It’s been almost half a century since Saturday evening live created and changed the course of television history, and NBC is indeed planning a very big anniversary party for the beloved sketch series.

When did the SNL Special 50th anniversary tune?

The special airs February 16 from 8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. ET on NBC.

Who will host the celebration?

The network has not announced a host for the 50th anniversary special. However, previous birthday specials did not feature a designated host. In 1989, for the 15th anniversary special, there were numerous tributes and performances from some of the show’s original stars, including Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtinand more. Then, for the 25th in 1999, the Cold Open featured Bill Murray speaking to a star-filled audience, with Chris Roche delivering the opening monologue and additional performances from Adam Sandler, Christopher WalkenAnd Tom Hanksjust to name a few. Then the 40th anniversary special in 2015 featured a cold open with Jimmy Fallon And Justin Timberlakea monologue from Steve Martin featuring a slew of celebrity cameos and sketches with other all-time cast members from the show. So it’s certainly possible that there won’t be a specific host for the 50th anniversary either, but rather a parade of other individual and collective performances.

Who will perform at the 50th anniversary SNL special?

Although no cast list has yet been announced, the special is expected to celebrate 50 years of the series, with NBC promising in a press release that it will “welcome stars of the past and present to Studio 8H.”

If the special brings back the original cast of the series, only Aykroyd, Chase, Curtin, Garrett MorrisAnd Laraine Newman are still alive.

And if he does recruit some of the show’s other biggest names, that could include – in addition to the names mentioned above – stars like Eddie Murphy, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers, Bill Murray, Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Maya Rudolph, Billy Crystal, David Spade, Rachel Dratch, Jon Lovitz, Molly Shannon, Kate McKinnon, Jason Sudeikis, Jimmy Fallon, Kenan Thompson, Tracy Morgan, Tim Pres, Will Forte, Al Franken, Julia Louis-Dreyfusand more.

And if the show decides to pay homage to some of the show’s legends who have since passed away, that could include Norm MacDonald, Chris Farley, Gilda Radner, Phil Hartman, Andy Kaufman, Jan Hooks, Gilbert GottfriedAnd John Belushiamong others.

Finally, the special could also honor the living members of the Five Timers Club, which includes Chase, Martin, Hanks, Murray, Fey, Ferrell, Timberlake, Wiig, Elliott Gould, Paul-Simon, Candice Bergen, Danny DeVito, John Goodman, Alex Baldwin, Ben Affleck, Drew Barrymore, Scarlett Johansson, Melissa McCarthy, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Paul Rudd, John Mulaney, Jonas Hill, Woody HarrelsonAnd Emma Pierre.