Falls to hold draw for Kelly & Ryan tickets

Fans hoping to see Live with Kelly & Ryan in Niagara Falls next month will have one more chance to score tickets.

Despite a quick sell-out for both shows at Oakes Garden Theatre on June 5 — one live, one taped — the city’s Let’s Talk Niagara Falls website has 250 pairs of tickets up for grabs in a draw.

Residents have until May 24, 11:59 p.m., to enter their submission at https://letstalk.niagarafalls.ca/live. You’ll first need to create a Let’s Talk Niagara Falls account, then complete an entry form. Winners will be chosen randomly and contacted through e-mail.

Kelly Ripa and new co-host Ryan Seacrest announced they’re bringing their morning show to Niagara Falls on Monday’s episode. Free tickets were made available on the show’s website, but were quickly scooped up to the dismay of many fans.

Capacity at Oakes Garden Theatre for the show is about 3,300 people.

Tickets were in high demand for the show’s two previous visits to Niagara Falls, with Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford in 1996, and Philbin and Ripa in 2006.

For the 2006 visit, the Niagara Fallsview Casino held a draw for 750 pairs of tickets, with people lining up before dawn for a draw at 3:30 p.m.

When contacted Friday, casino spokeswoman Jennifer Ferguson said there were no plans for a promotion this year.

The city and several business partners, including the Niagara Parks Commission and Fallsview BIA, will pay the approximate $1 million required to bring the show back to town.

Previous visits resulted in huge exposure for the city heading into the summer months.

Live With Kelly & Ryan producer Michael Gelman says production will arrive early to film segments throughout the city to air during the two shows.

During the 2006 visit, Ripa made visits to Marineland and Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks.