Worth the Wait: The Dawn-to-Dusk Devotion for Shakespeare in the Park

In New York, there are few summer traditions as cherished—and as fiercely committed—as the line for Shakespeare in the Park. The Delacorte Theater in Central Park has been hosting the free performances since 1962, offering the Bard’s timeless tales to anyone willing to put in the time. The tickets cost nothing, but they are earned in hours: early alarms, thermoses of coffee, and a kind of camaraderie you won’t find anywhere else.

This year’s season carries special weight. After a two-year closure for extensive renovations, the Delacorte reopened this past weekend with upgraded seating, improved acoustics, and the same leafy backdrop that makes it one of the most magical outdoor theaters in the world. For its first production back, the Public Theater chose Twelfth Night, a comedy of mistaken identity and tangled hearts. The casting is electric: Lupita Nyong’o as Viola, Peter Dinklage as Malvolio, Sandra Oh as Olivia, Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Sir Andrew Aguecheek, and Junior Nyong’o as Sebastian.

For the second night’s performance on Friday, Aug. 8, I arrived at 5:30 a.m., coffee in hand, only to find about 50 people already waiting along Central Park West. At 6 a.m., park staff opened the gates, and the line became a parade into the park, each person claiming a spot beneath the trees to settle in until the noon ticket distribution.

The scene was a tapestry of personalities and setups: blankets and folding chairs, blow-up beds and picnic spreads, dogs lying patiently at their owners’ sides. First in line was Steven Doitteau, 64, from City Island in the Bronx. “I’ve been going since 1980,” he said. “It’s best to line up at about 4am. I managed to get third-row-center tickets to a wonderful, inspired version of the show. Well worth the wait!”

At the far end of the line sat Florian, a recent transplant from Germany who had lived on the Upper West Side for only a week. “The line itself is part of the spectacle,” he said. “It’s one of the few places in New York where you can just be without consuming. I love that people get up at 4am for literature and drama—it gives me hope.”

Nearby, Owen Kolbrenner, in from Los Angeles for a summer internship, lounged on what he called “the most comfortable portable couch in the world.” He told me, “A friend said Shakespeare in the Park was a unique opportunity. I figured, why not wait six hours for a free show with incredible actors? I’m hoping to get two tickets for my dad and me.”

Upper West Sider Suzanne Pinnix has been a regular for decades. “It’s exciting to see big names,” she said. “I’ve seen Liev Schreiber, Al Pacino, Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Marisa Tomei. . . . This year’s show was great, and the bonus was watching the full moon rise during the performance. It’s always an adventure.”

Shoumi, originally from Texas, came prepared. “Arrive before 6am if you want tickets,” she advised. “I had friends come at 6:30am who didn’t get in. Bring food, coffee, reading material—and bug spray. The community in the line is wonderful. People will hold your spot for a bathroom break. You meet characters you’d never meet otherwise.”

By noon, anticipation gave way to celebration as tickets were handed out. My two for Friday night felt like golden passes. I went home, took a hard-earned nap, and returned under the summer sky to see Twelfth Night unfold with mischief, music, and warmth.

The magic of Shakespeare in the Park isn’t just on the stage—it’s in the hours before, when strangers become neighbors, when the city slows down under the trees, and when art feels like something you’ve worked for, together. In New York, that kind of shared experience is the rarest ticket of all.