Dancing with the Stars: Live! comes to Madison Square Garden for the first time as the 2027 tour spans 60 performances
The televised dance spectacular Dancing with the Stars continues to expand beyond the small screen: the production Dancing with the Stars: Live! has announced a major North American tour for 2027, featuring approximately 60 performances across the United States and Canada. Among the most significant dates is Friday, February 5, 2027, when the show will be staged for the first time at New York City's Madison Square Garden. According to the venue's official announcement, the performance is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. local time, with doors opening to the public at 6:30 p.m. General ticket sales for this performance begin on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at 10 a.m. New York time. This confirms one of the most notable developments in the evolution of the live stage version of the television competition that brings together celebrities and professional dancers.
The new tour was announced on October 6 and 7, during the current 35th season of the American television program. Organizers describe it as their most ambitious live production to date, following a previous tour that they say featured sold-out performances and increased demand. The schedule begins on January 21 in Manchester, New Hampshire, with the final currently announced performance taking place on April 11 in Duluth, Georgia. Between those dates, the production will travel through major metropolitan arenas, from the eastern part of the continent through the American South and Midwest to the Pacific coast. The New York performance has received particular attention because Madison Square Garden has never previously hosted this touring production.
First Madison Square Garden performance marks a new chapter
Madison Square Garden is located in Manhattan at 4 Penn Plaza, directly above the major transportation hub of Penn Station. It is a large multipurpose arena associated with musical, sporting and other public events, making the arrival of the dance spectacular there significant beyond simply adding another date to the schedule. The announcement also demonstrates that organizers envision the show as a major independent stage production rather than merely an opportunity for television participants to meet their fans. The New York performance falls between appearances in Philadelphia on February 4 and Hartford on February 6, confirming the demanding pace of the tour's opening phase. Given the density of the schedule and the varying capacities of the arenas, details of the stage setup may be adapted to individual cities.
February also includes scheduled performances in Washington, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Boston, Albany and Newark, giving audiences in the northeastern United States several opportunities to attend the show. However, the performer lineup will not necessarily be identical at every location. Organizers explicitly warn that the list of participants is subject to change, so audiences should consult the confirmed schedule for their particular city.
Familiar professional dancers and the touring ensemble's debut
The official announcement for 2027 names eleven well-known professional dancers: Brandon Armstrong, Rylee Arnold, Alan Bersten, Hailey Bills, Sharna Burgess, Valentin "Val" Chmerkovskiy, Jenna Johnson, Emma Slater, Ezra Sosa, Britt Stewart and Adele Zaikman. Emma Slater also returns as co-host of the touring production, a role specifically highlighted in the organizers' materials. The lineup includes performers familiar to television audiences through their competitive appearances, choreography and partnerships with celebrities. Their roles on stage will differ from the television judging system because the tour's primary purpose is to present dance performances to audiences inside the arena. Special guests associated with the television format are also expected to join the announced professionals, although their identities have not yet been fully confirmed for individual performances.
One of the more significant developments is the inclusion of a dedicated dance ensemble known as the DWTS troupe, which will participate in this touring lineup for the first time. The announced members are Kamri Peterson, Onye Stevenson, Jaxon Willard and Carter Williams. This gives the production additional performers for group routines and transitions between appearances by the featured professionals. The official tour website also specifies that two well-known dancers will not participate throughout the entire schedule: Rylee Arnold is announced for several separate portions of the tour, including the period from January 21 to February 13, while Sharna Burgess is scheduled only for February 17 to 21 and March 22 to 27. According to that announcement, Arnold is expected to perform during the New York portion of the tour, while Burgess is currently not scheduled for February 5, despite her name appearing on the venue's general performer list.
Mandy Moore leads the creative direction of the new show
The choreography and overall stage production are led by Mandy Moore, an Emmy-winning choreographer associated with the film La La Land and Taylor Swift's concert tour, The Eras Tour. Her involvement has been confirmed in official announcements from the organizers, alongside the unveiling of an entirely new program for 2027. This means the upcoming show is not being presented as a simple repetition of choreography from the previous tour but as a separately designed stage production with its own sequence of dance numbers. According to information published by the ticketing service, audiences can expect a combination of ballroom and Latin dances, contemporary choreography, duets, group performances and musical dance sequences inspired by recent television seasons. However, the final running order and celebrity guest appearances for February 5 have not yet been publicly announced.
The distinction between the television show and the live performance is important for audience expectations. In the televised competition, choreography forms part of an elimination format in which celebrities dance with professional partners, and judging is an integral part of the show's dramatic structure. The touring version aims for a different rhythm: professional dancers perform without having to fit every routine into the competitive results of that evening. According to the general tour guide, previous performances have typically lasted approximately two hours, including an intermission of around fifteen minutes, but this does not constitute a separate confirmation of the duration of the 2027 New York performance. The opportunity to combine different dance styles, large group scenes and guest appearances allows the program to function as a complete evening stage production.
Approximately 60 performances across the United States and Canada from January to April
The announced schedule includes numerous cities of different sizes, with organizers describing it as a tour comprising approximately 60 shows. Following the opening in Manchester, the itinerary continues through Buffalo, Cincinnati, Toronto, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Minneapolis and Milwaukee before entering the February portion of the program. Toronto, in the Canadian province of Ontario, is scheduled for January 24, while another notable Canadian date is Abbotsford, British Columbia, on March 23. These two performances confirm that the tour is not limited to the United States, although the majority of its stops are in American cities. The published itinerary covers just under three months, with short intervals between numerous performances and several longer breaks between stages of the tour.
