Which shows do you need to buy tickets in advance?

[SusanD122]

We are going to Branson the first week of August. Are there any shows that may sell out at that time? We wanted to go to Dolly's Stampede dinner show for sure.

Just wondering how crowded will it be during this time?

[Daytimer]

Dixie you should book ahead for sure, especially in the summer time. If you want good, close up seats, I would book ahead. I prefer to sit near the front, so I always book ahead!

[MNtraveler]

I usually buy tickets ahead of time for Andy Williams because that show is really special for me. Other shows I usually just go to the theater about 45 minutes before the show and get my tickets from the box office. Many shows offer "VIP" seating in the front 5-10 rows at an additional charge. In my experience the more expensive seats are almost never sold out.

If you don't want to take chances it of course makes sense to purchase in advance as Daytimer suggests.

:)

[shis1]

But I wouldn't be concerned with purchasing August tickets NOW for most shows. Maybe Dixie Stampede. But for the others, I'd wait till maybe a couple of weeks before vacation, call the theater and see what availability is. Either book then or wait till we get to town. We very rarely reserve tickets in advance (mainly because our trips are usually planned only a week or so in advance!) and we always get really good seats. If you're not happy with what they offer for location, ask if they can't do any better.....many times they can come back with lots better! Don't know if you have kids that will be with you or not, but if you do, be sure and ask the theater if they have a family pass....may save you some $$$!

[Tams]

I always buy all mine up front, unless I decided to see a show again...

[SusanD122]

Thanks. Will look in to the Dixie one very soon.

[scissortail]

DH and I always wait until we are in Branson to buy our show tickets.
Because it's not until after we are there, that we decide what shows to see.
After we decide on what shows to see, we will usually go to the theater the day before we want to see each particular show.
We've never had any problems getting tickets.

The only exception, I would say, is Christmas shows. For instance, if you want to see Andy Williams at Christmas, the sooner you can get your tickets the better, in my opinion.

[Lulu]

Don't forget that the car show is Aug 6-8 and Branson will be PACKED to the gills. I don't know what that means for the theaters, but traffic on the strip (and the backroads!) will be bumper to bumper inching along.

[Daytimer]

That is soo true! We went one weekend the same time the car show was going on, and it was so packed.

[RKB]

For Dixie Stampede, we ended up paying the extra price per ticket (I think $5 per) to get priority seating on the first three rows. Given the summer, I would still call in advance, but I found the extra $10 for two tickets to be worth it to sit on the second row.

[shoptiludrop51]

we r going the first week in aug as well im glad u said about the car show..ill get all our strip activities out of the way early in the week and let hubby fish the last 2 days:))except flor the sidewalk sales on the 6th lol

[bransoncutie]

Honestly, a lot will depend on which shows you're wanting to see as well as how picky you are about where you want to sit. If you're among those who want to be as close to front and center as possible, it's always best to buy well in advance. If you aren't all that concerned about where you sit, with most shows that time of year, you'll be fine waiting.