In anticipation of the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live, NBC is launching an immersive, Studio-8H-inspired experience to give fans the chance to feel what it’s like to host the iconic comedy showcase.
For half a century of Saturday nights, audiences have tuned in and imagined what it’s like to step into the host’s shoes for an episode, the network said. “Now they will finally have the chance to peel back the curtain” with The SNL50 Experience.
“From the thrill of hearing your name announced as you burst through the stage doors to rolling your chair up to the Weekend Update desk, every attendee will experience both the on-camera magic and off-camera rush of SNL; with surprises and callbacks around every corner that celebrate 50 years of famed sketches and the signature spontaneous nature that’s defined the series since 1975.”
The experience will run from Jan. 30 – Feb. 2 at Rockefeller Center. Free and open to the public (ages 18 and up), reservations will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis starting Jan. 14 just ahead of SNL’s highly anticipated three-hour primetime broadcast, SNL50: The Anniversary Special, airing live on NBC and Peacock on Sunday, Feb. 16.
NBC’s late-night comedy showcase has launched many careers and is the most Emmy-winning show in history with 101 wins, including awards for its specials and short form series. The show created and still executive produced by by Lorne Michaels has received two Peabody Awards (1990 and 2009) and was inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame. Jason Reitman’s film Saturday Night last year chronicles the chaotic few hours leading into its first broadcast.