and Labor Day holidays and never had a problem when arriving to LV. Can't say about the 4th.

 

I have made 19 trips to LV, mostly to trade shows and almost always try to see at least one musical or headliner. Like most things LV, you have several options which appeal to different people. I have tried all three and have always been satisfied.

I generally stay 8-9 nights when attending a trade show. The show itself is about 4 days. Some of the evenings I go out to dinner with friends that I only see here once a year.In planning my trip, I generally do it piecemeal like most for better control and a better price than packages. I always book my flight first since coming in from the east coast, it is generally my biggest expense. I am flexible to some extent as far as days so that I can save on cheaper flying days without having to stay for 2 weekends or missing more than 1 week in my classroom. Then I can look for a hotel deal, preferring downtown but open to other options for a considerable savings or convenience.

Meanwhile I am reading notes that I make from posts here at the forum about shows, restaurants, new activities and attractions, and like to have one at least one show booked. I have booked directly with the hotel Box Office, through online discounters and LV discounters such as TIX4TONITE. I have found that GoldstarEvents.com and Travelzoo.com are generally a bit cheaper than TIX even after their service fee, however, they do not offer the variety that TIX has. They generally offer the better known shows but not the latest sold out shows. They usually have 2 choices like orchestra seats and a cheaper option. Many of the LV theaters are so good seating is all good. I don't get to the theater as often as I like so I tend to like orchestra and if I had my drothers would like front row, or, at least first couple of rows and an aisle seat.

Tix4TONITE also often had a choise of section, a greater variety of shows, often a choice of times, and sometimes last minute, whiteboard special deals. They have allways gone the extra mile to help their customers, including calling box offices to see if shows were available at times other than what was posted. Depending on what is available I like to have at least one show booked and paid for. When arriving I always look to see what is available from discounters in LV. I check every day and if you are flexible check just before showtime for whiteboard specials (like Celine for $ 30).

If there is a show that is an absolute MUST SEE, I will call the hotel box office to be able to get a great seat. For most I have had great seats booking with discounters in LV and online. Keep in mind that both give you Confirmation or vouchers which you must take to the hotel to redeem for tickets before the show. Keep in mind that the voucher or confirmation will guarantee you a seat in the section promised the actual seat number is handed out on a first come and first served basis. So the earlier you get to the box office, the better seat or seat choice will be. Some box offices open in the am and are open all day while others open an hour or two before showtime. Tickets bought directly from the hotel box office guarantee the seat location and hold them for you to pick up before showtime. Some find the convenience of knowing what seat you will have and making just one trip to the theater worth the difference in price.

I generally check the choices online, what is playing in town and make my choices accordingly. Choose whatever works best for you and your schedule. Like hotel and airfares, check often. If you find something that you really like, I would buy it now.

Jimbo338

 

Thank you Jimbo and KPS for your help!

 

Definitely order before hand if its a must see or if a popular show or you want to ensure good seats.
If you do a quick search onLine for a show you may even see it sold out a week or so in advanced.

 

If it's an older show, it's almost always on discount, and I find it easier to get them online. I'm positive that these deals on line are the same or better than you would get at Tix4Tongiht or from a coupon in Vegas so why not plan ahead?

If you want to see somebody like Celine or Elton, you should buy ahead, and there won't be a discount.

Here is the Summer of Cirque special. Almost every show is half off.
http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/promo/summer-las-vegas/default.aspx

Check TravelZoo they have lots of deals, like Legends, Rock of Ages, Jersey Boys, Terry Fator, Blue Man Group, Penn and Teller.
http://www.travelzoo.com/entertainment/las-vegas/?tz_cs=HPV0

Smartervegas, they have shows like Absinthe, and others mentioned above, I'd check all the sites and see who has the best deal.
http://smartervegas.com/shows.aspx

Goldstar.com has Carrot Top, also about 40 other of the less popular shows. The smaller shows.
http://www.goldstar.com

 

You don't want to waste a lot of time while in Las Vegas, so the more you can accomplish ahead of time, the better. Also, standing in line outdoors in high summer at a half price ticket booth is NOT FUN!

You didn't say what show or what type of show interests you. To some extent, that determines your approach to buying tickets. All else being equal, I'd suggest one of the Cirque shows. As mentioned on another post, you can get a good price online. Show up early because the performance often starts 15 minutes before show time. Sometimes late arrivals unwittingly become part of the show.

 

As our late friend GregRio used to tell us. If you want to see a show and have the best seats order in advance. Please check Greg's seating suggestion thread at the top of this section. Lots of great info in there.

Plus there are many online places to get discounted tickets or other special deals.

Vegas time is too precious to waste standing in the hot sun trying to save a few bucks that you'll gamble with anyway. Get as much done ahead of time as you can.

Have a great time!!

 

I go with this.