The second part of the journey includes, among other destinations, Nashville on February 28, New Orleans on March 11, Austin on March 12, San Antonio on March 13, Houston on March 14 and Dallas on March 16. The tour then continues to Tulsa, Denver, Salt Lake City, Seattle and cities along the American West Coast. Sacramento and San Jose are scheduled for late March, followed in early April by San Diego, Anaheim, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix. The final series of performances heads toward the southeastern United States, including Mobile, Greenville, Raleigh and Charlotte, before the concluding date at Gas South Arena in Duluth. All these details refer to the schedule published in early October 2026; any additional dates or changes of venue will need to be checked against updated official announcements.
General ticket sales begin October 13, with presales already underway
For the New York performance, it is particularly important to distinguish between presales and the start of general ticket sales. The official Madison Square Garden website lists Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time as the beginning of sales to the general public. The Mirrorball Presale program began on October 8, while additional presale opportunities opened on October 9 for certain groups of buyers and customers eligible for promotional benefits. This means that October 13 is not the date when tickets first become available, but rather the start of general sales without special presale access. Information published through October 11 does not confirm that all seating categories and package types remain available, so availability cannot be guaranteed in advance.
For early access, organizers offered free registration through the Mirrorball system, which sends registered participants the appropriate code and instructions for their chosen city. According to the tour's official rules, registration must be completed separately for each selected performance, and codes are delivered by email or text message, depending on when the registration takes place. General sales and presale benefits do not necessarily offer the same selection of seats, while final availability depends on the individual venue and ticket category. The official sales page for New York also specifies a limit on the number of tickets per buyer and a pricing system that includes fees before any applicable taxes. As this is a future event, prospective buyers should check the total price, package conditions and any restrictions before completing their purchase.
Not all VIP packages include a meet-and-greet with the dancers
Alongside standard tickets, organizers are preparing various VIP packages and upgrades, with benefits differing between categories. According to official tour information, certain packages include seats closer to the stage, a shared experience with ensemble members, professional photography, exclusive souvenirs and the opportunity to purchase merchandise early. At the same time, it is explicitly stated that the Glitz & Glam package does not include an interactive meet-and-greet with performers or a photo opportunity with them. Access to the additional experience called Perfect 10 requires buyers to already hold one of certain other VIP package categories, meaning it cannot be considered a standalone ticket to the show. These differences are particularly important for visitors whose main reason for choosing a more expensive category is the opportunity to meet the dancers.
A complete schedule of celebrity guest appearances from the television program has not yet been published for New York. Announced special guests are not automatically confirmed for every city, just as a VIP designation does not itself guarantee a personal meeting with every performer. When selecting a package, buyers should therefore check whether the offer includes admission to the show itself or an additional experience requiring a separately purchased ticket.
Getting to New York and the venue's entry requirements
Madison Square Garden is located in central Manhattan, immediately next to Penn Station, making it accessible by public transportation from multiple parts of the wider metropolitan area. According to the venue's own information, doors for the February 5 performance open at 6:30 p.m., one hour before the announced start of the show. Visitors should follow the entrance indicated on their ticket and have their digital ticket ready before reaching the security checkpoint. The arena also warns that large bags are not permitted and recommends arriving with personal belongings that can fit underneath a seat. Security screening procedures and access conditions may change, so these details reflect the organizers' currently published rules.
For audiences traveling from other cities or countries, the performance may provide an opportunity for a multi-day stay in New York. The arena's location makes it possible to arrange travel by train, subway or other forms of urban transportation without necessarily relying on a car, while the choice of neighborhood for an overnight stay will depend on the rest of the planned visit. Visitors wishing to stay close to the venue can compare accommodation options in New York, particularly if traveling to the performance during the winter season. When planning the visit, it is useful to account for the time needed to reach Penn Station, pass through security screening and leave the area after the event. The performance's starting time has been confirmed, but the exact ending time is not specified in the official Madison Square Garden announcement.
Television success provides the foundation for a new stage production
The tour was announced while ABC and Disney+ were broadcasting the 35th season of Dancing with the Stars, in which celebrities perform prepared dance routines alongside professional partners. According to information from the American television network ABC, the previous season achieved strong viewing figures, including the program's most-watched finale in ten years. Ryan O'Dowd of BBC Studios, one of the executive producers of the television format, said in connection with the new tour that sold-out performances during the previous edition demonstrated the level of audience interest and encouraged the addition of new dates. His statement represents the organizers' assessment rather than independently published sales figures for each city. Nevertheless, the decision to expand the production into major arenas and bring it to Madison Square Garden for the first time is a concrete indication of the production's ambitions for 2027.
Dancing with the Stars: Live! is produced by Faculty Productions and BBC Studios Los Angeles Productions, with Live Nation and NS2 named as tour promoters. Unlike a single evening of television, a production of this kind must maintain continuity across numerous cities, involving equipment transportation, demanding stage performances and changes to the lineup. In this context, the announcement of new choreography and the first participation of the dance ensemble can be seen as an attempt to offer audiences more than familiar television moments at every performance. The most important immediate date for interested audiences is now October 13, when general ticket sales begin, while details about special guests and possible lineup changes will become clearer as the start of the tour approaches. The first major test of the new program will be the Manchester performance on January 21, with the New York show following two weeks later, on February 5, 2027.
Sources:
- Madison Square Garden – official event page, performance times, ticket sales and entry requirements (link)
- Dancing with the Stars: Live! – official performer lineup, participation dates and presale rules (link)
- Dancing with the Stars: Live! – VIP package benefits and restrictions (link)
- Rocket Arena – official production announcement, organizers' statements and tour information (link)
- Pollstar – list of cities and dates and announcement of the first Madison Square Garden performance (link)
- Ticketmaster – information about the ticket sale date and typical content of the stage production (link)
- ABC – television format and previous season's viewing figures (link)