October 9, 2022

Taking a Tour of Radio City Music Hall

Touring Radio City Music Hall was a last minute decision on one of my trips to New York. Looking for things to do in the city, I discovered you could take a tour of this iconic venue. Dating back to 1932, its the largest indoor theatre in the world and is instantly recognisable (the building itself being a New York Landmark). Over the years, its hosted performances from the likes of Aretha Franklin and Dolly Parton, and of course is the home of the Tony Awards. In a city known for live entertainment, Radio City is an institution. Located in the middle of Manhattan (its part of the Rockefeller Center), its also right in the heart of everything. I wouldn’t say visiting Radio City Music Hall is essential to your New York experience, but its a great way to spend an hour and a half.

Note: I visited Radio City Music Hall quite a number of years ago. When doing research for this post, I discovered that tours of the building had recently stopped (presumably due to covid), though it looks like they’re now running again!

While you’re thinking about your trip to New York City, check out my detailed itinerary post HERE.

This is a photo of the entrance to Radio City Music Hall.

The Basics:

Where: 1260 6th Avenue, New York
When: Tours run daily from 9.30am – 5.00pm and last approximately 60 minutes. Booking is highly recommended.
How much? Tickets are $33.00 USD (plus booking fees).
How to get there? Radio City Music Hall is part of the Rockefeller Center complex. Its easy to get there on foot if you’re staying in Midtown, however the closest subway station is 47th-50th Street – Rockefeller Center (serviced by the B, D, F and M lines).
Website: https://www.msg.com/venue-tours/radio-city-music-hall

A Quick Rundown on Radio City Music Hall

Picture the the very height of the Great Depression. With a $91 million lease and a crashed stock market, John Rockefeller pushed ahead with his vision of designing the massive Rockefeller Center. Radio City was the first building of the Center to be completed and it was launched into being by the vaudeville producer Samuel Lionel “Roxy” Rothfel in December 1932. Roxy’s opening performance included a curtain symphony and the first performance of the now legendary Rockettes (then called the Roxyettes).

The venue subsequently hosted premiers of early film classics (including the original King Kong). It quickly became the landmark site of New York entertainment through the 1940s. However, the theatre began to run at a loss thanks to increased rent and lower sales. In 1978, the venue closed its doors. Radio City’s fate however, was not sealed.

A campaign was launched by the ballet company captain Rosemary Novellino to save the iconic venue from demolition, leading to protests, and even the New York switchboards being jammed due to the number of calls made on behalf of the preservation campaign. Ultimately, the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission granted Radio City landmark status, leading to a $5 million restoration.

Today, Radio City is managed by the MSG Entertainment Company and sees all kinds of performers taking its stage – musicians, actors, comedians and more. Over 300 million guests have seen a show at the theatre that attracts artists from all over the world.

I’ve written about the best things to do at the Rockefeller Center. You can check that post out HERE.

This photo is taken inside Radio City's main theatre looking towards the stage.

Organising a Tour of Radio City Music Hall

Taking a “Stage Door Tour” of Radio City Music Hall is the best way to appreciate the significance and history of the venue. While theoretically you could just rock up on the day and hope for the best, I really recommend booking your tour online as they do sell out. You can do this at the official website and I’d aim to do it a few weeks in advance to ensure you get the time that suits your schedule. Note that online payments are handled through Ticketmaster and there’s a $9.00 USD processing fee on the base ticket price. The Stage Door Tour is also a participating attraction for the New York Sightseeing Pass, which can save you money in the long run.

Regardless of how you get your ticket, make sure you’re at the front entrance 15 minutes before your tour time. You should also be aware that the only bathroom stop is about halfway through the tour.

Of course, another way to visit Radio City is to actually see a performance here. Check the official website for listings of whats on when you’re headed to New York.

You can also take a guided tour of Madison Square Garden while in New York. You can read about it in my post HERE.

On the Stage Door Tour

Your tour of Radio City Music Hall will begin in its grand foyer. As you meet your tour guide and fellow visitors (my group had about 20 to 25 people), you’ll notice the stunning 60 foot tall Fountain of Youth mural by Ezra Winter over the main staircase. I’m sure the order of locations you’ll visit changes based on the routes taken throughout the building by other groups, but from there we entered the massive auditorium. Seating 5,901 people in any given session, there’s not a bad seat in the house. Over the course of the tour we got to sit on the main level, the upper mezzanine and even the highly exclusive Roxy VIP suite, all while learning fun facts from our guide.

A photo taken from the top seating level in Radio City Hall's main auditorium.

Sadly we weren’t able to get on the Great Stage, as they were setting up for an event later in the day. If you’re super lucky, you’ll get to stand on the stage and look out into the main atrium. What I did find fascinating however were the various elevators and hydraulics beneath the stage. You’ll go right underneath and see the high-tech system of yellow and blue pipes used to move props and other objects above during a performance.

A photo of the pumps system used to move props around the main stage in a performance.

After checking out the fine sculptures and murals throughout the venue’s concourse, our tour concluded with a look into the most famous performers that take the stage in Radio City – the Rockettes. We visited a rehearsal hall and learnt about the strict requirements and standards expected of the troupe and also saw a ton of their costumes in a prop storage area. The tour culminates with a short film on the Rockettes before a brief Q&A with an actual Rockette. You can get your photo taken with the Rockette as well, but it costs extra.

If you choose to visit Radio City Music Hall when you visit New York, I think you’ll find it to be an interesting experience. Maybe its because I’m not from the US, but I didn’t realise how significant the Rockettes were before taking the tour. While taking the Stage Door Tour was a decision made on a whim, I learnt a lot about the building and now understand a bit more as to why Radio City is a venue of such importance to performers around the world.